Is too much fiber bad for a cat
Can You Actually Ingest Too Much Fiber?
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While many people dont get enough fiber, you could actually get too much, especially if you increase your intake too quickly. See a doctor if youre experiencing nausea, vomiting, a high fever, or a complete inability to pass gas or stool.
The recommended daily intake of fiber is 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men. However, some experts estimate as much as 95 percent of the population doesnt ingest this much fiber.
That said, if you have too much fiber, you may experience:
If you ate too much fiber and are experiencing the symptoms of too much intake, try the following to help counteract the effects:
- Drink plenty of water.
- Stop using any fiber supplements.
- Avoid high-fiber foods.
- Eat a bland diet.
- Remove fiber-fortified foods from your diet.
- Look for foods that contain substances such as inulin and chicory root extract.
- Engage in light physical activities, like walking, as often as possible.
- Consider keeping an online diary of your food intake to help you see how much fiber youre getting each day.
- Consider following a low FODMAP diet if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This temporary diet can improve symptoms by removing fermentable, fibrous foods from your diet.
Once you start feeling better, you should slowly re-introduce fiber-rich foods into your diet. Instead of eating fiber-rich foods in one meal, spread them out throughout the day. Its best to get your fiber from a variety of foods, so dont rely on any one food or source. Aim for a wide range of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts.
The recommended minimum daily fiber intake depends on your gender and age.
Adult fiber intake
Child and adolescent fiber intake
Taking in more fiber than your recommended daily intake can cause unwanted symptoms like those listed above.
There are two main types of fiber. Each type of fiber plays a different role in digestion:
- Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool and helps food pass more quickly through the stomach and intestines. It also helps balance the pH in your intestine, and may prevent diverticulitis, an inflammation of the intestine, as well as colon cancer.
- Soluble fiber attracts water and forms a gel-like substance with food as its digested. This in turn slows down digestion and helps you feel full faster, which is important in weight management. It may also help lower your risk of heart disease, regulate your blood sugar, and help reduce LDL cholesterol.
Fermentable fiberscan be from both these categories, though more often soluble fibers are fermented. Fibers fermented by bacteria help increase the bacteria in the colon, which aids digestion. It also plays a major role in human health.
While too much fiber can have negative effects, a proper amount of fiber is important for your health. Fiber is essential for regular bowel movements, cholesterol and blood sugar management, healthy gut bacteria, and preventing chronic disease, among other functions.
In populations that eat a regular high-fiber diet of more than
In general, its better to get fiber from the food you eat than from supplements. This is because high-fiber foods also have important vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy.
Taking fiber supplements known as wheat dextrin, inulin, psyllium, and methylcellulose are other ways to get soluble fiber, though food is always best for both your body and your gut bacteria.
Shop for fiber supplements online.
Read further to learn about foods to avoid if you have IBS.
Fiber intake is a delicate balance. Though it may be better to have too much than too little, youll need to be cautious. Try not to make any drastic sudden changes to your fiber intake.
If you feel constipated and want to increase your fiber intake to help give you relief, add just a few grams of fiber to your diet each week from a variety of foods. Only take a fiber supplement if you dont think youre getting enough fiber from the foods you eat. Always be sure youre also drinking enough water to avoid constipation or indigestion.
See a doctor if you think youre eating too much fiber and limiting your intake hasnt helped your symptoms. While at the doctors office, consider asking the following questions:
- How do I know how much fiber is in a particular food?
- Could my symptoms be caused by eating too much fiber?
- Should I take daily fiber supplements?
- How do I take a fiber supplement correctly?
- How quickly should I increase my fiber intake?
Seek medical attention as soon as possible if youre experiencing nausea, vomiting, a high fever, or a complete inability to pass gas or stool for more than a few days.
How much fiber do cats need?
The role of fiber in cats diet
It is one of the most complicated questions. And heres why. Cats do need fiber. But not the kind of fiber we all consume.
Cats are carnivores by nature. Of course, thousands of years of evolution corrected their digestive system but not that much. Their stomach is still the stomach of a carnivore that needs a lot of protein to feel good.
However, animal-based fibers can be an effective treatment for your cat. They can lower toxins in your pets organism and better fatty acid profile. So why is this fiber so healthy? And what kind of fiber do cats actually need?
How does your cats digestive system work?
Lets start with the fact that your cats digestive tract is very short. It is much shorter than that of any dog or omnivore on this planet. The length of your fluffys tract can be 2.5 to 3 times its body length.
So lets say your cat is 13 inches long. You may expect that its tract will be 32 to 39 inches. A dog of the same size can have a tract that is 50 to 60 inches. In fact, the tract starts from the mouth and ends in the anus where feces passes through.
We all know that digestion begins in the mouth. To digest carbohydrates, one needs to have a certain amount of salivary amylase in spit. Cats dont have it at all. Moreover, carbs are the main component of all the plants. And thats one of the reasons why these pets dont eat plants at all.
When the food reaches your cats stomach, gastric acids start to break everything. They dont care if a bone gets into this section of the tract. Acids will destroy it. At this stage nutrient absorption also occurs.
Then the colon absorbs water from all the food on its way. If you ever wondered, why your cats feces are watery or super-hard, heres the answer. It all depends on how fast the food slurry moves through the gut.
The carnivores diet
What are wild cats usually doing in the wild? If you think they drink milk and play with flowers, you are so wrong. First, they eat the flesh and bones of prey animals. The skin of such animals is also rich in fiber. It is the main compound of their body hair. The last thing carnivores eat in the wild is the carcass gut. It is their dessert that contains plant fibers. Thats why many cat owners think it is healthy to give their four-legged friend the plant-based fibers. But they are wrong. Such fibers are already digested by an animal. Cats simply dont have to digest them for the second time. All the prey animals are either omnivores or herbivores. Their stomach can easily digest the plant food. So when carnivores eat the contents of the omnivores/herbivores stomach they get an already processed food. However, cats and other wild animals usually dont eat the stomach at all.
Animal vs Plant Fibers
Animal-based fibers can be found in ligaments, cartilage, tendons, bones, and fur of prey animals. These parts are not completely digested. Thats why they are intestinal fibers.Another well-known example of animal fiber is the fur that a cat swallows when it licks off its hair.
So can plant-based fibers reproduce the benefits of animal fibers?
Plant fibers are presented in different types. Some substances are very easy to digest and ferment. They look like a gel that absorbs water. Such fibers add liquid to your cats feces. Thats how it can move faster through the gut.
Actually, this type of fiber can be very useful to cats that suffer from constipation. It also produces short-chain fatty acids. There are intestinal bacteria in your cats stomach. They ferment the plant-based fibers and form the fatty acids your four-legged friend needs.
However, some plant-based fibers are very hard to ferment. They slow down the feces moving through the gut of your cat. It is easy to assume that such a type of fiber is good for cats who have diarrhea.
Is it okay to include plant fibers in your cats diet?
As we already mentioned, plant fibers play an important role in the treatment of both constipation and diarrhea. This is a serious argument to include them in your cats everyday meal. Also fiber-rich diet helps to prevent smelly poop in cats. However, its not that simple.
If your cat is on a raw, whole-prey diet, it will have smaller, yet more-formed feces. The smell will also be not as distinctive as that one of the cats that eat food from the supermarket. That means that other cats wont be attracted to your home as much. Its very convenient.
Whole prey animals contain about 0.55% of plant fibers. They are presented in a fully-digested form. As for the average amount of fiber in cats food, it usually reaches 5%. It is 10 times higher than your fluffy needs.
Wet cat food usually contains 0.5 to 0.6% of fiber. Dry food is much higher in fiber because of the economical reasons. The thing is that it is easier and cheaper to increase the bulk of the product with fiber than with nutritional elements.
As a result, you have 2 options to follow. You can develop a raw, whole-prey animal diet for your kitty. If you cannot give your cat such fiber, you need to buy some wet food instead.
How much fiber do cats need?
Generally speaking, cats need to have a crude fiber level of around 1.5%-3.5%.
The right amount of dietary fiber is the main issue. You should remember that your cat doesnt need a lot.
Make sure you consulted your vet first before starting to develop the new diet schedule. You need to know all about your cats health. Get your pet tested, find out if it has diarrhea or constipation before choosing the right type of fiber.
This substance can become a great treatment for many illnesses. However, you shouldnt include too much, no matter how serious your cat suffers. Less is more.
Author bio: Jimmie OChutt is CEO at CatPet.club online magazine dedicated to cat nutrition, care and entertainment. If youre looking for expert commentary on cat diet feel free to reach out!
Why is Fiber Important in Cat Food?
High-fiber cat food has become a staple for cats with gastrointestinal issues. But why exactly is fiber important for your furball of a pet?
In plenty of cases, cat food includes fiber to help with digestive functions and benefit the stool quality of cats who might otherwise have digestive upset. High-fiber foods may be beneficial in cases of constipation, diarrhea, diabetes and even obesity.
The Microbiome and It's Interaction With Cat Food With Fiber
The gutmicrobiome refers to the many millions of microbes (bacteria, protozoa, fungi, viruses) that live inside of cats (as well as dogs, humans and other living creatures) digestive systems This ecosystem of living organisms is fundamental to digestion.
Bacteria in the colon of pets helps to break down indigestible material and produce beneficial compounds like vitamins. Nowhere is the former function more evident than when it comes to breaking down fibers. Bacteria often engage with fibers in a process called fermentation.
Cats, even though they are carnivores, can benefit significantly from consuming a cat food with fiber.
Classifying Fiber in Cat Food
One way to classify dietary fiber is based on solubility. Soluble fibers tend to dissolve in gastric juices and water in the gut and some soluble fibers turn into gels that can hold water, and make stools easier to pass. Insoluble fibers add bulk to the food eaten to help to regulate the transit of foodstuff through the intestines and can help with stool consistency. Both soluble and insoluble fibers can be fermentable. This means that bacteria in the gut can breakdown these fibers and produce new compounds that, for example, can nourish the cells of the colon.
Prebiotics in Cat Food With Fiber
Cat food with fiber typically includes a blend of soluble and insoluble fibers to help promote a healthy gut and good stool quality.. Some of these fiber ingredients are also referred to as prebiotics ingredients, typically fermentable fibers, that promote the growth of the "good bacteria" that live in the intestines.
Some high-fiber cat foods work specifically because they help feed the beneficial bacteria and promote a balanced microbiome. Plenty of digestive conditions may cause a bacterial imbalance including chronic diarrhea, colitis and constipation.
Other Reasons to Feed High-Fiber Cat Food
Diabetic cats are typically fed high-protein, low-carbohydrate foods but may also benefit from high-fiber cat food if they are prone to becoming overweight or have certain types of GI conditions.. Some fibers slow the absorption of nutrients, allowing the sugars from starches to be absorbed more slowly and therefore stabilizing blood sugar levels. Overweight cats or those prone to weight gain may also benefit from food high in fiber, as it may make them feel more full than regular food and weight loss may help manage diabetes.
Furthermore, cat food with fiber may also help cats who suffer from GI diseases that affect the large intestine. Fiber can help regulate the motility in the GI tract and manage water balance to avoid the 2 extremes - constipation and diarrhea. Molecules called long-chain fatty acids may be derived from the breakdown of fiber to help nourish the colon.
Is High-Fiber Cat Food Natural?
Left to their own devices, cats eat plenty of things humans consider indigestible, like hair, bone, gristle, feathers, fish scales and stomach contents of their prey. Gross, but natural. Some of these are digestible to a point, while others may contain fiber that isuseful for digestion.
While there's a lot about feline nutrition that scientists have yet to understand, they're starting to realize that carnivorous cats actually can benefit from fiber. A study on cheetahs' eating habits published by the Journal of Animal Science found that those who ate whole prey fur, stomach contents and all had a more favorable fecal profile than those who ate simple meat. This has led researchers to conclude that carnivore digestive systems must do something useful with all that extra roughage.
The Role of Low-Fiber Cat Food
What if your vet recommends a low-fiber cat food instead? Typically, veterinarians recommend low-fiber food for cats with a sudden onset of GI upset such as vomiting or diarrhea. These foods tend to have higher levels of other nutrients such as electrolytes and B-vitamins to help recovery in these cats. Always consult a veterinarian when selecting a food for your cat. If your cat is on a high-fiber meal plan, their vet should monitor them to make sure their fiber-responsive conditions are well-managed.
Contributor Bio
Dr. Patty Khuly
Dr. Patty Khuly is an award-winning veterinarian known for her independent thinking, her spirited pet advocacy, her passion for the veterinary profession and her famously irreverent pet health writing.
Dr. K is an honors graduate of both Wellesley College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She received her MBA at The Wharton School of Business as part of the prestigious VMD/MBA dual-degree program. She now owns Sunset Animal Clinic, a veterinary practice in Miami, Florida.
But that's not all. Dr. K is a nerdy reader, avid knitter, hot yoga fanatic, music geek, struggling runner and indefatigable foodie. She lives in South Miami with three dogs, countless cats, two rescued goats and a hilarious flock of hens.
You can follow her writing at DrPattyKhuly.com and at sunsetvets.com.
