Is it okay to give cats probiotics every day
I tried some probiotics for cats heres what happened
Probiotics for cats are more commonly used than some may think, with many feline owners including them in their cats diet to improve digestion and build better immune function. Similar to why humans take vitamins and supplements, probiotics for cats provide moggies with good bacteria.
Cats become part of the family and like children, kitty owners want to provide their pets with the best possible care to enhance their lives. This is why people will spend time and money hunting for the best cat food for allergies for their feline friends and if you want to go the extra mile for keeping your cats health in tip-top condition you should consider probiotics.
However, before you go looking for probiotics for cats and become inundated with various brands claiming to sell the very best option, youll probably want to know some more about what probiotics actually are and if they will actually benefit your kitty. As well as, what kind of probiotics is suitable for cats, can you use human ones? Can they treat diarrhea?
Weve got all the answers to your questions below and weve even tried out three probiotics for cats on our own moggies to see how they respond to both. Read on to find out if probiotics for cats are all theyre hyped up to be
What do probiotics do for cats?
Probiotics act in much the same way for cats as they do for humans. Since they contain live bacteria (of the good kind) as well as yeasts, they help to restore a natural balance in a cat's gut and this supports their digestive health.
Probiotics do this by ensuring the good bacteria will battle the bad. In doing so, it boosts the immune system which is largely located in the digestive tract and this means probiotics are particularly useful if cats have digestive ailments such as vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, changes in their stools or a decreased appetite.
What's more, according to a study, probiotics are also understood to play a role in alleviating inflammatory bowel syndrome a common gastrointestinal disorder in cats. Supporting healthy gut microbiota therefore has many benefits and with better digestion and a supported immune system, your cat will feel healthier and happier.
Are probiotics good for cats with diarrhea?
Simple answer? Yes, probiotics are good for treating diarrhea in cats. They are also safe so you shouldn't feel wary of using them to help manage this condition. By promoting healthy gastrointestinal function, they will go a long way towards aiding conditions that can cause diarrhea such as inflammatory bowel syndrome.
Don't worry if your cat continues to suffer from diarrhea a few days after they begin to take probiotics, though. It takes a little time for the good bacteria to work their magic so this is perfectly normal. Simply persevere. At the same time, assess a cat's diet if diarrhea is becoming an ongoing problem.
First check the cat poop and check it against what's normal and recall if their eating habits have changed changing cat food needs to be gradual whether you're feeding the best dry cat food or the best wet cat food.
Infectious disease such as viruses, bacterial infections and parasites can also cause diarrhea as can pancreatitis, thyroid problems or cancer. Never be afraid to seek assistance from your veterinarian if you're concerned, especially if you ever see blood in a cat's stool.
Can I give my cat probiotics for humans?
If you have human probiotics knocking around your home, you may be tempted to save the hassle of purchasing cat probiotics by offering them to your moggy. But don't do this! Although our digestive systems are not too dissimilar to cats, the simple fact there's no research into what human probiotics does to your feline companion should be enough to err on the side of caution.
But what if you've already given cats a human probiotic? Don't worry. It's unlikely they will have been harmed but it's best to stop doing so right away. If nothing else, you may also be introducing undesirable ingredients to your cat. Human probiotics also contain a higher dosage given the size of our bodies.
How much probiotics can I give my cat?
There are two ways of approaching this. You could identify a digestive problem in your cat such as diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux, or an upset stomach and start using probiotics to help balance the bacteria in their gut.
Alternatively, you could introduce probiotics as part of a cat's daily health routine which is a good way of heading off potential problems before they begin.
In terms of exactly how much you should give, it's always advisable to read the label on the probiotics you buy and follow the recommendations. After all, different probiotics come in different sizes and giving general advice is counterproductive.
There is absolutely no danger in giving probiotics daily, however, but if you feel your cat is getting a balanced diet and is healthy, you could give them less frequently. Talk to a vet for more advice.
We tested some leading probiotics for cats heres what we found
Pet Naturals Daily Probiotic for Cats
Doesn't contain wheat or corn
No artificial ingredients
Contains prebiotic fiber
Our cat had to be encouraged to eat it
Our feline reviewer, Nova, wasn't too sure about these chews at first. He sniffed at them, stuck out his tongue and licked the tiniest of corners then walked away, finding something else to occupy him a far cry from his reaction whenever the fridge door opens and he believes he may get some chicken!
We left it in his bowl, however, and later that day it had gone. He was then more receptive to further chews, one of which is designed to be given every day, particularly during times of stress or if your cat is suffering from gastrointestinal distress. With tradesmen in the house, Nova did appear a little stressed and he seemed to have a bout of diarrhea. The probiotics helped with this.
As a bonus, these probiotics are as natural as possible. They taste of duck but they don't contain wheat, corn or artificial ingredients. They also have live cultures and prebiotic fiber (prebiotics feed friendly bacteria in the digestive system). So long as you can encourage your cat to eat them (and some other users report difficulties), you'll be making a good choice here.
Purina Fortiflora Veterinary Diets Feline Nutritional Supplement
Best cat probiotic powder for ease
Comes in easy-to-use sachets
Cleared diarrhea quickly
Good for cats with diabetes
Individual sachets need trashing
When we were transitioning our cat to new food a while ago, we used Purina's Fortiflora to reduce the effects of stress. The idea is that you sprinkle the individual sachets of probiotic powder on to their food and it couldn't be easier a good way to hide what you've done, especially if you give it a nice stir. Our cat had no trouble eating it.
According to the manufacturer this supplement works as well for kittens as cats and it contains meat and animal derivatives, minerals and nutritional additives such as taurine. It also has gut flora stabilizers, of course. This includes the lactic acid bacteria Enterococcus faecium SF68 which supports microflora balance and intestinal health.
As with other users, we found it to be highly effective. A bout of diarrhea is cleared up quickly and many cat owners say it's great for felines living with diabetes. You don't have to sprinkle the whole sachet, of course. You could go for half if you wish. But it's worth trying in any volume and it's highly recommended.
Dr Mercola Healthy Pets Complete Probiotics
Best cat probiotic for longevity
Tub should last a while
For maintenance and treatment
Comes with a scoop
Can be a little messier
Unlike the Purina product, here you get a tub of probiotic powder so you need to use the scoop which comes inside the tub to measure out the amount you need and then sprinkle it on a cat's food. We found it wasn't anywhere near as convenient yet, at the same time, it's not as wasteful. You're not popping empty sachets in the bin here.
Intended for use once-a-day, the packet says you only need half-a-scoop if you're looking to give a maintenance dose (that is, you're just looking to keep your cat's gut healthy on an ongoing basis). It ensures that the tub will last quite some time although if you're looking to cure an ailment, you will need to double the dose.
If you have dogs in the house, you can use the probiotic for them as well although, in our mind at least, we'd rather a probiotic was aimed squarely at one pet or the other. But that's just us being picky. As it is, it's a handy tub to have around either because you want to ease gastrointestinal symptoms, reduce the effects of stress or just want to ensure your cat's gut is healthy.
Do probiotics actually work?
There is little doubt that probiotics are beneficial for cats. Research has suggested so and our hands on evidence seems to point towards the same conclusion. When our cat had a bout of diarrhea, probiotics also appeared to help. The important thing is that there is no harm in trying, so if you want to take the plunge yourself, you can rest assured that you'll only be doing good.
If you want to learn more about your feline friend's nutritional needs and whether a commercial diet ticks all the boxes, we recommend taking a look at our guide to is homemade cat food better than store bought?
Fortiflora Probiotic for Cats: Overview, Dosage & Side Effects
FortifFlora Feline Probiotic Supplement is a probiotic supplement made by Nestle Purina as part of their Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements line of products.
In this article youll learn what FortifFlora is, how it works as a probiotic, evidence to support its use, and some frequently asked questions.
Fortiflora Probiotic for Cats Overview
Medication Type:
Probiotic Supplement
Prescription Required?:
No
FDA Approved?:
No (Supplements do not require FDA approval), but Fortiflora for Cats is formulated specifically for cats.
Life Stage:
Fortiflora is used commonly for all life stages.
Available Dosages:
1 gram powder packages
Expiration Range:
Products should be used before the expiration on the package. Fortiflora can be stored at room temperature.
About Fortiflora for Cats
Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements FortifFlora is a probiotic supplement indicated to help promote better stool quality and digestive health and balance.
The intestinal tract is an environment that supports many strains of different types of bacterial microflora that all need to be maintained within a certain balance to help with proper digestion and avoid digestive upset.
If there is a shift in the bacterial balance within the digestive tract, this can lead to overgrowth of some bacteria that may contribute to what is called dysbiosis, where we can see digestive issues like loose stool and diarrhea develop.
What a probiotic seeks to do is to help restore and maintain that balance for intestinal health by providing one or more strains of beneficial commensal bacteria to counteract the growth of other bacteria that may be more harmful if allowed to overpopulate within the gut.
Also Read:11 Best Probiotics For Cats
The bacterial strain that FortifFlora contains is called Enterococcus faecium.
Fortiflora comes in a box containing 30 packets of flavored powder that is typically mixed with canned or soft food once daily.
As a supplement, FortifFlora can be purchased over the counter without a prescription. Although a prescription is not needed, its still best to use this product under direction of your veterinarian for the best results.
FortiFlora SA Synbiotic Action is a variation on the original FortifFlora product. FortifFlora SA contains psyllium fiber, which acts as a prebiotic to promote the growth of other specific commensal bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species.
What Does Fortiflora Do for Cats?
The bacterial strain thatFortifFlora contains, Enterococcus faecium, is a strain of bacteria naturally found within the digestive tract.
Enterococcus bacteria have some specific characteristics that can make them a useful bacterial type to include in a probiotic.
A 2018 article in Frontiers of Microbiology entitled The Genus Enterococcus: Between Probiotic Potential and Safety ConcernsAn Update describes some of these characteristics.
Enterococcus bacteria are highly competitive and resistant to changes in temperature and pH. This means they can more easily survive environmental changes traveling in a probiotic powder form through the stomach and into the intestinal tract.
The manufacturer also indicates that FortiFlora is manufactured using a proprietary microencapsulation process for enhanced stability to aid in passage through the GI tract.
Enterococcus bacteria produce compounds called bacteriocins, which have the ability to target certain other bacterial strains, especially pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria like Salmonella, Listeria, and Clostridium species.
The combination of outcompeting undesirable bacteria as well as being able to target and inhibit them is what gives FortiFlora some of its distinctive advantage as there are only a couple of veterinary supplements approved to include Enterococcus faecium.
Some folks may wonder how a powdered supplement kept at room temperature could possibly contain live microorganisms.
A really great article from 2020 that answers this question is blog article posted on the website for the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) written by Gabriel Vinderola, PhD, an associate professor in microbiology at the National University of Litoral in Argentina.
In the article, Professor Vinderola describes that most probiotic products appear as a white powder due to the process of freeze-drying or lyophilization. By quickly removing water from around and inside the bacterial cells, the microbes are not killed, but enter a dormant state where their metabolic activity is put on hold.
When these dormant little bacteria enter the gut, the environmental conditions trigger a restart in the metabolic processes of the bacteria, allowing them to grow, reproduce, and generally be active to provide their health benefits.
Its true that some amount of cell death may still occur during a products shelf life, but this is one reason why such high levels of colony forming units (CFUs) are found in probiotics. FortiFlora contains 100 million colony forming units of Entercoccus faecium, which is a moderate amount. Some probiotics may contain billions of CFUs in different combinations.
There is research evidence that does support FortiFlorasuse in cats as a way of supporting kitties experiencing diarrhea from presumed bacterial imbalance.
Back in 2011, a study published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine entitled Effect of the Probiotic Enterococcus faecium SF68 on Presence of Diarrhea in Cats and Dogs Housed in an Animal Shelter, found that when given to just over 200 cats, the percentage of cats with diarrhea given FortiFlora was considerably lower when compared to a placebo group.
More recently in 2017, a study published in Topics in Companion Animal Medicine entitled Effect of Enterococcus faecium Strain SF68 on Gastrointestinal Signs and Fecal Microbiome in Cats Administered Amoxicillin-Clavulanate, found that in cats given the common antibiotic amoxicillin-clavulanate for seven days, cats given FortiFlora for 14 days had better fecal scores compared to cats given a placebo for the same period of time.
Side Effects of Fortiflora for Cats
Talk to your veterinarian before starting any new supplement, including probiotic supplements like FortiFlora.
According to the manufacturer, FortiFlora for cats is not known to have any observed or expected side effects. And generally, many veterinarians would agree that probiotics appear to be safe and well-tolerated by a majority of pets.
Some folks may recognize Enterococcus as a bacteria that has the potential to cause disease, sometimes cultured from some infections.
The authors of The Genus Enterococcus: Between Probiotic Potential and Safety ConcernsAn Update discuss this as part of the risk/benefit assessment for using Entercoccus as a probiotic.
While Entercoccus faecium may occasionally be found contributing to infections in human patients, this is predominantly in hospitalized patients. While these infections can be very serious, they are considered very rare outside of a hospital environment where patients are already ill and have very compromised immune systems.
In the same vein, the manufacturer of FortiFlora does recommend exercising caution using FortiFlora in pets with severely compromised immune systems. Its important to discuss FortiFlora use with your vet if you have concerns that your cat may have a severely compromised immune system.
Enterococcus faecium is a bacterial strain normally found in the digestive tract, and so in cases in veterinary medicine where it may be cultured out of a wound for example, its very likely these bacteria were introduced through fecal contamination or when a kitty (being the fastidious bottom groomers that they are) try to lick/clean a wound and end up contaminating it.
Its important to remember that in the powdered form youre adding to your cats food, the bacteria contained are in a dormant state and do not become active until they reach the gut. Handling probiotic powder therefore, is not considered to be a significant contamination risk.
Fortiflora for Cats Dosage
According to the manufacturer, the dose of FortiFlora is one packet of powder mixed into food once a day.
The box of FortiFlora comes with 30 1-gram packets. Each gram contains 100 million CFUs of Entercoccus faecium.
Per the manufacturer, the dose of FortiFlora is one packet fed once a day.
When or whether your cat should be on a probiotic, and how long your kitty should stay on a product like FortiFlora,should be discussed with your veterinarian.
Probiotics may be recommended for only a short period if a cat has a short, mild case of soft stool or diarrhea, or diarrhea associated with antibiotic use.
Also Read:Vet Approved Cat Stool Chart: Decoding Your Cats Poop
However, there may be other health conditions where a probiotic may be recommended for long-term use. Whether FortiFlora is used for a short-term or long-term period depends on your vets assessment of your cats condition and discussions youve had.
The FortiFlorapowder packet is most commonly added to canned or wet food. FortiFlora has flavoring in the form of animal digest (a hydrolyzed pork/poultry ingredient now called liver flavor), so many cats may find it tasty.
However, as we all know, cats can be picky about what they eat. It is possible to mix FortiFlora with water. However, it may be more effective to mix it with a small volume of water in a syringe and administer it directly and carefully to your kitty that way to get the most benefit out of it.
Adding FortiFlora to a water bowl that your cat may come back to drink from a couple times a day is very unlikely to provide the same benefit. Because it is intended to be given every 24 hours, the full amount of the packet should be consumed within that period of time.
Conclusion
FortiFlora has been considered one of the top probiotic cat supplements used in veterinary medicine to help pets with diarrhea. Like most probiotics, it is considered to be safe and may be beneficial in helping to restore balance to a cats digestive tract.
The bacterial strain found in FortiFlora is a normal commensal organism of the digestive tract and is believed to carry far more benefits than risks in supplementation. While it is not a prescription item, you should still consult with your veterinarian about when to use FortiFlora and how long it should be used for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does FortiFlora do for cats?
FortiFlora probiotic for cats is a powdered feline nutritional supplement intended to help support the health and balance of the digestive tract. In this way, it may help cats experiencing loose stools, diarrhea, or other digestive issues secondary to an imbalance of the bacterial balance or microbiome of the gut.
What are the side effects of FortiFlora for cats?
Side effects are uncommon when using a probiotic supplement. According to the manufacturer of FortiFlora, side effects are not observed or expected when using FortiFlora. Because probiotics contain live cultures of particular bacteria, they should be used cautiously in any pets with severe immune system compromise.
Is FortiFlora bad for cats?
No, FortiFlora is not bad for cats. The commensal bacteria strain found in FortiFlora, Entercoccus faecium, is already normally found in the digestive tract. As a probiotic, it has the ability to outcompete and inhibit other bacteria more likely to cause disease like Salmonella, Listeria, and Clostridium species.
While Enterococcus bacteria can cause infections, this is typically only in hospitalized or severely immunocompromised patients where fecal contamination, such as of a wound, may have occurred. Use of probiotics is not known to be connected to such uncommon occurrences.
It is important to remember that any pet could have an unexpected sensitivity to something new. If you feel you are noticing new concerns in your cat after starting Fortiflora, make sure to touch base with your veterinarian.
How long should a cat take FortiFlora?
This depends greatly on FortiFloras intended use. Short courses to help clear up mild cases of diarrhea or while a kitty is taking an antibiotic may only last for a couple weeks. Some chronic health conditions may see benefit from long-term use of a probiotic, requiring use for months, years, or life-long.
When using FortiFlora, it is very important to discuss with your veterinarian how long your kitty should be using FortiFlora for.
