Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How different fiber diets affect cat digestion and hairballs
By Donadelli, Renan A & Aldrich, Charles G·Published in Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition·2020·Department of Grain Science and Industry, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The effects of diets varying in fibre sources on nutrient utilization, stool quality and hairball management in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats was tested to see how different types of fiber in their food affected their digestion, stool quality, and hairball issues. The cats were fed diets containing either beet pulp, Miscanthus grass, or cellulose for several days. While the beet pulp diet helped with better nutrient absorption and produced firmer stools, the Miscanthus grass diet resulted in fewer hair clumps in their feces. This suggests that Miscanthus grass could be a good alternative fiber source in cat food, especially for managing hairballs.
People also search for: cat hairball management diet · Miscanthus grass cat food · best fiber for cat digestion
Abstract
Pet food companies use fibrous ingredients in cat foods to aid weight and hairball management. Miscanthus grass could be an alternative novel fibre source for cat foods. The objectives of this work were to determine the effects of Miscanthus grass as a fibre source on nutrient utilization, stool quality and hairball management in cats. Dry extruded cat foods (average chemical composition; digestibility trial: 94.54% dry matter-DM, 34.47% crude protein-CP, 11.67% crude fat, 7.06% ash and 13.04% total dietary fibre-TDF; and hairball trial: 94.88% DM, 34.60% CP, 11.30% crude fat, 7.02% ash and 9.77% TDF) were fed to 12 cats for a 9-day (digestibility trial) or 16-day (hairball trial) adaptation period followed by a 5-day total faecal collection period. Digestibility trial was performed as a replicated Latin square design, and the hairball trial was performed as a switchback design. In general, the cats fed the beet pulp diet (BPD) had higher DM, organic matter, gross energy and TDF digestibility than cats fed Miscanthus grass (MGD) or cellulose (CED) diet (p < .05). However, CP digestibility was lower for cats fed BPD (82.1 vs. 84.7 and 85.1%, respectively, for BPD, MGD and CED). These differences could be due to the differences in dietary fibre content and(or) composition. Faecal scores were lower for cats fed BPD (2.84) compared with MGD (3.32) and CED (3.21; p < .05). No effects due to fibre were reported on the faecal hairball variables, with the exception of less total hair weight and hair clumps per gram of dry faeces for cats fed Miscanthus grass (MGH) compared with control diet (COH; p < .05). In conclusion, Miscanthus grass could be used as an alternative ingredient to cellulose in cat diets.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31880029/