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gut disease in cats

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Nowadays we meet a lot of cats that have been diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) which refers to a number of ailments that affect the lining of cat’s gut. IBD is a serious condition which can have long-term effects if left untreated. Luckily, there are holistic and alternative remedies so no cat should suffer from IBD.

What is IBD?

A cat’s small intestine is lined with finger-like projections called villi. When the cat’s intestines are irritated, they swell up and what was once peaks and valleys becomes smoothed out like waves, resulting in less surface area to digest food1. The villi are lined with cells called enterocytes that help absorb nutrients2 and when swollen the enterocytes can’t do their job. This causes the walls of the digestive tract to become weak, nutrient absorption may become compromised3, and toxins may leak into the gut4. This inflammation of the villi is called Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
Not to be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (which is when the nerve supply to the intestines causes hypermotility, usually due to stress) IBD refers to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which could have many different causes. Chronic inflammation can be caused by a food allergy, stress, or could be a result of a parasitic or bacterial infection5. Common indications of IBD include diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss6. The gut bacteria which is normally balanced between helpful digestive bacteria and useless ‘bad’ bacteria can become unbalanced, resulting in the cat being even less able to digest properly7. With the GI tract under the weather, a cat’s immune system becomes compromised and can leave the cat vulnerable to secondary infections8.

How does diet effect IBD?

In some cases, a food allergy or intolerance that goes untreated can progress to IBD9. Cats can develop food allergies from repeated exposure to ingredients10. Frequent allergen culprits in cat food include grains, chicken, beef, soy, seafood and dairy11 simply because these items are some of the most common ingredients in cat food. Additionally, the cat food industry has sacrificed quality for the bottom line, by reducing the amount of animal proteins in cat food and supplementing with nutrients12. This results in many cats eating diets that are inappropriate for their species, made with little meat and stuffed with synthetic vitamins, preservatives or fillers. This diet that is improper for carnivores can lead to a damaged gut which can then trigger an allergic reaction from the food13. These highly processed foods that were created out of convenience are so biologically inappropriate that they have actually damaged cat’s guts and led to the rise in IBD14.

How can diet treat IBD?

The traditional way of treating IBD would be to put the cat on a limited ingredient prescription or hypoallergenic diet. Introducing either novel or hydrolyzed proteins, which are small enough not to trigger an immune response, are also common treatments15. However, all of these regimens do nothing to repair the gut lining, and instead focus treating on the symptoms, not the source. Additionally, these diets are usually full of carbohydrates and made from low quality protein sources16 and will worsen the problem in the gut.
One thing that everyone can agree on is that the cat needs a change in diet, and the more simple the better. Cats with IBD generally respond extremely well to a raw diet17, as it restores the balance of good bacteria within the body18. Raw meat is easier for a cat to digest, as it contains more digestive enzymes than cooked19. A commercial raw diet for cats is usually made from a high-quality protein, and contains little carbohydrates, again easing digestion within the cat. Probiotics may also be introduced, in the form of raw goat’s milk or as a supplement to aid in the cat’s digestion. Bone broths made from whole animals, including joints and marrow, are also instrumental in healing the lining of a cat’s intestinal walls20. If you are unable to feed a raw diet, search for a high quality, limited ingredient canned diet. The closer to what a cat would naturally eat in the wild, the better. Once balance has been restored within the gut, cats with IBD have been known to go into complete remission21.

Prior to WWII cats were mostly fed canned foods. However the scarcity of meat and metal during this time revolutionized the cat food industry. The sacrifice of quality and the abandonment of species appropriate nutrition created long-term domino effects. It is not coincidence that food allergies, intolerance, and inflammatory bowel disease are on the rise in cats today.
As with humans, what we feed our cats can have long term effects on their overall health. Simply because foods are marketed as healthy and natural do not make them so. It is important to inspect all ingredients and ask yourself, why does this company say that my cat needs this? Your cat is a carnivore, an obligate carnivore. Sure, potatoes are natural, but are they natural for cats?

Footnotes

1. All Feline Hospital
2. Feline Nutrition
3. Only Natural Pet
4. Mercola
5. Cornell
6. Pet Education
7. All Feline Hospital
8. Mercola
9. Only Natural Pet
10. Mercola
11. Pet Education
12. Feline Nutrition
13. Feline Nutrition
14. Feline Nutrition
15. Feline Nutrition
16. Natural Cat Care Blog
17. Feline IBD
18. Feline Nutrition
19. Jon Barron
20. Feline Nutrition
21. All Feline Hospital

What Diet to Feed a Cat with FLUTD

If you have cats or know people with cats, chances are you have heard of FLUTD, or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder. This term refers to any disorder or disease that affects the bladder or urethra in cats. This can included urinary blockage, stones, crystals, or infections. 50% off all cats diagnosed with FLUTD have an unknown cause for the disorders1. However, there are proven ways to prevent ever having these conditions at all.

The Kibble Conundrum

Cats are designed to get their water intake from their prey. An average feline prey such as a mouse is 70%-80% water while an average bowl of kibble is 6%-10% moisture. Felines are used to receiving their moisture from their prey, and will not drink enough water separately to account for the difference lost in kibble2. Cats have a highly concentrated urine compared to other mammals, and when they eat kibble their urine becomes even more concentrated and is more likely to form crystals. This concentrated urine puts cats at risk for urinary crystals, stones and bladder irritation3.

The Prescription Solution

When you take a cat that is showing signs of FLUTD to the vet, they will typically recommend a prescription diet that will regulate urinary and bladder crystals with synthetic chemicals. These substances will dissolve stones, reduce crystals and balance urinary pH4 but unfortunately are attached to a low-quality kibble and may even cause kidney disease5. These prescription diets are full of grain or starch fillers and preservatives, are low in meat and nutrition, and are devastatingly low in water6. The above mentioned prey mouse is 50%-60% protein and 30% fat. Cats need protein and fat, not grains and carbohydrates. Real meat will help maintain an acidic pH in a cat’s urinary tract by dissolving minerals in the urine so that they can be excreted7.

Canned is Good, Raw is Better

In most cases, all you need to do to prevent FLUTD is increase your cat’s hydration8. No, not with a water fountain. Kick all that kibble out of the house and switch to a canned, frozen raw, or homemade raw diet. Canned and raw food is at least 70% moisture, just like a mouse! When your cat eats wet food, it will pee but you will probably notice it drinks a lot less water9 which is a good thing. Raw food, unlike canned, will actually clean cat’s teeth and increase gum health10, which can prevent further infections down the road. If you live in a situation that prevents you from feeding your feline a raw diet, a high-quality canned food is a good option because it provides the moisture and protein a cat needs to avoid getting FLUTD. Don’t just look for meat to be the first ingredient. Be aware to avoid foods that contain “meat meal” in the ingredients, as that can be a combination of pieces other than muscle and actually reduce protein content11. Secondly, even ‘grain-free’ cat foods may contain fillers such as potato, carrot, pumpkin and other carbohydrates that a cat doesn’t need. These fillers can make their way into both canned and commercial raw cat foods, so be sure to check the ingredient list.

Holistic Supplements and Tips

An unbalanced urinary tract can sometimes be the result of stress in the household. Did you just move? Is there a new pet or human in the house? Calming scents, herbal tonics and tinctures and even acupuncture and acupressure can help reduce feline stress. We recommend Animal Apawthecary’s Tinkle Tonic to fight urinary infections12, and if you are feeding a canned diet try adding All The Best’s Enzymes for Cats to replace the natural digestive enzymes lost in the cooking process. If you don’t know what is best for your cat, get in contact with a holistic veterinarian. Some veterinarians know less about the cause of feline diseases than how to treat their symptoms. Holistic veterinarians will look at the source of the problem and should be slower to whip out the prescription pad.

Fritz & Michael

Fritz Patrick Fantastic (8) and Michael J Meow (2) are two cats who were both diagnosed with FLUTD and have been living on a prescription diet and medication to keep the flare-ups from happening. Their owner had heard the benefits of a raw diet, and decided to try it thinking it would help a bit. She was blown away to see that while they were eating raw, 100% of their flare-ups stopped, they got off their meds, and they showed no symptoms of their diagnosed disorder. Their veterinarian originally advised against a raw diet, but after seeing how well Michael and Fritz were doing he changed his opinion and even started recommending raw to other patients.

Most of the feline diseases that we see so commonly these days were not common prior to the invention of kibble. In fact, in a study done on 198 wild cats, none of them had urinary stones13. Feeding your cat a diet that is rich in moisture and protein will increase your cat’s health overall, prevent urinary disorders down the line, and hopefully spare you from a surprise animal hospital bill. Your cat will thank you.

Footnotes

1. Veterinary Partner
2. Timothy A. Allen, David J. Polzin and Larry G. Adams, “Renal Disease,” Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 4th ed. Walsworth Publishing Company, 2000, 582.
3. Feline Nutrition
4. Medic Animal
5. Feline Nutrition
6. Only Natural Pet
7. The Bark N Purr
8. Path With Paws
9. Raw Fed
10. Fagan, et al, “Influence of Diet Consistency on Periodontal Disease in Captive Carnivores.
11. Feline Nutrition
12. All the Best Pet Care
13. Y. H. Cottam, P. Caley, S. Wamberg and W. H. Hendriks, “Feline Reference Values for Urine Composition,” The American Society for Nutritional Sciences, The Journal of Nutrition, no. 132, June 2002, 1754S-1756S.