Are probiotics a must?

[ModernCatLady]

Hello!

I have an almost 2 year old male persian cat. My cat tried the purina fortiflora and another one the vet uses in her office can't remember the name. They both gave him explosive diarrhea. I read online goat milk is good. I trust this site and would like to know what others think. Also hairballs are an issue since he has long fur (I do shave him as I think it's best for his health/not getting hair ingested) He doesn't do well with the tomlyn hair gels. I was thinking of giving him butter but read online that dairy isn't good for them and also concerned about the salt. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! Never have had to give probiotics to any of my cats. Usually, probiotics are recommended for cats who are having digestive issues. I am guessing if they don't, they probably don't need them.

A dab of butter/margarine, from your finger or on his paw, a couple of times a week is not enough to warrant issues regarding dairy. Another option is to put a couple of drops of olive oil in your cat's food.

 

[LTS3]

Probiotics are not a "must" like water or food is to a cat. It's completely optional.

Try a raw egg yolk or egg yolk lecithin to help with the hairballs. https://www.foodfurlife.com/hairballs-are-not-normal.html#/

Butter comes in an unsalted version if you are concerned about salt intake Most brands, even store generic, have a salted version and an unsalted version. A little bit of butter won't upset a cat's tummy.

 

[di and bob]

Yes, my cats get a dab of butter a couple of times a week, even daily if my husband has toast that often. Raw egg yolk is great too, they would lap it up with a small amount of lactose-free milk. I haven't given that for a while. a tiny dab of salt-free butter wouldn't hurt, it's the lactose that gets them. Butter only contains trace amounts of lactose, a human that needs a lactose free diet can eat a tablespoon because even that amount has only a tiny trace of lactose in it. a teaspoon a day wouldn't hurt a cat.

 

[danteshuman]

Probiotics help if your cats need them but have nothing to do with hairballs. I have never heard of them causing diarrhea ! I think you need to find out if your cat has a food allergy!

They helped a lot with my cat’s occasional runs.

Even if you get him shaved, he still needs to be brushed. Might I suggest daily brushing (& giving a shave that leaves him a 1/2 inch of hair, if need be, when he sheds twice a year?)

You can look into hairball foods for him.

 

[Caspers Human]

Probiotics, vitamins or dietary supplements are not necessary.

There might be occasions where they can be helpful for certain things but, no, they are not necessary for daily use.

I have problems with lactose intolerance. For the most part, I just watch my diet to be sure that I don't eat too many foods with dairy in them. It's not always possible to completely eliminate dairy products from my diet. There are many foods that you don't think would contain milk but, if you check the ingredients, you'll find it. Sometimes, you'll see an ingredient like whey in non-intuitive places such as in bread. Who would think that bread contains milk? You wouldn't think so but, sometimes, it does.

Taking lactase enzyme supplements is only good as a stop-gap measure to buy time in case of emergencies but it's not really a good long term solution.

When I have a flare-up from eating dairy products in unexpected foods, I take a Lactobacillus supplement to help minimize digestive problems. I don't take it daily or even on a regular basis. I only take it when I find myself running to the bathroom, unexpectedly, because of something I have eaten. When my digestion settles back to normal, I stop taking it.

Basically, I would transfer that concept to my cat. If Casper had a problem that could be helped by a supplement, I would give it to him (if it was safe for cats) when he needed it but I wouldn't give him any kind of vitamin, supplement or probiotic on a regular basis unless our vet told us so.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

I am very pro-probiotic for humans, but I agree with the others who say to give it if there are GI issues. Also if you cat is on multi rounds or is on a strong antibiotic. I would get a probiotic with the Saccharomyces Bioulardi strain which is antibiotic resistant. Antibiotics can diminish Gut flora and could lead to Antibiotic-induced Diarrhea or worse Colesterium difficile (C. Diff). C.Diff is rare in cats, but still can happen and it can be dangerous to cats who are struggling with other ailments.

It is important to take PREBIOTIC (which acts like the fertilizer to probiotics). If you are giving Probiotics, but not with a prebiotic it could cause gas and other GI issues. Fructooligosaccharides is one type of prebiotic used in both human and pet probiotics. If you are giving your cats a probiotic brand that includes a prebiotic and your cat is not taken to it, you could scale back and give a smaller dose or cut it out all together.

I will enclose an article that I think will help you. Best of luck to you.

Prebiotics vs. Probiotics: What They Are and How They Can Help Your Cat

Learn the benefits of prebiotics and probiotics for cats and how they can help with cat vomiting and upset stomachs. Find out how you can add them to your cat’s diet.

be.chewy.com

 

[danteshuman]

I gave Jackie probiotics because he was a bottle baby who got the occasional squirts. I figured he might have missed out on some important gut flora. I’m not sure if they helped with that but they did make him a little less stinky poop wise. What put an end to the squirts was mixing his duck dry food with the salmon dry food at Nana’s house (both blue Buffalo wilderness,) If he eats go much dry food (porking out on the salmon flavor) or to much new food, he gets sick. Since he eats mostly wet and visits Nana’s house for a night every weekend, the 1/2 & 1// solution worked for this case. (He goes so he can see his bff/litter mate brother since they are bonded.)

My point is, you still need to go to the root cause. Hairballs? Brush. Brush, brush & hairball medicine or hairball food. A pin brush works great on long haired kitties! This brush from petco works great on their long haired sister Cami.