Food Change And Anal Glands

[mesavoida]

I had been feeding my 2 male cats Rachel Ray Grain-free for over 6 months. My younger cat has a history of food sensitivities and vomiting and this has seemed to be agreeable. The poops and butts seemed fine.

I had a large bag of Purina One grain free that was bought by mistake and after feeding for 2 weeks the younger cat shows hard discharge and the other one who is more bulletproof had a chunk and runny brown discharge I wiped away. I’m transitioning back to the original food (3%) fiber from Purina (2%).

I these issues continue I will consult a vet. Cats don’t like butt stuff and I’m not going to try any do it yourself expression alone. Reading here about Firm Up which sounds great. And tips?

 

[sabrinah]

Firm Up is a lifesaver for my cat and dog. It gives feeding guidelines on the back of the bag but you may not need anywhere near that much. Start with a smaller amount (I used 1/2 tsp every other day for my cat) and build up to whatever amount is right for your kitty. My cat's anal glands burst once when she was being cared for by a relative. Thankfully they healed on their own without vet care. She hid inside boxsprings under a bed the entire time she was with the relative so no one knew anything had happened. A year or two later they got impacted and infected. The vet had to empty them and put her on antibiotics. She's been on Firm Up ever since that last impaction and she hasn't had anal gland problems in years.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't know how old your cats are, but last year for the first (and, I hope only) time Feeby (14+) had to have her anal glands expressed. Nothing severe, but it would seem that she no longer cleans back "there" like she should (was also getting frequent UTIs). In her case her poops are/were normal. But, as the vet explained to me, not only does firm poop help express the glands but proper cleaning (from the stimulation) helps as well.

Now, Feeby gets what I call daily 'booty duty' done by me with hypoallergenic unscented wipes. So far so good!!

 

[mesavoida]

They are 5 and 4 years old. The original food is 4% not 3% fiber. Are there any fiber treats? I can attest that as a human, adding psyllium (which I have) can help with a lot, even mental issues.

 

[sabrinah]

You can add psyllium husk powder to cat food instead of something like Firm Up if you're more comfortable with that.

A few brands make fiber treats. Glandex, Zesty Paws, and NaturVet are the only ones I know off the top of my head.