This post is to provide an update on how my cats are doing with their recent diet change. I wrote a previous post on optimal pet nutrition that I’d love for you to read.
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Clover, my (almost) 16 year old cat, has experienced intermittent constipation for some time now. I have given her several different types of food hoping that her stools would return to normal. I’ve mixed her dry food with water, added more canned food to her diet, and tried mixing canned pumpkin in with her dry food. These combinations have each helped to some degree, but none of them have worked completely. Even switching her off of dry kibble to canned food alone didn’t relieve her constipation. It has been a frustrating experience for me, and a pain in the rear for her (pun intended).
When I started doing more research on proper feline and canine nutrition, I was introduced to a brand of food called Orijen. I had never heard of this brand before so I visited their website to check it out. I was very impressed with the ingredients in all their dog and cat foods. I went to many other high quality pet food websites to compare ingredient lists with Orijen, and no other food that I checked into had the same kind of ingredients in their foods. The first nine ingredients listed for Orijen Six-Fish cat food are all fish, either in whole, boneless, or meal form. Compare that with a lot of other pet foods, even those other “high quality” foods, and you’ll find that there are many whose second or third ingredients are things like rice or barley (not meat). Felines are obligate carnivores, which means it is biologically essential that their nutritional needs be met through a diet of meat. Rice isn’t going to provide your cat with anything essential. It makes sense that their food should consist largely of meat.
I switched Clover and my two other cats to Orijen Six-Fish cat food, and I also mix in a frozen raw food. Since switching Clover to this new diet, she has had NO constipation! I gradually changed from the old food to the new over a few days. None of my cats have had any adverse issues with the change in food, and they all enjoy eating it!
Cat in a bag
Moisture content in a cat’s diet is very important. I still mix the dry food with water before I offer it to the cats, and there is a lot of moisture in the raw food that they get. They may eventually end up on raw food only, but for now this combination is working for them (and Clover’s intestines!).
If any of you humans have experienced constipation, you know how unpleasant it is. It’s comforting to know that the tummy trouble Clover experienced for so long isn’t an issue any longer, and it was just a matter of giving her the right type of food.
What we put into our bodies does determine how well our bodies function.
Kim Smith
Hello and welcome! Once upon a time I was a licensed animal nurse. When I had my first child I decided to leave my career and stay at home with baby. Having a child changed my perception of everything...food, products, environment, education, work, life. Everything. Since then I've been on a journey to create a more simple, holistic way of life for my family, to include the cats, dogs and chickens (and any other feathered or furry creature we have). I believe that every choice we make can bring us closer to, or take us farther away from, a harmonious existence. And our wellbeing is multi-faceted, if one area of our life is out of whack it effects everything else about us. What we eat, what we put on and in our bodies, how we integrate with our environment, how we spend our time with loved-ones, how we nourish our brains and imaginations...it ALL matters. I want to share information with you that I find truly valuable in living holistically; taking care of our whole selves. Thank-you for visiting! Kim Smith All photos used are my own, unless otherwise noted.