Laura Ward
Pet Nutritionist
rewardingpetnutrition.com
info@rewardingpetnutrition.com
Microbiome Health
The health of the microbiome is directly connected to health of other areas of the body. Gut health is crucial for maintaining overall health, whatever the species. As a cat owner, you know how it’s important to look after the digestive health of your cat. From avoiding the dreaded retching and hairballs, to unbearable litter trays being some of the most common signs of things not being quite right. The unbalance or dysbiosis of their microbiome and gut bacteria leads to health conditions in cats, from dermatitis and bowel disorders to kidney disease and diabetes.
Supporting microbiome diversity, and the population of beneficial gut bacteria supports the health of the digestive system, which positively affects wider health. Gut bacteria link directly with the wider health, through the gut-brain axis, gut-skin axis, and others. Even in cats, who we think of as eating only meat, there is capacity for fermentation in their large intestine. The short chain fatty acids produced through this fermentation are beneficial for health.
Effect of Diet
The microbiome is now recognised as a functional organ. It responds metabolically to the nutrient profile of the diet. The food that cats are fed affects their microbiome. The presence of protein, fats and fibres in the diet strongly affects the bacteria of the microbiome. Changes in diet has the potential to cause rapid shifts in the microbiome population, and therefore changes in the metabolites produced by these bacteria. To illustrate this, cats which are fed dry food have differences in their microbiome to cats who are not. The same is true for cats which are raw fed. Their microbiome population is different to cats which are not fed raw diets. This makes sense because the protein, fat and carbohydrate levels in these different food types vary, and lead to bacteria which thrive on these various macronutrients to be more prevalent where different diet types are fed.
Supporting Microbiome Health
There are measures which can be taken to support the health of the microbiome, from feeding elements of the diet targeting the support of beneficial gut bacteria, to helping to avoid anxiety and stressful situations for your cat.
Fibre and protein content of a diet seem to be the primary influencers of the microbiome bacterial composition for cats. Further studies are required to determine the ideal fibre and protein quantities and profiles within a diet to best support a healthy microbiome.
Ingredients such as prebiotics, probiotics, and functional fibres have a great and positive impact on gut health. Certain insoluble functional fibres can even trap the hairs which a cat swallows during grooming to capture these and take them through the digestive system, rather than them being regurgitated.
Summary
We know how the microbiome is a responsive and dynamic organ which has great impacts on wider health of cats. The microbiome population adapts to the diet being fed. By including fibres and functional ingredients, such as pre and probiotics in a diet we can support the health of our cat’s microbiome.
References
1. Ganz, H.H.; Jospin, G.;Rojas, C.A.; Martin, A.L.; Dahlhausen, K.; Kingsbury, D.D.; Osborne, C.X.; Entrolezo, Z.; Redner, S.; Ramirez, B.; et al. The Kitty Microbiome Project: Defining the Healthy Fecal “Core Microbiome” in
Pet Domestic Cats. Vet. Sci. 2022, 9, 635. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9110635
2. Suchodolski JS. Analysis of the gut microbiome in dogs and cats. Vet Clin Pathol. 2022 Feb;50 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):6-17. doi: 10.1111/vcp.13031. Epub 2021 Sep 12. PMID: 34514619; PMCID: PMC9292158.
3.Pilla R, Suchodolski JS. The Gut Microbiome of Dogs and Cats, and the Influence of Diet. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2021 May;51(3):605-621. doi: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2021.01.002. Epub 2021 Feb 27. PMID: 33653538.
