Your Cat's Gut Health – 9 Ways to Boost

As a cat parent, your cat's gut health may not be on your radar, but it should be. As with humans, the digestive system plays a vital role in the overall health of your cat.

This includes their immune system, their metabolism, and even their activeness and behavior. The key to good gut health is to keep things moving smoothly through your cat's gastrointestinal tract so that they can absorb all the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

A healthy gut is essential for preventing disease and ensuring your cat stays at a healthy weight.

Here are some ways you can help out your cat with gut health!

Regular exercise

Ensure your cat is getting enough exercise. Some cats can become overweight due to inactivity, which isn't good for their overall health or longevity.

Exercising stimulates your cat's intestine, which improves bowel movements. Exercising also helps keep your cat's weight and stress under control.

Invest in high-quality food

We cat stress how important a well-balanced diet is for your cat's metabolism. Well-balanced nutritional diets help improve your cats' gut health. It also supports healthy skin and a vibrant coat instead of unbalanced diets that harm your cat's gut health.

Notably, avoid toxic foods to cats or foods that cause bloating or lead to weight gain. You can also switch to hypoallergenic diets for cats with food allergies.

Encourage hydration

Most cats don't drink enough water. It's how they evolved, but such behavior is harmful, particularly for cats who feed solely on dry foods. Poor hydration habits can cause health risks that impact your cat's gut health.

Provide fresh water and encourage your cat to drink more regularly. See our tips and tricks to get your cat to drink more water.

Let your cat have plenty of quality sleep time

If you're worried about your furball sleeping too much, take note: Experts recommend 12 hours per day. All cats' particularly older cats, must get plenty of rest for a healthy gut.

Floss their teeth regularly

Tartar buildup on your kitty's teeth can lead to mouth infections and other problems throughout their body. If they don't do it themselves (cats hate floss), try buying pre-flavored dental treats or using an oral rinse explicitly designed for cats.

Watch out for environmental threats

Though cat allergies are infrequent, they still happen. You can only do a few things about environmental allergens (such as pollen and mold spores) because opening windows and installing air purifiers doesn't help: However, washing your cat's bedding often and cleaning areas where they spend lots of time will minimize exposure to allergens.

Regularly grooming

Not only does brushing feel great for your feline friend, but it helps prevent hairballs by removing loose fur before it gets ingested and leads to constipation and poor gut health.

Consider supplements for digestion support

Certain ingredients can irritate a cat's gut and cause diarrhea. Boosters containing probiotics may improve digestion in pets, so talk with your vet about adding one to your furry friend's diet.

Keep the litter box clean

Cats' noses are ten times more sensitive than human noses when detecting odors, which means ammonia from their urine lingers longer than we'd expect from our noses. An unclean litter box poses serious health risks due to bacterial growth. Always change out the litter box after use.

The Takeaway

Ensuring your cat's gut health is healthy may not be as easy as it sounds, but you should be able to improve your cat's gut health without too much trouble with the given tips. A healthy gut means your cat will be happier and less stressed, with a better quality of life overall.

More importantly, understand what your cat is trying to tell you through their body language and subtle changes in behavior. Remember, always consult your vet or other pet-care professional whenever you're suspicious of your cat's well-being.