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Reader Questions

Cat With Digestive Discomfort

Last Updated : 13-Nov-2022

My cat used to have lots of difficulty digesting food as kitten with lots of diarrhoea. Her main diet as adult has been Nutriment raw chicken for a number of years now (with the very occasional sachet of hi-life/cooked fish or raw of cooked chicken for variety).

No obvious digestive problems except the following : her stools in recent years are very small dry crumbly balls. She also has tendency to sit on top hot radiator with her front pressed down onto it and acts as if in discomfort during many evenings. How could your PET Plus help her please, and would I use it for life?

PET Plus Vet Reader : Hazel

Dr Susanna's Response

What a great question! Thank you! In short, yes, Pet Plus for life is an excellent idea ... but read on for more helpful suggestions. Well done for feeding raw! That's the best thing, but you need to make some changes.

In the wild, no creature would eat exactly the same thing every day, so feeding raw chicken every day is not the best idea.  Add some different sources of raw protein, like wild rabbit (the best and most natural ... not farmed rabbit, poor souls), fish like sprats (easy to get in supermarkets, fresh or frozen, usually from Cornwall), turkey (a bit of a strange bird!), lamb (grass-fed, outdoor so cleaner than factory farmed cattle, chickens, rabbits....).

I used  Raw Pet Supplies when I had pets in the UK. They are the best supplier I have ever found. I found the German manufacturer (available in the UK) Kiezebrink to be the best quality. They actually mince up the whole rabbit, so you get the perfect natural balance of meat, bone, organs .... couldn't be better actually!

I found that Nutriment started using much more bone in their minces than any animal would eat in the wild. Especially the chicken, which is why her faeces have became dry, hard and crumbly and undoubtedly a challenge to digest and defecate. And yes, the PET Plus will help enormously as she needs more digestive enzymes, probiotics, prebiotics and the rest to help her system. A great idea. And yes, for life. You can mix it with food, put it on a saucer, put it on the floor, sprinkle it onto the fur of her back ... whichever way she will enjoy it!

And make sure she has fresh, filtered water to drink all the time. Tap water is not fit to swallow as it's so full of chemicals. Cats are particularly astute and won't drink it, preferring to get dehydrated or drink 'clean' muddy water out of puddles, given the choice. Cats normally get most of their liquids from their food, which is why dried food is so very dangerous for them ...

And turn off WiFi etc. And get rid of the smart meter if you have one.