When cats get constipated, most pet parents don’t think about why they’re stopped up. However, there’s always a reason and we want to figure this out so it doesn’t keep happening.
Constipation is painful for our kitties and sometimes it goes on for quite some time before we notice it. For those of us with multiple cats it can be difficult to decipher whose stool is whose when cleaning the litter box. We always say that prevention is the best medicine, and in the case of constipation in cats it’s no different.
Why Do Cats Get Constipated?
When our cats are having digestion issues, the first thing we want to look at is diet. Did you know that the most common cause of constipation in cats is a dry food diet? Cats that are fed a kibble only diet are chronically dehydrated, and this can cause constipation among other ailments.
Cats need moisture in their food to keep their bodies working properly. They have a low thirst drive by nature, so they will not make up for the amount of water they need at the water bowl. Feeding them a dry diet only gives them about 10% moisture, while their ancestral diet (meaning, what they are created to eat) is 70%+ moisture. If you want to avoid constipation, feed your cat a moisture rich diet.
Aside from the dehydration, all dry food also contains a high amount of carbohydrates, which cats have trouble digesting. As obligate carnivores, kitties aren’t made to eat carbs. When we feed them a dry diet, these ingredients get stuck in their digestive tract, making other foods more difficult to push through. Imagine if you ate a wine cork. Your body doesn’t know how to process that, so it would likely get stuck and you’d end up constipated. That’s kind of how our cats’ systems work when trying to digest carbohydrates in kibble.
Bottom line is, feed a moisture rich diet in order to avoid constipation in cats.
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