Feline Nutrition: Absorbing Nutrients
by Kathy Fatheree
Here’s a very important topic – the problem of not being able to absorb nutrients because of digestive problems.
Did I tell you that I have a new kitten? He is 6 months old and I found him at the Human Society. He’s a little whipper snapper I tell ya, but he’s a gem, too! His first week with me was really rough. It turns out that the reason he was so docile at the Human Society is because he was sick! He had a terrible kennel cold. Young kittens often develop secondary infections, like pneumonia, so my vet recommended an antibiotic. Well, between the worming that he received (ug) and the antibiotics, this poor little fella has had a really tough time with the Big D… and I’m not talking about Dallas! (Yes, diarrhea.)
Beside being inconvenient and a stress on the body, diarrhea can interfere with nutrient absorption. When the body has diarrhea, it’s a self defense mechanism to try to get whatever the irritant is out of the body pronto!
Diarrhea can result in dehydration and mineral depletion so it’s very important to get it under control right away. Since my little fella is young and the diarrhea wasn’t slowing him down the slightest bit, my vet said I could try a homeopathic remedy along with ProBiotics to replenish the friendly flora in his intestines that were destroyed by the antibiotics. Thank goodness it worked on him. If it hadn’t, I promised my vet that I would administer the medication he had prescribed. I’m all for going natural when it’s possible and thankgoodness my vet puts up with me! Postscript: The diarrhea came back in a couple of weeks. The vet then suggested that my kitten might have a delicate system. The vet recommended Eukanuba Low Residue food and it cleared the diarrhea up within a week!
If your cat ever has diarrhea, please talk to your vet about your options to getting it under control immediately to prevent dehydration and mineral depletion!
Disclaimer: Kathy Fatheree is not at all a medical expert. Contents of this web site are a collection of Kathy’s assist feeding experiences as well as the experiences of other cat owners who have assist fed their cats. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, Kathy Fatheree or anyone associated with this web site cannot be held responsible for anything that may happen as a result of using the information on this site.