other sources of fiber beside canned pumpkin?

Peas or any squash would work, as would psyllium husk (available at health food stores).

Laurie

I use the Heinz baby food organic butternut squash

You can also try cat grass, which you can buy already grown in most pet stores or you can grow your own. Make sure it's grass specifically for cats (not lawn) and organic. That means if you grow your own, make sure the soil is organic, no fertilizer.
Ritz loves the stuff. And she hates pumpkin and Metamucil.

Excellent! Thx for the recommendations. it's much more comforting for me when I know you guys use other stuff with success, too.
I'm definitely going to try some variety in her diet now.
thx again!

Here are some other ideas for you - and, with a super-bonus included: the WHY cats require fibre part....all from the oracle of all-things-kittie-gut! Prevention

Thx for the link on fiber. I'll definitely keep that on hand and refer to it when i have questions. Always good to have options for fiber. I definitely wanted to ask about it because I also wanted to make sure the other stuff I wanted to try was also non-toxic for cats.

Okay, am I correct in that you can and maybe actually should feed pumpkin or baby squash or some of the others listed here and on the link posted, daily to your cat to prevent constipation and for hair balls? Can I do that with my kittens too? Just thought it might be good to start them now, since they are both a bit longer haired and so I assume hair balls will be more likely. Plus if they start eating it now, when they haven't gotten picky they maybe will continue to eat it better later too??

peanutsmommy said:

Okay, am I correct in that you can and maybe actually should feed pumpkin or baby squash or some of the others listed here and on the link posted, daily to your cat to prevent constipation and for hair balls? Can I do that with my kittens too? Just thought it might be good to start them now, since they are both a bit longer haired and so I assume hair balls will be more likely. Plus if they start eating it now, when they haven't gotten picky they maybe will continue to eat it better later too??

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No, you don't have to feed those to your cat every day. You really shouldn't actively "prevent" constipation/diarrhea, because if your cat is healthy and eating what they are used to eat, there shouldn't be such issue. Only give them fiber when they are having constipation/diarrhea.

Fiber can help with hairball though. I only feed my cats squash during shedding seasons. And even during those time I don't do it every day. I feed them squash once every other day. And I think cat grass works better than pumpkin/squash in hairball control. Also nothing can beat a daily brush

If your cat's stools are too hard or too soft and you're "managing" the issue by feeding fiber, you are, in effect, blocking the "there's a problem here" communication of the cat's body and missing what it is trying to tell you; hiding the symptom without addressing the cause of the illness.

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I'm not sure about constipation, but in many cases a diarrhea is just a diarrhea. There is no underlying illness with that. If the diarrhea lasts for over 3 days or if the cat is losing appetite/energy, I will be concerned. But if the cat is otherwise good then I will use pumpkin to manage the diarrhea.

Okay thanx. Would it be okay to give it maybe once a week just for hairballs and to keep them liking it so they don't grow to not like it? For those who said they used ice cube trays, do you all feed it daily or often or just as needed?

The best prevention for hairballs is regular brushing to remove loose hair. If you want to get your kittens used to something that's good for them and won't negatively impact their diets, get them used to being brushed. It's always better to prevent hairballs than to have to treat them after they've already formed in your feline's gut.

There's absolutely no reason for your kittens to "like" vegetable fiber. Ideally, they shouldn't ever have need to consume vegetable fiber. If, at some point in their lives, they would benefit from added dietary fiber, there are tasteless options that won't be dependent on whether or not they "like" them.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. More importantly, if it ain't broke, don't feed it species-inappropriate foods that could potentially cause more harm than good.

Laurie

Okay I was just asking for advice to do what is best for my kitties. I thought I read somewhere on the forum about people that gave it daily so thought it was needed. Guess I was wrong.

peanutsmommy said:

Okay I was just asking for advice to do what is best for my kitties. I thought I read somewhere on the forum about people that gave it daily so thought it was needed. Guess I was wrong.

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You're not entirely wrong. You just didn't fully understand what you were reading. There are cats with medical conditions that require added fiber in their diets, either on a temporary or permanent basis, to help manage their illnesses. I give fiber daily to one of my own chronically ill cats. However, HEALTHY felines eating proper diets have no need for vegetable fibers in their diets. There's no reason to introduce species-inappropriate ingredients into a healthy feline's diet. It'd be like giving your kittens antibiotics just because you read that other people are having to give antibiotics to their cats. They have a medical reason to do so. You don't.

Laurie

I do give psyllium fiber to my cats mixed with their food during shedding time only. Never more than a quarter tsp per cat mixed with food about once a week. Along with daily brushing it works quite well to decrease vomiting of hairballs. Five of my cats have problems with hairballs and get the psyllium which was recommended by my vet who is a feline specialist. They do not get extra fiber any other time of the year.

In the 'wild' cats get plenty of natural fiber: from eating their entire prey species, skin, claws, hair, etc. My Apache, a former feral, his this quirk: She likes to lick her prey all over before chewing it into chunks and swallowing it. It is like she grooms the hair on the mouse and then eats it.

I didn't notice that they were doing it for preventive measures. I agree about not giving it to them if not needed, I just misread.