I have been adding probiotics to my cats' meals for years. I use Natural Factors, and sometimes also add in S. Boulardi. I give them 1/2 capsule each in the morning and 1/2 capsule in the evening.
Human probiotics are fine to use. The advantage is that they have higher CFU counts and more bacteria strains than pet probiotics and undergo quality control. To avoid tummy issues, start with a low CFU and increase if needed. Cats probably don't need 100 billion CFUs daily. 5 or 10 billion CFU is a more reasonable amount for cats.
Most Human probiotics come in capsule form. You just pull the capsule apart and sprinkle the contents into canned food. A typical suggested dose is half a capsule twice a day. The capsule halves can be put back together to save the rest of the powder for the next dose. Just keep that capsule separate from the bottle so you know which one to use. Maybe put the bottle into a ziploc baggie and the in use capsule into the baggie alongside it.
I'm feeding 30% home cooked with Alnutrin and 70% Wilderness. I tried raw, but it was a no sale.
O has no teeth so finding the right canned took some time after coming down from Tiki. He and I liked Tiki, but since I'm making partially my own at $2/lb, that's a little better than Tiki at $6/lb.
But his poo can be house clearing. Figured Id' try some probiotic to see if we can get that stink factor a little more under control.
Thank you for the tips on dosage, LTS3
. I followed the directions on the probiotics I bought for our cats and their stomachs were not happy. The dose was probably too high.
It’s important to note that probiotics will work the best with prebiotics - so I’d choose a brand with symbiotics (pre+pro) or use some prebiotics source separately (fermented grass is one of the ideas).
I use raw goats milk as a probiotic for my cats, helps with fluid intake and is great for optimizing nutrients absorption. They get a tablespoon each a couple times a week.
I use adored beast love bugs as well as recommended by She's a Witch, and it's been good! I also use S.Boulardi if one of them gets softer stools which sometimes happen with new foods even when introduced slow. After using probiotics for a few months I'm really starting to see lasting improvement in both of my cat's stools, as well as healthy appetites and energy levels.
I’ve had great success with my cats and probiotics. For my previous girl, Purina Fortflora a few times a week kept things regular. You just sprinkle it right on the food. For my new kitten who isn’t yet a year, the fortiflora wasn’t as effective. I looked into the Nutramax Proviable DC capsules on Chewy and they are fantastic! And a lot more cost effective. I feed her one daily on top of wet food. No more diarrhea, and on the occasions when she has stomach upset, it clears it up. I also recommend the pumpkin wet toppers from TikiCat!