Bien qu’il soit normal que votre chat éprouve occasionnellement un inconfort digestif, cela ne doit pas se produire régulièrement. En combinant une bonne nourriture, une bonne hygiène et de bons comportements alimentaires, vous pouvez vous assurer que vous protégez votre chat des maux d’estomac.
Les symptômes des problèmes digestifs chez le chat
Si votre chat a des maux d’estomac ou un autre problème digestif, certains des symptômes les plus courants sont les vomissements et la diarrhée. Vous remarquerez peut-être aussi que votre chat mange moins ou qu’il a du mal à manger.
Les maux d’estomac peuvent avoir diverses causes sous-jacentes, notamment :
- les parasites qui infestent le tractus gastro-intestinal de votre chat;
- les boules de poils, qui peuvent provoquer des blocages et des vomissements;
- les maladies systémiques comme le diabète ou une maladie rénale;
- l’ingestion d’aliments ou de matières toxiques.
La nourriture de votre chat peut également lui donner des maux d’estomac si elle ne contient pas le bon mélange de nutriments ou si elle contient des aliments particuliers ou des éléments connus pour aggraver sa digestion.
Preventing an upset stomach in your cat with their diet
One of the simplest ways to help protect your cat against digestive issues and upset stomach is to feed them a complete, nutritionally-balanced food. If your cat has particular digestive sensitivities your veterinarian may recommend a specific food with nutrients to support digestive health.
These diets contain highly-digestible protein sources which are easy for your cat’s body to digest and absorb. Your veterinarian may recommend a diet that is energy-dense, which means your cat can eat smaller portions to get the necessary nutrients and calories from their food.
A food designed to improve the gastrointestinal health of your cat may also include prebiotics. These encourage the growth of ‘beneficial’ bacteria in your cat’s digestive tract.
Feeding your cat to prevent an upset stomach
As well as selecting a diet to help promote your cat's digestive health, also follow these guidelines on how to feed your cat.
Avoid any sudden changes in their diet, as this can cause stomach problems. Transition your cat to a new food over a week to 10 days, mixing their old and new food together and gradually increasing the percentage of new food each day.
You can also divide their daily ration of food into several small meals you feed throughout the day. This helps prevent an upset stomach by alleviating the workload a large meal causes on their digestive system. Leave your cat in peace when they are eating; if they’re disturbed, they might become stressed and this can result in an upset stomach.
It’s also very important to not give your cat leftovers or scraps. These can encourage an upset stomach, or may even harm them. Chocolate, raw eggs and liver can all have damaging effects on your cat’s body.
If you’re concerned about your cat’s digestive health and want to know more about the best ways you can support them, seek advice from your veterinarian.
