Flax for cats

My vet suggested I give a quarter teaspoon of fiber (metamucil) each day to
my 11 year old neutered male cat with colitis. It seems to be working, but
I was wondering if freshly ground flaxseed might be better. It has lots of
fiber, but also all sorts of other great qualities (at least for humans).
Any thoughts about this -- could I use the flax instead of the metamucil?
In addition to the metamucil? If it's okay to give him flax, about how
much? Is there any harm in giving flax to cats?

Thanks.

JEP

wrote in message
.103...
My vet suggested I give a quarter teaspoon of fiber (metamucil) each day
to
my 11 year old neutered male cat with colitis. It seems to be working,
but
I was wondering if freshly ground flaxseed might be better. It has lots
of
fiber, but also all sorts of other great qualities (at least for humans).
Any thoughts about this -- could I use the flax instead of the metamucil?
In addition to the metamucil? If it's okay to give him flax, about how
much? Is there any harm in giving flax to cats?

I wouldn't give flax seeds to a cat- too high in omega-6 fatty acids which
are pro-inflammatory. If you're looking for a good source of fiber, try
canned pumpkin- not pumpkin pie filler- just plain canned pumpkin.

Make sure your cat stays well hydrated- otherwise the additional fiber could
cause constipation.

Good luck,

Phil

"Matthew" wrote in message
...

I am not a vet but from my understanding flax seed oil is much higher than
fish oils in Omega 3.

Hiya Matthew,

The Omega 3's in flaxseed oil and most other plant-derived omega-3's don't
contain the two critical omega-3's-- eicosapentaenoic acid, a/k/a EPA and
docosahexaenoic a/k/a DHA. Flaxseeds only contain a precursor omega-3--
alpha-linolenic acid a/k/a ALA- that the body must convert to EPA and DHA.

The best sources of omega-3's for cats are menhaden and salmon fish oils.


Flax seed oil

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...st_nut_edit.pl


Menhaden Fish Oil

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...st_nut_edit.pl

Salmon Fish oil

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...st_nut_edit.pl


Phil

I wouldn't give flax seeds to a cat- too high in omega-6 fatty acids which
are pro-inflammatory. If you're looking for a good source of fiber, try
canned pumpkin- not pumpkin pie filler- just plain canned pumpkin.

Make sure your cat stays well hydrated- otherwise the additional fiber could
cause constipation.

I have to agree with Phil. I have successfully used canned pumpkin
myself. Many cats like the taste and consider it a treat. I'd also
suggest feeding your cat canned food only (grain free), to keep him
hydrated.

wrote in message
.103...
My vet suggested I give a quarter teaspoon of fiber (metamucil) each day
to
my 11 year old neutered male cat with colitis. It seems to be working,
but
I was wondering if freshly ground flaxseed might be better. It has lots
of
fiber, but also all sorts of other great qualities (at least for humans).
Any thoughts about this -- could I use the flax instead of the metamucil?
In addition to the metamucil? If it's okay to give him flax, about how
much? Is there any harm in giving flax to cats?

Thanks.

JEP

If your vet recommended Metamucil and that seems to be helping, why would
you want to try something else?
Just curious.
Margaret

"Matthew" wrote in message
...

"Phil P." wrote in message
news:0cx_i.5074$WM.3393@trndny05...

"Matthew" wrote in message
...

I am not a vet but from my understanding flax seed oil is much higher
than
fish oils in Omega 3.

Hiya Matthew,

The Omega 3's in flaxseed oil and most other plant-derived omega-3's
don't
contain the two critical omega-3's-- eicosapentaenoic acid, a/k/a EPA
and
docosahexaenoic a/k/a DHA. Flaxseeds only contain a precursor omega-3--
alpha-linolenic acid a/k/a ALA- that the body must convert to EPA and
DHA.

The best sources of omega-3's for cats are menhaden and salmon fish
oils.


Flax seed oil

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...st_nut_edit.pl


Menhaden Fish Oil

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...st_nut_edit.pl

Salmon Fish oil

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcom...st_nut_edit.pl


Phil


I learn something everyday. thanks Phil


Me too. Learning about cats is a never-ending, life-long, work-in-progress.

P.

Suddenly, without warning, Phil P. exclaimed (11/14/2007 4:40 PM):
wrote in message
.103...
My vet suggested I give a quarter teaspoon of fiber (metamucil) each day
to
my 11 year old neutered male cat with colitis. It seems to be working,
but
I was wondering if freshly ground flaxseed might be better. It has lots
of
fiber, but also all sorts of other great qualities (at least for humans).
Any thoughts about this -- could I use the flax instead of the metamucil?
In addition to the metamucil? If it's okay to give him flax, about how
much? Is there any harm in giving flax to cats?

I wouldn't give flax seeds to a cat- too high in omega-6 fatty acids which
are pro-inflammatory. If you're looking for a good source of fiber, try
canned pumpkin- not pumpkin pie filler- just plain canned pumpkin.

Make sure your cat stays well hydrated- otherwise the additional fiber could
cause constipation.

Good luck,

Phil






Unfortunately my cat won't touch the pumpkin. What works for her is
Benefiber - no taste and it seems to work, though not as well as I'd
like. Probably need to give her more.

Phil, what's the dosage of fiber for cats? She's getting about a 1/2
tsp a day, dosage morning and night. It's part of her "stew", which is
canned food, water, glucosamine, and Benefiber.

She's had problems her whole life - pooping only every other day, but as
she gets older it's gotten worse. The benefiber keeps her pooping about
every third day. 4th day she gets a cat laxative, but I can't seem to
get Laxatone here and what I got doesn't work as well. She's gone as
many as 5 - at that point it's another vet trip.

jmc

"jmc" wrote in message
...

Unfortunately my cat won't touch the pumpkin. What works for her is
Benefiber - no taste and it seems to work, though not as well as I'd
like. Probably need to give her more.

Phil, what's the dosage of fiber for cats? She's getting about a 1/2
tsp a day, dosage morning and night.

How many grams of fiber in a tsp of Benefiber? Not only can too much fiber
cause constipation if she doesn't drink a lot of water, fiber also displaces
protein and fat. IOW, too much fiber could cause her to reach satiety
before her protein and energy needs are met. So, you don't want to give her
too much. I wouldn't feed more than 2 grams per 100 kcals- but you really
should speak to your vet about this.


It's part of her "stew", which is
canned food, water, glucosamine, and Benefiber.

She's had problems her whole life - pooping only every other day, but as
she gets older it's gotten worse. The benefiber keeps her pooping about
every third day. 4th day she gets a cat laxative, but I can't seem to
get Laxatone here and what I got doesn't work as well.


Can you get chicken flavored lactulose? You should be able to get it made up
in a human pharmacy. Another drug that works wonders on constipation is
cisapride- it was pulled from the US market but it can be made up by
compounding pharmacies.

Good luck,

Phil

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:59:44 -0500 from Matthew
:
You need to keep it refrigerated I would use oil
instead of seed since seed goes bad very quickly.

Are you sure about that? I know *ground* seeds are highly perishable,
but I thought whole seeds could keep for at least a few weeks at room
temp.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"If there's one thing I know, it's men. I ought to: it's
been my life work." -- Marie Dressler, in /Dinner at Eight/

If your vet recommended Metamucil and that seems to be helping, why
would you want to try something else? Just curious.

Reasonable question. But I was wondering if freshly ground flaxseed --
which is also high in fiber -- might be even better. I myself have been
eating two to three tablespoons of it each day because it seems to be good
for so many things in so many ways (including lowering bad cholesterol and
being a good source of antioxidants, omega-3 acid, and fiber).

Phil's warning about giving cats too much omega-6, however, is worth
heeding, so I am not going to give the flax to my cats. I'll ask my vet
about it next time I see him. (I didn't want to bother him on the phone
just to ask about flax.)

Unfortunately, neither of my cats will go near pumpkin.

JEP