Sugarcane fibre may prevents hairball formation in cats

Abstract

Hair ingested by licking during cat grooming can eventually coalesce into solid masses in cat gastrointestinal tract. It is believed that dietary fibre might reduce formation of these trichobezoars (hairballs). The effects of two insoluble fibre sources added to kibble diets were evaluated with respect to trichobezoar faecal excretion. Thirty-two cats and four diets were used in a randomised block design: a control diet without additional fibre, 10 % added sugarcane fibre, 20 % added sugarcane fibre or 10 % added cellulose. Animals were fed for 42 d and during three separate periods (days 15–17, 25–27 and 40–42), the cats were housed individually in metabolic cages and their faeces were totally collected. The faeces were evaluated and the trichobezoars were isolated and classified into small (<1 cm), medium (1·1–2 cm) or large (>2·1 cm). Means were evaluated by repeated measures ANOVA and contrasts (P < 0·05). Cats fed sugarcane fibre shown a linear reduction of small and medium trichobezoar excretion (number per cat per day; P = 0·004) as well as a reduction in trichobezoar mass excretion (mg per cat per day; P < 0·01). The control group showed increased faecal excretion of large trichobezoars (P = 0·003), which were not present in the high sugarcane fibre group (P < 0·006). No effect of cellulose was observed for any evaluated trait. Therefore, long fibres (sugarcane fibre) may cause greater peristaltic stimulation, increasing the propulsion of hair through the gut, but further research is needed to validate this mechanism. In conclusion, sugarcane fibre reduced faecal hairball elimination in cats, which may have clinical applications for the prevention of health problems related to trichobezoars.

The effects of diets varying in fibre sources on nutrient utilization, stool quality and hairball management in cats

“…Differently than the results here reported, Loureiro et al () reported that there was a linear decrease in small and medium size trichobezoars when cats were fed increasing levels of sugarcane fibre supplemented diets. Additionally, these authors reported that there was a decrease in trichobezoar mass excretion when cats were fed diets with sugarcane fibre.…”

Organic matter disappearance and production of short- and branched-chain fatty acids from selected fiber sources used in pet foods by a canine in vitro fermentation model1

“…Various fiber sources are used in pet foods with different purposes, such as energy dilution, gut health, and hairball management (Castrillo et al, 2001; Loureiro et al, 2014; Floerchinger et al, 2015). For these purposes, select fibers and various inclusion levels have been used.…”

Insoluble fibres, satiety and food intake in cats fed kibble diets

“…Thus, many diet formulations including fibre sources have been developed by the pet food industry. Insoluble fibres are also used to reduce energy content by reducing nutrients digestibility (Earle et al., ; Fekete et al., ), promote faecal formation and quality (Wichert et al., ; Prola et al., ) and prevent hairball formation (Beynen et al., ; Loureiro et al., ). Of these, the use of fibre as a tool to dilute food energy and promote satiety to support feline weight maintenance or weight loss is of particular interest in recent years (Fekete et al., ; Vasconcellos et al, ; Cline et al., ).…”