Food supplemented with a novel fiber blend containing soluble and insoluble fiber supported growth and fecal parameters indicative of gastrointestinal health in kittens

Lay Summary Nutrition plays a major role in the gastrointestinal and overall health of mammals. Adequate nutrition is particularly important in the development of the gastrointestinal tract. A variety of nutritional strategies have been utilized to support gastrointestinal health in companion animals, including prebiotics. Prebiotics are substrates that are utilized by the microbes present in the gastrointestinal tract to provide a benefit to host health. While numerous studies have investigated the impacts of feeding prebiotic fibers to adult dogs and cats, research investigating their benefits in growing companion animals is more limited. In this study, kittens were fed either a food with a patented fiber blend containing soluble and insoluble fibers or a control food, and markers of digestive health were evaluated. Animals were fed for 150 days, with body weight monitored weekly and fecal and blood samples collected at multiple time points. Results showed that while both foods supported healthy growth, kittens fed the food containing the novel fiber blend had fecal characteristics indicative of more favorable gastrointestinal health compared to kittens fed the control food. These results were similar to those previously seen in adult cats and dogs, and adds to our knowledge about prebiotics in pets.