Prebiotic fibers improve cat’s gut microbiota

A study recently published in Animals indicates that cats’ consumption of a fiber mix led to a shift toward saccharolytic metabolism by changing the physiology of the microbiota and transforming fiber-bound polyphenols into bioactive metabolites. Many of the compounds produced by food degradation can have beneficial effects on host health. Previous studies in dogs have, for example, evaluated the impact of supplementing the diet with specific fiber mixes-in this case, fiber from pecan nut shells, flaxseed, and cranberry, citrus, and beet powders-on the animal’s health. These studies have shown that bacteria present in the large i...