PROBIOTICS FOR CATS
Purina FortiFlora Cat Probiotic Powder
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Our story with cat probiotics
I was first introduced to this product back in 2020 when I rescued my first two kitties. If you’ve had rescues before, you know it takes a few months and lots of vet visits, medicine and special care to settle their immune system and recover from whatever they had to go through out on the streets for their first weeks, months or even years of their lives. They are often malnourished and they would most likely suffer from eye infections, diarrhea, worms, bunch of fleas and more. I know I went through all that with all my rescues. All my kitties are rescues except for the last kitty I got, Lil Layla, we did adopted her from craigslist. She was born in a home, she is our little princess, the only one that was fed and raised by her momma. Still, even if your kitty was born at home or in a clinic, they usually have delicate stomachs anyways. You have to be careful when switching to different foods and, even if you do everything right, they still eat random things they pick up from the ground not realizing it’s only going to make them regurgitate it later or give them diarrhea. They are just ingesting a bunch of little viruses and bacteria constantly. Not only that, they may also have food intolerances or allergies to certain ingredients in their food or treats that we give them. It can be a challenge to find the source.
Finneas, my 3rd kitty. Unfortunately he had a bad case of diharreah at the time. Sorry for the rawness, we are all cat parents here, we’ve seen it all.
If you own a cat, you are going to have to deal with their little stomach issues. Cuteness comes with a price! And don’t get me wrong, this is not the diarrhea magic solution. It is not going to cure your cat’s stomach issues and you still must pay close attention to your cat’s behavior. If your cat it’s sick, you have to watch out for the symptoms.
They are just like kids tho, with your first cat/kid you might run to the vet with every little issue that comes up but, after your 2nd or 3rd cat/kid (or 9th cat in my case) you know, you have enough experience and you are probably going to look for a safe and effective solution before rushing to the vet. Let’s be honest, digested upset is pretty common in cats so we can’t be rushing to the vet every month. You might get away with things that you’ve learned with your older cats/kids. There is nothing wrong with trying out a couple of things before rushing to the vet for minor health concerns. That’s why supplements and over the counter medicine exists.
“This is in no way a substitute to medicine or to take your cat to the vet. This is merely a supplement to help your kitties overall health, just like probiotics for humans. ”
Back to my first two kitties, Toulouse and Penny Lane, they both had a really rough first few months. They got a pretty bad case of diarrhea that lasted for a long time. We immediatly took them to the vet but it took them forever to finally recover. We went through lots of different treatments and exams and vet visits. At the end of the day, it is what it is with stray kitties, it takes time for their little bodies to settle. One of the supplements our vet recommended was this Purina Pro Plan FortiFlora Probiotic. She suggested getting it and pointed out this brand was the best one out there. It’s an over the counter supplement so I wouldn’t need a prescription and, she said it wasn’t going to cure them but it will most definitely help them restore their intestinal microflora, just like probiotics for humans, it will most definitely help them. I know I try to include probiotics in my diet. So, yes, I like my kombucha and pickle ginger… I figured my cats deserved the same kind of gut love so, we decided to give it a try!
I always have a FortiFlora pack at home. When they were babies I would give them a packet a day. They came from the streets and they needed the gut support this supplement provides. Eventually, as they got older, I started to give it to them sporadically. I made sure to include it in their diet once a week, sometimes once a month. And if they got sick, I would give it to them more often.
Multi-cats hack
Now, I have 8 cats and it gets expensive to give each one a full little packet every day so, I just use one or two packets and sprinkle a little bit on each of their wet food bowls when I feed them at night. You can also just sprinkle a whole packet in their dry food! My cat’s just love it with their wet food. And like I said before, it’s a supplement and you don’t necessarily have to give it to them every day.
Fortiflora - PROS
Provides high levels of antioxidants
Restores normal intestinal health and balance
Promotes healthy inmune system
Helps with diarrhea!
Cats LOVE the flavor
Easy and quick to use, comes in little ready to use packets. No need to measure!
You do not need to follow a regimen. You can give it to them as often as you feel is needed. You can do it every day, a couple times a week, once a month! It’s all up to you and your cat’s needs.
Fortiflora - CONS
ALL my cats love the flavor, even the picky eater ones but, there is always a possibility that your cat might not like the flavor.
It can get expensive for some people, $30 for 30 packets, specially if you have a muti-cat house hold like me. That’s why I give it to them sporadically and I do cheat a little, instead of giving them a full dose, I sprinkle/spread out one or two packets for 8 cats. And I give it to them more regularly when they need it like when I first rescued them, when I switch their food or, when they get sick.
Your cat might love it so much that they might get on the counter and steal it from you, watch out! (It happened to me) Make sure to store it properly in a cat free zone.
it’s a powder so, even though my face is not right up in their food, some of the particles might blow up in the air and I am pretty sure I’ve taste it through my nose… if that’s even possible.
Purina Fortiflora Probiotic Cat Powder - WHERE TO GET IT
I am not a vet and I don’t know your kitty’s condition. I am just sharing my experience hoping to help other cat parents out there. I am not personally selling this item. Since this item is merely a supplement and does not require a prescription, I believe it’s a great option to try out!
Check out my affiliate links down below. If you buy from the links I provide I get a small commission (except for Petco and PetSmart but I am leaving the link anyways in case that’s where you like to shop from)
Amazon has two options for you. You can get the 1 pack for $30.99 or 3 packs for $89.99. They do have sales from time to time so is always good to check them out. Plus, if you are a prime member, you can probably get it delivered in a couple of days for free! Click on this link to try out Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
Chewy also has different options for you. you can get the 1 pack for $30.99 or you can pick from 30, 60, 90 or 180 count! Plus, you can get an extra 35% OFF your first auto ship Chewy order by clicking on the link below
Walmart has different deals for you. They have the regular 1 pack for $30.99, they have a 3 packs for $87.99 and, they even have a six pack $167.99 I love Walmart because they usually have their own discounts and sales. Plus, if you already go there for your groceries or anything else, you can just buy it online and pick up at the store!
Petco has it for $30.99. You can always save a little more when you have repeat delivery selected or, if you pick yo at the store sometimes they have coupons but, make sure to read the fine print in case you need to meat a minimum $$ purchase for that coupon.
PetSmart $33.99. You can save some money if you have coupons or earn points if you have an account with them and, you can always pick up at the store too.
There are other probiotic brands out there, I listed some of the best ones at the end of this post. They have pretty good ratings and reviews we’ve just never tried something other than FortiFlora by Purina since my vet recommended it early on, my cats seem to love the flavor and, it does a good job helping their little immune systems. Plus, it has 4.5/5 stars on Amazon with 12,962 ratings! more than any other cat probiotic out there!
FREE CAT COLORING PAGE
Thank you so much for stoping by and reading my post! In appreciation for my audience a.k.a. YOU! I decided to gift you a fun cat coloring page! click on the button to download the high quality PDF page and get creative! Don’t forget to post it on social media and tag me so I can see your work of art.
If you still would like to keep researching before purchasing, I totally understand. Here are some other ones I have not personally purchased but they have pretty good reviews as well.