Lactobacillus acidophilus is a type of bacteria that grows naturally in the digestive tract.  It’s known as a “beneficial bacteria” (I should probably be saying “bacterium”) because it helps us to digest food.  Acidophilus is a common dietary supplement for people, usually taken in the form of a capsule, powder or liquid.  People take probiotic supplements to aid digestion, but did you know there are also probiotics for cats?

Natren, a company based out of Westlake Village, California, makes probiotics for humans and for pets.  FelineDophilus is their gel-based product, which includes two strains of beneficial probiotics: lactobacillus acidophilus and enterococcus faecium. Big long words, but the short of it is that a variety of probiotics is better than just one.

Natren states that FelineDophilus helps to promote thicker shinier coats, enhances energy levels and supports overall wellness by promoting healthy digestion and weight management. To top it off, it also helps cats with hairballs.

The company was generous enough to send me a sample of FelineDophilus, which I kept in the fridge for a number of weeks (probiotics usually need to be kept refrigerated to maintain their potency). I didn’t want to give Furball a supplement unless he needed it. That day arrived when he started puking up hairballs becaues he was stressed about the arrival of a new baby in our household. When Furball vomited up his dinner one night, I decided to try the FelineDophilus.

FelineDophilus comes in a plastic syringe that is unbelievable easy to use. I squirted some onto my finger tip and he licked it up. At his next meal, I squirted a full serving into his bowl and he ate it with no issues. The barfing stopped. I was impressed. I caution here that if you want to try this with your cat, I would highly recommend that you clear it with your vet first. Vomiting can be a sign of serious illness, so you shouldn’t delay treatment. Furball was under the care of his vet and diagnosed with “anxiety” as the cause for his hairball puking so I knew there was not another underlying medical issue.

The only other caveat I have about the product is that since it needs to be kept refrigerated, it was delivered in a highly over-packaged box with styrofoam and cooler packs. We kept the box and the cooler packs to reuse for something else, but in the future, I’m going to hunt out a local distributor to minimize the packaging.

For more information about FelineDophilus, visit the Natren website.