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The Best Probiotics for Cats for Optimal Digestion

The Pet Institute Review Team
Written By The Pet Institute Review Team
Last updated: Mar 8, 2025, 12:41 PM
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Probiotics for cats

Probiotics increase the number of good bacteria in your cat’s digestive tract and gut. Good bacteria keep their stools healthy and reduce wind and nasty-smelling stools. Different probiotics affect different areas in the gut, so a variety of probiotics is beneficial for most cats.

When choosing a probiotic, you should consider the most effective administration method for your cat. This is just one of the many considerations you can make to choose the best product for your cat’s needs. Later in the article, we will discuss more things to think about before making a purchase.

First, you may want to look at our selection of the best probiotics for cats in 2025. Continue reading to find out more.

View all Contents
  • Best Probiotics for Cats Buying Guide
    • Quantity and Dosage
    • Different Administration Methods
    • Colony Forming Units (CFU)
    • Choose the Right Probiotics for the Job
    • Living Probiotics Are More Potent than Dead Probiotics
    • Choose a Flavor Your Cat Will Enjoy
    • Look for Human-Grade Ingredients
    • Trust Your Veterinarians Recommendations
    • Consider Customer Reviews
    • Signs Your Cat Will Benefit from Daily Probiotics
  • People Also Asked
  • Your Pet’s Best Interest, Always
  • Contributors
  • Related Reads

Our Top Picks of Probiotics for Cats

  • Pet Health Pros Probiotics for Cat: Best Overall (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this probiotics for cats ↓
  • Purina Fortiflora Probiotics for Cat: Best for Diarrhea (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this probiotics for cats ↓
  • PetUltimates Probiotics for Cat: FDA Approved (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this probiotics for cats ↓
  • Dr. Mercola Probiotics for Cat: Best Preventive Care (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this probiotics for cats ↓
  • DrFormulas Probiotics for Cat: Highest Quality (Shop Now) →
    Read more about this probiotics for cats ↓

The Leading Probiotics for Cats of 2025

Pet Health Pros Probiotics for Cat

Best Overall
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The Pet Health Pros Probiotic for Cats is an excellent supplement that helps to support healthy digestion in your pet. The paste contains probiotic gel, which helps to relieve upset stomach and gas, as well as diarrhea and constipation. It is also formulated with digestive enzymes, which help to address bloating and other digestive issues that may be causing your pet discomfort. 

This oral probiotic paste can help to make your pet more comfortable and happier when it comes to their digestion. The paste is suitable for puppies, kittens, and adult pets, and can be administered either at birth for puppies and kittens, or 1 gram per 10 pounds, following therapy or digestive upset. The paste is also ideal for traveling, kenneling, and training, and may be used with therapy and deworming. The paste’s high-quality ingredients are sure to help keep your pet feeling great, while its easy administration makes it simple to give your pet the help it needs, making it the best overall on the list.

Product Pros
  • High-quality ingredients
  • Easy to administer
  • Relieves upset stomach
Product Cons
  • Just okay taste

Purina Fortiflora Probiotics for Cat

Best for Diarrhea
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This probiotic comes in powder form, making it easy to mix into wet cat food. It is specially designed to combat diarrhea and utilizes enterococcus to do so. Thanks to the added vitamin C and E, your cat will also enjoy a healthier coat and skin. 

This vet-recommended product is livor flavored, so your cat will look forward to taking their medicine. Your cat only requires one scoop of powder daily to feel the benefits of this amazing product. You can safely store this item in your cupboard as it will maintain its potency without refrigeration.

Product Pros
  • Effective treatment for diarrhea
  • Includes added vitamin C and E
  • It does not need to be stored in the fridge
Product Cons
  • It might not be the best option if your cat is used to drying food

PetUltimates Probiotics for Cat

FDA Approved
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This product contains 20 different types of probiotics, which are useful if your pet is suffering from a wider variety of symptoms. This product contains a large CFU number for each type of probiotic.  The product comes in powder form and includes a scoop to take the guesswork out of measuring the right amount.

This product is made in the USA in a GMP-certified facility. This means that the product is FDA approved; this means the company is taking all the quality-control steps necessary to ensure a safe and effective product. In addition, this product contains no artificial flavors or fillers and comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Product Pros
  • Easy-to-serve powder form
  • Made in the USA
  • It contains 20 types of probiotics
Product Cons
  • Some cats don’t like the taste

Dr. Mercola Probiotics for Cat

Best Preventive Care
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If you are lucky enough to have both cats and dogs, this product may be a great money saver because you can administer it to both. This product contains large CFU numbers of 14 different types of probiotics. Your pet only needs one dose of this powder daily to feel its full effects. The amount you give to your pet depends on its size. 

You can use the product as a preventative measure to keep your pet’s good bacteria balanced. You can also use this to treat several ailments effectively by changing the dosage. There are detailed instructions on this on the back of the product. 

Product Pros
  • It contains many different types of probiotics
  • Suitable for cats and dogs
  • Used for maintenance and therapeutic purposes
Product Cons
  • Large serving scoops means product runs out quickly for large animals

DrFormulas Probiotics for Cat

Highest Quality
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DrFormulas Nexabiotic Probiotic For Cats contains a combination of 23 types of probiotics. It is suitable for young kittens as well as older cats. This product comes powdered in capsules that easily open and pours into your cat’s wet food. However, you should aim to give your cat this product in capsule form for ideal results.

This formula works particularly well against the symptoms of diarrhea. However, it can also be used as a regular supplement to cultivate good digestive health. This product is made with human-grade ingredients and is approved by the FDA. 

Product Pros
  • Capsules protect the probiotics until they get to the right place in the gut
  • Made from human-grade ingredients
  • Approved by the FDA
Product Cons
  • Some customers complained of their pets vomiting when using this product, but it might just be a coincidence

Best Probiotics for Cats Buying Guide

One of our selected products will likely give your beloved pet what they need. However, we understand how important your cat is to you and that you wouldn’t dream of purchasing it without researching the subject.

Continue reading to learn more about probiotics for your cat and some considerations you should make before buying a product.

Quantity and Dosage

Check the dosage of a product instead of how much is included in the price in terms of weight. A lighter weighted product may be better value-for-money if it provides more recommended doses than a heavier product. However, do not assume you are getting a better deal because you are getting a larger quantity of product.

Different Administration Methods

Probiotics for cats come in different forms, providing a variety of administrative measures to suit the varying needs of cats. Probiotics mostly come in powder form, which can be mixed into your cat’s food.

Some cats will not eat their food if it seems different than usual, so adding the powder to food will not work. In this instance, using liquid probiotics and administering using a syringe is the more suitable option. You can also give your cat probiotic capsules, but many find these difficult to administer.

Colony Forming Units (CFU)

The higher the CFU, the more potent the probiotics are. However, a higher potency is not necessarily beneficial to your cat. Too much good bacteria will cause the good bacteria to start competing and cause dysbiosis. This will create further digestive issues. Instead, look for a healthy amount of probiotics. This can range from one to five billion CFU counts, depending on your cat’s weight. Stick to the smaller end of this scale if you have a small cat.

Choose the Right Probiotics for the Job

Different types of probiotics stimulate good bacteria production in different parts of the digestive tract. Many probiotic products contain a useful mixture of probiotics to cover all the bases. To get the most out of the probiotics, learn where the issue lies and choose the appropriate type of probiotic. Some of the available types of probiotics include:

  • Bifidobacterium spp

This is suitable for digestion issues.

  • Enterococcus spp

This probiotic will help reduce diarrhea.

  • Lactobacillus spp

Lactobacillus spp supports the immune system.

Living Probiotics Are More Potent than Dead Probiotics

When a probiotic is described as having a CFU number, it refers to when the probiotics are alive. Their potency reduces when the probiotics are dead. There should be a use-by date written on the product. Once this date has passed, some probiotics will be dead and won’t be as effective.

Similarly, storing the probiotics incorrectly can cause them to perish. Read the storage instructions and follow them. You should also consider how the product will be transferred to you.

If the probiotics are meant to be refrigerated, they need to be transported in a cool box. For this reason, when ordering a product online, it may be beneficial to order probiotics that can be stored in a cupboard.

Choose a Flavor Your Cat Will Enjoy

Cats have a sensitive nose and can be discouraged from eating food by its fragrance. A nice-tasting product will seem inviting to your cat. Look for products that have natural meaty or fishy flavorings. Alternatively, you may want to purchase an odorless and tasteless product.

Look for Human-Grade Ingredients

When choosing the best probiotics for cats, read the ingredients and ensure you understand everything you are putting in your cat’s system. Look for human-grade ingredients because these are made to a higher standard than feed-grade foods. Human-grade ingredients mean your cat is less likely to have an allergic reaction to cheap and nasty ingredients.

Trust Your Veterinarians Recommendations

If your cat is having any stomach issues, you should take them to a vet to get checked out. While you are there, ask your vet about probiotics and which they would recommend purchasing. If your vet has no recommendations, consider looking for vet recommendations online. Ensure you receive information from an actual vet by doing a little research into the site you are getting info from.

Consider Customer Reviews

As we mentioned previously, live probiotics are more potent than dead ones. Unfortunately, some customers may receive dead probiotics due to poor delivery conditions. This will lead customers to claim that the probiotics simply do not work. However, if the product arrived in better conditions, it may have helped the customer’s cat the way it was intended.

Similarly, some customers aren’t aware that probiotics have a use-by date. For these reasons, customer reviews are not always the most reliable way to tell the quality of the product.

Signs Your Cat Will Benefit from Daily Probiotics

There are several signs that your cat could use a probiotics boost. Consider probiotics if your cat exhibits any of the following symptoms:

  • Your cat seems anxious

If your cat seems anxious, they will benefit from taking daily probiotics. An out-of-balance microbiome can affect a cat’s mood negatively. This may exhibit itself in marking territory around the home, sleeping in the litter tray, or over-grooming.

  • They eat dry food

If you feed your cat dry food, you are feeding them a lot of starch they will struggle to digest. This messes up their good bacteria levels.

  • Weird poos

If your cat changes from soft to hard stools and poos at varying times during the day, they require a probiotics boost.

  • Strange gurgling stomach

If your cat’s stomach is making regular gurgling noises, it is a sure-fire sign that they need a probiotics boost.

  • Diarrhea

One of the main reasons a person will give their cat probiotics is if they are suffering from diarrhea. Probiotics can help settle a cat’s stomach and allow them to have consistent poos again.

  • Bad smelling gas

If your cat has the kind of gas that clears a room, consider giving them probiotics. This will reduce the smell and hopefully reduce the amount of gas they produce.

  • Underweight

If your cat is underweight and struggling to gain weight, it may be having digestive issues. We recommend taking your cat to the vet to establish the cause of this before giving them probiotics.

People Also Asked

Do cats need different probiotics from dogs?

When choosing a probiotic for your cat, it is better to stick to probiotics for cats and not dogs because they do differ. 

Can probiotics cause problems in cats?

As with anything new that is introduced into your cat's diet, the change can cause some issues. This is often because your cat is allergic to an added ingredient rather than the probiotic. The added ingredient may be meat or fish used to flavor the probiotics. Don’t give up on probiotics completely if your cat shows adverse reactions. Instead, try a different probiotic with alternative flavorings.

Which cat breeds are most prone to stomach issues?

Breeding an animal is an unnatural process that can cause a lot of health issues. In cats, Rex, Ragdoll, and Sphynx breeds are more prone to gastrointestinal and digestive disorders. 

Your Pet’s Best Interest, Always

At Pet Institute, we take pet care seriously. We're dedicated to transparency, impartiality, and the well-being of your pets in every article, review, and recommendation we provide. Our unwavering commitment to these principles ensures that you, our valued reader, always receive reliable and unbiased information. Let us be your trusted guide in the world of pet care and companionship.

Contributors

The Pet Institute Review Team
The Pet Institute Review Team
Pet Health
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