If your cat has been suffering from constipation, it might be worth considering a change in diet. Wet foods tend to be the most effective when it comes to easing constipation in cats as they’re higher in moisture.
Adding more fiber to your cat’s diet can also help, though high-fiber diets may not suit every cat as they tend to contain fewer calories, which isn’t good for some types of cats (i.e., underweight cats).
For this reason, we highly recommend talking with your vet if your cat frequently suffers from constipation. This way, your vet can rule out certain conditions contributing to constipation, like allergies, and they can recommend appropriate foods for your cat based on their individual needs.
In the meantime, if you’re considering a change of diet and want to get an idea of the foods that may help ease your cat’s constipation, these reviews may point you in the right direction.
A Glance at Our Top Picks (2024 Update)
| Image | Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best Overall
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Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet |
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Check Price |
Best Value
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IAMS Healthy Adult (Grain-Free) |
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Check Price |
Premium Choice
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Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive Care |
|
Check Price |
| Best for Kittens |
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Purina Pro Plan Kitten Chicken & Liver Entrée |
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Check Price |
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Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion |
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Check Price |
The 8 Best Cat Foods for Constipation in Canada
1. Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet Chicken Entrée – Best Overall
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver, natural flavor |
| Protein content: | 10% min |
| Fat content: | 6.0% min |
| Fiber Content: | 2.0% max |
| Calories: | 1,280 kcals/kg, 199 kcals/can |
Some cats struggle with dehydration as they’re not always the best at keeping themselves hydrated. This can result in constipation, so a high-moisture wet food like this Blue Buffalo chicken entrée—our best overall cat food for constipation in Canada pick— may help.
Made with real chicken as the first ingredient, this food also contains fruits and vegetables like cranberries and potatoes and added vitamins and minerals. User reviews are largely positive, though some felt disappointed with a change of recipe.
We did some digging and found that Blue Buffalo’s Healthy Gourmet range is now called “Tasteful”. However, the original products are still available to buy on Amazon.
2. IAMS Perfect Portions Healthy Adult – Best Value
| Main ingredients: | Chicken paté: chicken, poultry liver, chicken broth, vitamins and minerals, Salmon paté: chicken, salmon, poultry liver, chicken broth |
| Protein content: | 9% min |
| Fat content: | 5% min |
| Fiber content: | 1% max |
| Calories: | Chicken paté: 1207 kcal/kg, 45 kcal/serving, Salmon paté: 1009 kcal/kg, 38 kcal/serving |
Disclaimer: This is a grain-free product. Please discuss with your vet whether a grain-free diet would be beneficial to your cat. Grain-free diets and those containing legumes as one of the main ingredients have been under investigation by the FDA due to heart disease concerns. This is just something we’d like to make our readers aware of.
Our best cat food for constipation for the money choice on this occasion is this chicken and salmon multi-pack by IAMS. Designed to make feeding time more convenient, the patés come in individual portions so you know exactly how much your cat is going to get.
It contains real chicken and salmon as the first ingredients and is high in moisture, which may help keep things moving for constipation-prone or dehydration-prone cats.
There were lots of positive reviews for this multi-pack, with some users expressing appreciation for less waste and the reasonable price. On the other hand, some users mentioned that the packaging doesn’t hold up well in delivery.
3. Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive Care – Premium Choice
| Main ingredients: | Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, pea protein |
| Protein content: | 34% min |
| Fat content: | 16% min |
| Fiber content: | 4% max |
| Calories: | 3749 kcal/kg, 419 kcal/cup |
Disclaimer: This product contains pea protein as one of the main ingredients. Pet foods containing legumes (peas, lentils, pulses, potatoes, etc.) as one of the main ingredients have been under investigation by the FDA due to heart disease concerns. This is just something we’d like to make our readers aware of.
If your cat is a fan of dry food or you’d like to pair their wet food with dry food to offer more variety, this True Solutions digestive care formula is an option worth checking out. Vet-formulated, this recipe contains prebiotic fibers and quality protein sources (real chicken) to increase its digestibility.
Along with the real deboned chicken, this formula contains fruits and veggies like cranberries and blueberries as well as added LifeSource bits, which is an antioxidant blend. Some users mentioned that this recipe helped their cats with digestive issues and that their cats found it tasty. That said, one of the cons when it comes to dry food is that it contains less moisture than wet food.
4. Purina Pro Plan Chicken & Liver Entrée – Best for Kittens
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, liver, fish, meat by-products |
| Protein content: | 12% min |
| Fat content: | 6.0% min |
| Fiber content: | 1.5% max |
| Calories: | 1,173 kcal/kg, 99 kcal/can |
For kittens, one option is Purina Pro Plan’s chicken and liver entrée, which supports all-around kitten development (brain, visual, and immune health) as well as good digestion. The formula is designed to be easy to digest, which is important for kittens as they tend to be a little sensitive, gut-wise.
It’s suitable for kittens up to one year old and contains added essential vitamins and minerals—25. Several user reviews point to a positive experience with this product, and some considered it a great pick for kittens with digestive issues. Others were disappointed with the pricing and some experienced problems with packaging and delivery, like cans arriving dented.
5. Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Digestion
| Main ingredients: | Salmon, brown rice, corn, gluten meal |
| Protein content: | 29% min |
| Fat content: | 14% min |
| Fiber content: | 4% max |
| Calories: | 469 kcal/8 oz cup |
The Perfect Digestion formula by Hill’s Science Works well for constipated cats The product description claims “perfect poop in 7 days” and is formulated to support proper digestion in particular. As such, it contains a prebiotic blend called ActivBiome+ and fiber-rich ingredients like pumpkin.
It’s also made with real deboned salmon and contains vitamins C and E. Some user reviews stated that Perfect Digestion had a positive effect on stool frequency and other digestive issues. On the downside, it’s a little pricey, and some users felt it was just too expensive.
6. Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive Care Wet Food
| Main ingredients: | Chicken, chicken broth, potatoes, liver |
| Protein content: | 8.5% min |
| Fat content: | 3% min |
| Fiber content: | 3% max |
| Calories: | 1,009 kcals/kg, 86 kcals/can |
Disclaimer: This product contains potatoes as one of the main ingredients. Pet foods containing legumes (peas, lentils, pulses, potatoes, etc.) as one of the main ingredients have been under investigation by the FDA due to heart disease concerns. This is just something we’d like to make our readers aware of.
For pairing with Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive Care dry food or to serve on its own, this wet food is also formulated for cats with sensitive stomachs. Like other wet foods, it’s high in moisture to help keep your cat hydrated and contains added vitamins, minerals, and prebiotic fiber to support gut health. It also contains whole grains and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
According to user reviews, this wet food is a good choice for cats with constipation and is tasty and filling. On the other hand, some found it far too expensive.
7. Royal Canin Sensitive Digestion
| Main ingredients: | Chicken meal, brewer rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat |
| Protein content: | 33% min |
| Fat content: | 20% min |
| Fiber content: | 3.1% max |
| Calories: | 4079 kcal/kg, 469 kcal/cup |
Another dry food option for our list, this Royal Canin cat food was designed for cats with sensitive digestive systems. It contains ingredients chosen for their digestibility, nutrients, and prebiotics to help keep the gut in good shape.
A large number of user reviews were positive, with many expressing satisfaction with how this formula helped with digestive health, food sensitivities, and improved coat condition. On the downside, some users found the seal on the bag frustrating and some found the food oily.
8. Royal Canin Digest Sensitive Wet Food
| Main ingredients: |
Water sufficient for processing, chicken by-products, pork by-products, pork liver
|
| Protein content: | 7.5% min |
| Fat content: | 2% min |
| Fiber content: | 1.7% min |
| Calories: | 777 kcal/kg, 66 kcal/can |
If you’d like to try Royal Canin but would prefer a wet food option, this Digest Sensitive formula comes in a pack of 24 cans each weighing 3 ounces. The first thing we noticed was its high water content, which is 82.5% max—one of the highest we’ve found in our research so far. We’re a bit less keen on the fact that it’s made with by-products rather than real, whole meat, though.
That said, the product has received plenty of great reviews, with some considering it pricey but worth the investment for how it helped improve matters for their sensitive and/or fussy cats. Others found it too expensive for the small can size.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Cat Food for Constipation
As with any health issue, our first recommendation when it comes to choosing a suitable cat food is to consult your vet for advice, especially if constipation is an ongoing problem for your cat.
Some people go straight for high-fiber diets for their constipated cats because we associate more fiber with more frequent pooping, but high-fiber diets work well for some cats with constipation and not for others.
No matter what you read in reviews, every cat is an individual and what works perfectly for one cat might not be the best choice for another, which is why getting a vet’s opinion is always a great idea when picking new products.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what else should we be considering when picking cat food for constipation? The following “ask-yourself-these-questions” checklists may help you narrow things down:
My Cat
The Brand & Product
Final Verdict
To recap, our best overall cat food for constipation in Canada is the Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet chicken entrée recipe, which proved popular with furry consumers. Just a brief reminder—Blue Buffalo changed this recipe’s name to “Tasteful”, but both Healthy Gourmet and Tasteful can be found online.
For those looking for something affordable but tasty for their felines, we’ve chosen the IAMS Perfect Portions multi-pack. Our premium choice is the Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive Care dry food, for which there is a matching wet food if you want to add more variety.
For kittens, we recommended giving the chicken and liver entrée by Purina Pro Plan the once over as it’s formulated just for little kitten tummies that need something digestible.
Before we go, we’d just like to reiterate one last time—if in doubt, check with your vet. We hope that our reviews have helped you get a better idea of what may contribute to clearing up your cat’s constipation. Best of luck!
Featured Image Credit: Apicha Bas, Shutterstock
