Gland or Sac Abscess in Cats or Felines

This is Duchess. She has a health problem, one that is not too common among cats, nor fun to discuss. She has three times been the victim of her anal sac, or gland abscessing. When this happens a part of her digestive track, near the end, has become infected/swollen. Usually to prevent this Duchess' Mother would pay for her to get the glands expressed at a veterinary office. However, now that she is unemployed that is not an option.

How did Duchess show she was sick? First she was "scooting" like a dog would when they are having the same infection. All day long she was grooming her rear end. She did not sleep or eat as much as usual because either due to the pain, or being distracted by the issue. Her rectum literally showed swelling on part, and until she had an Elizabethan collar, she would lick her fur off!

After dealing with the same medical issue in Duchess many times her Mom began to wonder what else could be done to prevent this torture. Turns out, many of the popular brands of cat food are just like junk food or drive through for them. The felines kibble is full of corn, an ingredient their digestive tracks are not used to handling. The not so health food made Duchess a big cat and being an over weight cat can make the anal gland abscess more likely to occur.

In order to get Duchess eating more healthy food that helped her anal sac abscesses a bunch of research was done. Two brands came out as top choices because being high in protein meant kitty should be able to express her glands with a normal bowel movement. Royal Canin and Halo both had options on the market. Being high in protein, as a cat's natural diet would be, helps the stool be at a consistency which pushes out the material which before would have stuck around and caused an infection.

Duchess' preventative treatment worked with duel benefits! Since switching her diet Duchess has lost 5 pounds and has gone twice as long as normal without her anal issues. She has a nicer fur coat and tends to be more playful, even for an older cat. Duchess is most definitely happy that her digestive issues are solved.

If your feline is experiencing an anal gland abscess try to get them to the vet immediately as pain relief and antibiotics are preferred. The suggestions for diet are more of a preventative measure. Also, when switching foods make sure to do so gradually by blending the new food with the old food and slowly changing the ratio over until the animal is eating all of their new diet.