Nutritional Support of Intestinal Diseases in Cats

Both physicians and veterinarians frequently recommend a “bland” diet for nonspecific GI upset. When asked “What is the definition of bland diet?” veterinarians often respond “chicken and rice” or “hamburger and rice” or “baby food” or they name a veterinary therapeutic diet. Interestingly, when pressed for a definition, the most common answer is “easily (or highly) digestible” and the second most common answer is “low fat”. The concept of bland seems to come directly from human diet practices such as avoiding spicy foods or roughage. However, the term does not have a definition or significance in veterinary clinical nutrition. Most nutritionists prefer “GI” or “intestinal” or “low-residue” as diet descriptors although “easily digestible” is also common. Within this category of diets, there is much variation in nutrient profiles and ingredients and there is no exact formulation or prototype.