Introduction: Gastrointestinal disorders are common in cats and are closely linked to the gut microbiota, which supports immune function, metabolic balance, and barrier integrity. Although probiotics are beneficial, they can be unstable in pet foods. Postbiotics offer a safer and more stable alternative. Methods: A postbiotic derived from Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis was prepared by heat inactivation (95°C, 30 min), followed by centrifugation and freeze-drying. Eighteen healthy domestic cats were randomly assigned to a control group, a low-dose postbiotic group, or a high-dose postbiotic group for 28 days. Assessments included physical condition, immune status, gut barrier function, microbiota composition, and fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Results: Postbiotic supplementation improved fur condition and enhanced gut barrier integrity, as indicated by reduced levels of permeability markers such as diamine oxidase (DAO) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). It also promoted immune function by increasing serum immunoglobulin G and anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and IL-4. In addition, the intervention enriched beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium spp. and elevated fecal concentrations of key SCFAs, including acetic, propionic, and butyric acids. Discussion: These findings support the use of postbiotics as a safe and effective nutritional approach to help maintain gastrointestinal and immune health in cats.

Overweight and obesity represent the most common nutritional disorder in domestic cats and constitute a significant global health issue. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on the determinants, diagnosis, pathophysiology, complications, and comprehensive management of feline obesity. Feline overweight and obesity have a complex and multifactorial pathogenesis, arising from an interplay of intrinsic factors (e.g., genetic predisposition, age, sex, neutering status) and extrinsic factors (e.g., environment, owner behavior). The condition is characterized by a state of chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, endocrine dysregulation, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia, which collectively elevate the risk of numerous comorbidities, including diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, urinary tract disorders, dermatopathies, cardiomyopathy, and respiratory diseases, ultimately compromising life expectancy. This means that early detection and examination of excess body weight are crucial to treatment and prevention; at the same time, weight loss should be centered around personalized nutritional intervention, combined with behavioral correction measures such as regular feeding schedules and increased physical exercise. Furthermore, maintaining good communication between clinicians and the pet owners, as well as continuous monitoring, is the key to achieving effective weight loss. Future research is needed to move beyond current reactive models and embrace a focus on metabolic health over weight, prediction over reaction, and pathogenesis over symptomatology, aiming for preemptive strategies that improve feline healthspan.

Background: Dental caries is one of the most common chronic infectious oral diseases worldwide, leading to destruction of dental hard tissues and is associated with systemic diseases. Traditional caries prevention methods have limitations in terms of their applicability to specific populations or potential side effects. Therefore, exploring new, green, safe, and efficient caries prevention substances holds significant public health implications. Methods: This study employed a mouse experimental caries model induced by Streptococcus mutans ( S. mutans ), combined with 16 S rRNA sequencing analysis of oral microbiota dynamics and detection of inflammatory factors to evaluate the anti-caries effects of tagatose. Results: The results showed that tagatose intervention significantly reduced the severity of dental caries in mice in a dose-dependent manner. It inhibited cariogenic bacteria ( Staphylococcus ), promoted beneficial bacteria ( Streptococcus ), and regulated inflammatory factors (inhibiting pro-inflammatory factors such as IL-17, IL-6, and IFN-γ, and promoting anti-inflammatory factors such as IL-10 and IL-4), with lower concentrations showing better efficacy than xylitol. Conclusions: In summary, tagatose exhibits remarkable potential in the field of caries prevention, providing new scientific evidence and insights for the further development of natural anti-caries products based on tagatose.

Oral diseases are highly prevalent among domestic cats, with microbiota dysbiosis as a primary etiological factor. However, effective microbiota-targeted interventions remain limited. This study evaluated the efficacy of a dietary supplement combining propolis and lysozyme (PL) in mitigating feline oral health issues, based on a cohort of 24 cats divided equally into placebo, treatment, and healthy control groups (n = 8 per group). Supragingival microbiota were analyzed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing, alongside assessments of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), oral health indices, and systemic inflammatory, oxidative, and immune markers. After 28 days of intervention, cats receiving PL supplementation demonstrated significant improvements, including a 35.4% reduction in VSCs and notable decreases in debris (34.9%), plaque (51.2%), and gingival indices (61.0%). Systemically, MDA and TNF-α levels decreased, while SOD, T-AOC, and IL-4 increased. Microbiota analysis revealed suppression of Porphyromonas and Selenomonas and enrichment of Moraxella and Bergeyella. Reductions in VSCs, gingival index, and TNF-α were correlated with lower Porphyromonas abundance, while Moraxella and Luteimonas were positively associated with antioxidant status. Functional predictions indicated downregulation of virulence-related pathways and increased expression of glutathione reductase. These findings highlight PL’s potential as a natural, microbiota-based intervention that improves feline oral health and modulates the oral–systemic axis, supporting its application in integrative oral care strategies.

Introduction: Postbiotics are potential functional feed additives, but their effects on multiple health parameters in dogs remain largely unexplored. Methods: This study evaluated postbiotics from Bifidobacterium animalis in adult beagle dogs fed a basal diet supplemented with 0% (CONT), 0.05% (LDP), or 0.1% (HDP) postbiotics for 42 days. Results: No differences were observed in growth performance or routine blood parameters. However, postbiotic supplementation significantly increased serum IgA (LDP and HDP), IgM and IgG (HDP only), and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 (both groups), IL-1β (HDP only), while IL-10 was increased only in LDP. The HDP group showed lower malondialdehyde (MDA); SOD increased in both groups, while GSH-Px and CAT increased significantly only in HDP. Bone formation markers (PINP, OC) increased in HDP. Hair quality improved (smoother cuticle, higher glutamic acid, cysteine, proline) in both groups. Fecal acetic, propionic, and isovaleric acids increased in both groups; valeric acid increased only in HDP. Gut microbiota analysis revealed increased beneficial bacteria (such as Limosilactobacillus , Lactobacillus ) and decreased potential pathogens (such as Peptoclostridium , Streptococcus ). Discussion: Bifidobacterium animalis derived postbiotics safely enhance immune function, antioxidant status, bone metabolism, and hair quality in adult dogs, likely via gut microbiota modulation.

Feline obesity is an increasingly prevalent health concern and is closely associated with metabolic disorders and intestinal dysbiosis. This study aimed to screen feline-derived lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for bile salt hydrolase activity, in vitro cholesterol-removal capacity, and selected probiotic-associated characteristics. Approximately 700 LAB isolates were obtained from fecal samples of healthy domestic cats and evaluated for bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity, among which 105 isolates were identified as BSH-positive. Further screening was performed based on BSH activity, cholesterol-removal capacity, adhesion-related properties, antioxidant activity, gastrointestinal tolerance, antibacterial activity, organic acid production, hemolytic activity, and antibiotic susceptibility. Three candidate strains were ultimately selected and preliminarily identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Enterococcus hirae C283, Ligilactobacillus animalis C289, and Enterococcus faecium C422. These strains exhibited BSH activity and preliminary in vitro cholesterol-removal phenotypes under the tested culture conditions, together with tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, and organic acid production. No hemolytic activity was detected; however, all three strains exhibited resistant or intermediate phenotypes to multiple antibiotics, highlighting the need for further genome-based safety assessment, particularly for the two Enterococcus strains. Overall, these findings identified feline-derived LAB candidates with BSH activity, preliminary in vitro cholesterol-removal phenotypes, and multiple probiotic-associated characteristics. However, these in vitro findings do not demonstrate regulation of host lipid metabolism or blood lipid levels. Comprehensive safety assessment, particularly for the Enterococcus strains, and in vivo validation are required before further application.