# Canned Pumpkin - Where do you buy it?



## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

Hello all,

My cat was having a slight constipation issue, and reading this forum you all say its good to give them canned pumpkin or Metamucil. 

The issue is, my grocery stores here do not sell 100% pure canned pumpkin, only the pie filling stuff. They told me that canned pumpkin is seasonal?! I've googled, and even most websites online are out of stock with it.

So where do you buy it?


----------



## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Wow! They always carry it here. That's crazy. Where are you? People use pumpkin all year long. :? I know you can order cases on Amazon.com but it's pricey!
Have you looked to see if there is plain pumpkin baby food?
If not, you'll just have to use plain Metamucil, I guess.


----------



## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

I got mine from The Real Canadian Super Store. 100% Pumpkin and nothing else. I found it this past week in the baking needs aisle. Misty has had about a teaspoon well mixed with about the same amount of tuna for three days in a row, and her movements have been better. But she seems a bit under the weather today so she's not getting any tomorrow. I was warned about tummy aches.

While I'm thinking about it, Metamucil might be a better choice, because if you don't like pumpkin (I don't) you'd end up wasting a lot. On top of that, I don't think Misty is too crazy about it.

I do believe, though, that being pro-active on constipation might ward off more serious stoppages later.

Edit: The pumpkin might just be seasonal in your area. It's possible people won't buy it all year round and many stores will not give shelf space to items that do not sell.


----------



## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

I live in New Jersey, and have called every grocery store in the area, all with the same reply - "Nope, not in stock, its a seasonal item".

Even googling online it seems there is a canned pumpkin shortage, due to a bad harvest season I guess.

I did however find 2 brands online - Farmers Market Organic & Libby's 100% Pure. Any idea which is best? I've never given my cats pumpkin before, and would prefer to buy the best brand.

Reading online articles and such, it seems pumpkin is the preferred choice over Metamucil, or at least the preferred flavor for cats. So I'd rather try the pumpkin with my kitty. 

Edit: Hmm after reading Jim's post, maybe Metamucil is the better route? Decisions, decisions lol Anyone know which has a better effect for cats - Pumpkin or Metamucil? (I've never used Metamucil myself, but reading about it online, it says it gets thick and clumpy if not drank immediately - and my cat eats slow, so I fear it might be a turn off for her?!)

Thanks for your replies!


----------



## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

Kattt said:


> Reading online articles and such, it seems pumpkin is the preferred choice over Metamucil, or at least the preferred flavor for cats. So I'd rather try the pumpkin with my kitty.


It could be that some people have not been mixing enough fluid with it. Metamucil absorbs a great deal.

Anyone here used it? Anyone used well cooked and mashed carrots, which, for me, would be a better choice?


----------



## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

I've used grated raw carrots which works too...but I don't think quite as well as pumpkin. Zucchini too! 
I like pumpkin but rarely use it so I freeze it in an ice tray, then cover it in a zip lock bag and that makes nice little portions for the cats.  
I haven't used Metamucil but I believe yes, you should add water to the food and make it a little soupy. Even with pumpkin it's a good idea. There are people here who have used it though and, hopefully, they'll chime in.


----------



## furryfriends251 (Jan 1, 2009)

I actually get it from a small pet store here.


----------



## china_cat84 (Apr 27, 2010)

You can also use canned squash (100%) or squash baby food. Here, canned pumpkin is seasonal as well. Sometimes you can buy it year round but it gets more expensive when it's out of season. Good luck and let us know what you decide and if it helps!


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

All of the remedies mentioned on this thread, including Metamucil, are just fiber sources. Six of one, half dozen of the other. It just depends on which you can find and which your cat will eat. If you use Metamucil, mix no more than 1/8 tsp into canned food daily, adding warm water to turn it into a gruel.

The most important preventative of constipation is to make sure your cat is taking in sufficient water every day. The best and easiest way to accomplish this is to feed an exclusively canned or homemade diet. Dry kibble diets absorb water out of the digestive tract, making constipation more likely to occur. If your cat has a problem with constipation, stay away from kibble unless it is absolutely the only thing he is willing to eat.

Laurie


----------



## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

There is no canned pumpkin on the shelves in the Pittsburgh suburbs either. That seems strange to me. Surely people make pumpkin pies and other desserts year round. I would never use pumpkin pie mix for pies, and I'm sure many others feel that way. Of course, we need plain pureed pumpkin for our pets' digestive systems.  

Libby has always been a good brand, if you can find it.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Did you have another thread about this earlier? I seem to remember you saying that you thought the cat was constipated, but then had a normal bowel movement. I didn't have time to respond, but was concerned that you were mistaking having trouble peeing for constipation. Is everything coming out OK from both ends?

A couple other fiber alternatives...Benefiber (I've never been able to find unflavored metamucil), Slipperly Elm http://littlebigcat.com/index.php?actio ... lipperyelm , or plain psyllium (which is what Metamucil is) usually can be found in health food stores.


----------



## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

doodlebug said:


> Did you have another thread about this earlier? I seem to remember you saying that you thought the cat was constipated, but then had a normal bowel movement. I didn't have time to respond, but was concerned that you were mistaking having trouble peeing for constipation. Is everything coming out OK from both ends?
> 
> A couple other fiber alternatives...Benefiber (I've never been able to find unflavored metamucil), Slipperly Elm http://littlebigcat.com/index.php?actio ... lipperyelm , or plain psyllium (which is what Metamucil is) usually can be found in health food stores.


I think you're referring to my thread on making up a laxative meal. The 'Metamucil' I have on hand is an unflavoured store brand of psyllium. Misty is doing fine at the moment. The pumpkin helped I think, so I didn't need to make up a meal with all the rest of the stuff. Misty seems to be doing fine at the moment. I think daily addition of fibre, for her, will probably be too much. As I mentioned in my post, I fed with caution.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Thanks Jim, but no...I'm thinking of a different thread. But I'm glad Misty is doing better!

Hey...an epiphany...I'm a Mod, I can check the Mod Logs! And yes Kattt did delete a thread called "Semi-Constipated Cat - Whats Best to use?" At least I'm not crazy! :lol:


----------



## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

Yes, I did post that. I thought I was going crazy too because it vanished, which is why I started this one. I didn't mean to delete it, no idea what I was messing with when I did that lol But everything has been answered here.

I actually hadn't given my cat anything as of yet, but she seems to be using the bathroom on both ends as normal now without any extra help. So thats a relief! I think her blockage was caused by the huge hairball she spit up on Thursday. 

Thanks again for all of your help!


----------



## Toirtis (May 6, 2010)

That is odd...all the grocery shops here in Calgary have tons off the stuff. I would think metamucil as a unequal replacement as it works in a different manor.


----------



## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

For those that live in a small town, and are unable to find pumpkin in stores off seasons like me - You can find it on Ebay and Amazon.

The only brand I found online was the Farmers Market brand on Amazon, but that brand didn't have good reviews like the Libby's brand, and lots left reviews on Amazon stating the cans were severely dented. So although I don't particularly care to shop on Ebay, it came through in a time of need (With almost double inflated prices of course). The cans all came in perfect condition, with a 2012 expiration date. I would only buy from a trusted established seller, with alot of good reviews though.

Does anyone know how many days pumpkin stays good once the can is opened, and refrigerated in a bowl? (You can tell I'm not a huge baker lol) I plan on freezing most of the can, aside from enough for a week or however long it stays fresh once opened. But I wasn't sure exactly how many days an opened unfrozen portion stays good to feed to my cats?


----------



## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Cats really have zero requirement for fibre. As obligate carnivores, pumpkin is an inappropriate food for them. Feeding grain-free canned food or a raw diet will result in a well-adjusted GI tract. In cats, bone and fur are the equivalent of "fibre."


----------



## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

Well my vet was the one that advised me to put pumpkin in my cats food due to a constipation issue, so I am proned to abide by the vets recommendations.

She did also of course advise me to put her on a better diet in addition to adding pumpkin, which I have done as well. 

I've read lots of people put pumpkin in their dog and cats food, and given the vet suggested it, I would hope as a trained professional, she would not suggest something thats inappropriate.

So does anyone know how long unfrozen refrigerated pumpkin stays good? I would assume probably about one week?


----------



## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Kattt said:


> Well my vet was the one that advised me to put pumpkin in my cats food due to a constipation issue, so I am proned to abide by the vets recommendations.


As we have pointed out here many times, vets receive very little nutritional training in vet school and what they do receive is courtesy of Hills (the Science Diet people). The pet food industry is highly invested in the notion of carbs in pet food, largely b/c (1) they are cheap ingredients and (2) they are necessary to hold kibble together. 

I love my vet but he's no nutrition expert, and I don't ask him for advice in that department. If your cat is truly constipated, more than likely switching to 100% canned food, preferably high-quality grain-free, would take care of it. Cats need to get most of their moisture from their food and they do NOT make up via a water bowl what they fail to get from their food. More on this here:

http://www.catinfo.org/


----------



## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

Sadly, my cats will not eat an all canned food diet. Prior to today, my male cat would not touch canned food. My female cat has always liked canned food, but she only eats a few bites of the meat, then shes done. She mostly just licks the gravy and calls it quits, so she doesn't eat no where near enough for it to be her sole diet. Raw food is definitely out, they oddly won't even go near that at all. My cats are extremely picky eaters. 

As per suggestions on this forum, I purchased Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet wet food, and tried it with my 2 cats for the first time today, and it was the first time ever my male cat did not turn his nose up. He actually ate a little bit of it. And my female cat ate more of it than she ate of her old brand. I was shocked, and happy with those results. 

So given they don't eat as much wet food as I'd like them to, I have to give them dry food as well. Luckily they absolutely love water, and get plenty of water intake throughout the day. Again per suggestions of this forum, I have them on Evo dry food.. which they both seem to enjoy. I'm hoping between Blue Buffalo wet and Evo dry, that is a healthy enough diet for them?! (Don't need anymore vet visits for enema's - not fun!)


----------



## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

If you're leaving dry food available, of course they won't eat all canned.  Any cat can be converted, but it requires that you remove the dry food and offer 2 meals a day. At first mix the old food and the new, gradually reducing the amount of the old food and increasing the new. Remove the food after 20 min. or so (feed all cats separately). They'll figure it out in no time. I've never had a cat who didn't!


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Kattt...if you feel that you need to add some fiber to your cat's diet then do it. It's not going to kill them. Just don't over do it, it might make things worse or it could go the other way and cause diarrhea. Start with very small amounts and work your way up.


----------



## Kattt (Dec 20, 2008)

Thanks again Doodlebug!  

Yea, I am putting a lil bit of pumpkin in her food for the time being, since that is what the vet told me to do. At least until I get her fully transitioned on healthier food that will hopefully regulate her stool better without needing the pumpkin. 

The last thing I want to do, is end up back in the vets office for another enema like last night. That was not fun for her (or for me with the mess it made once we got home) :yikes


----------

