ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1656675
The effects of Sijunzi decoction-supplemented cat food on physiological parameters and gut microbiota in healthy adult cats
Provisionally accepted
- China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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Cats have unique digestive characteristics that make them prone to gastrointestinal disorders, creating a growing demand for functional diets that support digestive and immune health. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) offers recognized advantages in gastrointestinal protection, yet its application in cat food remains rare. Among TCM formulas, Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD) has demonstrated benefits in enhancing appetite and protecting the intestine, yet its application in companion animal nutrition remains unexplored. In this study, we developed a kind of novel functional cat food that support intestinal health and immunity by incorporating the four constituent herbs of SJZD into the daily diet of healthy adult cats and assessed its effects on physiological parameters and gut microbiota in healthy adult cats. We displayed that a quality control system to ensure product consistency was successfully established. Further, we found that SJZD-supplemented cat food could promote digestion and nutrient absorption of cats, strengthens immune and antioxidant defenses of cats, and contribute to reducing the risks of obesity and inflammatory bowel disease of cats. In a word, this work provides both scientific evidence and a novel nutritional approach for improving feline health, while expanding the potential clinical applications of SJZD.
Keywords: Sijunzi decoction, Physiological parameters, Gut Microbiota, Cat food, Chinese medcine
Received: 30 Jun 2025; Accepted: 27 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Chen, Ma, Liu, Li, Zhou, Yu and Jiahao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lin Jiahao, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
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