Journal Article

The Gut Microbiome and Metabolome of Domestic Cats Were Altered by the Oral Administration of Complex Probiotics

Li, Zongjie, Ma, Yanfeng, Zhang, Junjie, Hu, Yuhua, Shao, Donghua, Li, Beibei, Liu, Ke, Ma, Zhiyong, Wei, Jianchao, Liu, Xinda, Qiu, Yafeng, Sun, Qing, Wang, Hongyan, Ma, Xuelian, Wang, Wenhao, Tian, Weipeng

2026

Overview

Probiotics are commonly applied to maintain the balance of gut microbiota and regulate the intestinal metabolic function of companion animals. In the present study, complex probiotics (Bacillus coagulans SNZ-1969, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus licheniformis) were added into the basal diet of domestic cats to investigate their influence on the intestinal microbiome and metabolic characteristics. Results revealed that the alpha diversity of the gut microbiota in the probiotic group was enhanced when compared to the control group. The beta diversity of the gut microbiota was also altered by the oral consumption of the complex probiotics. Compared to the control group, the relative abundance of beneficial microbes (such as Clostridium, Bacteroides, Phocaeicola, and Ruminococcus) in the probiotic group was enhanced, while the relative abundance of opportunistic pathogens (such as Escherichia, Gallibacter, Corynebacterium) was decreased. Additionally, the intestinal metabolic characteristics of domestic cats were also changed. The metabolomic analysis identified 408 differential metabolites between the two groups, and the KEGG function pathway analysis proved that the dominant pathway related to the differential metabolites were the amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, endocrine system, digestive system, immune system, and other metabolic pathways. Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed that the beneficial microbes had positive correlations with the differential metabolites. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that oral administration of complex probiotics could regulate overall health and well-being in domestic cats through modulating the gut microbiome and metabolic characteristics.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
• Subject: Amino acids / Analysis / Animals / Biological diversity / Carbohydrate metabolism / Chronic illnesses / complex probiotics / Correlation analysis / Diet / Digestive system / Domestic animals / domestic cat / Endocrine system / Energy metabolism / Feces / Gastrointestinal system / Gastrointestinal tract / gut microbiome / Gut microbiota / Immune system / intestinal metabolome / Intestinal microflora / Intestine / Lipid metabolism / Metabolic pathways / Metabolism / Metabolites / Metabolomics / metagenomics / Microbiomes / Microbiota / Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms) / Microorganisms / Nutrition research / Opportunist infection / Oral administration / Pathogens / Pets / Probiotics / Relative abundance / Type 2 diabetes