There has been a lot of questions concerning cats and vitamin supplements, such as the type to use, correct dosage, and the likes. A lot of people are also eager to get an answer to this question, “should you give your cat vitamin supplement”?
Here in this post, you will know if you should give your feline vitamin supplements or not.
Due to the need for man and pets to take vitamin supplements, many companies in the industry has invested so much in producing the needed supplements.
In your quest to give it supplement, you may end up purchasing the wrong one and expose the cat to danger. Therefore, you may not even know the right one to give to your cat, except you ask from an expert. Since there are many vitamin supplements in the market, and some are not tested nor proven as they claim.
Let’s start by clarifying the importance of vitamin supplements to cats.
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Importance of Vitamin Supplements to Cats
Cat vitamins supplements advocate, and manufacturers believe that vitamin supplements should only be treated as an extension of diet. Likewise, they believe it helps the cats to be healthier and prolong their lives too.
They also believe that if you are feeding your cat well, and it is healthy, you don’t need to give it a vitamin supplement. This is to say that; quality food is all your cat needs to be healthy and live longer. Giving it a healthy diet, and adding vitamin supplements to it might cause it more harm than good. You should only give your cat vitamin supplements if it falls sick, and a doctor recommends it.
Also, some cats are healthier than humans just with a good diet, and they don’t need any vitamins supplement.
Usually, vitamin supplements are produced to correct vitamin deficiency in a human or pet’s body. For instance, it may be hard for your cat to take in a vitamin such as vitamin B, because of a medical problem. In return, this might make your cat develop a disease in the small intestine.
When something like this occurs, if you administer vitamin supplements to your cat orally, it won’t work except its given as injections. It won’t work because the cat will not be able to absorb the oral administration too, just like the way it won’t absorb it from its food due to the medical condition.
A nursing or pregnant young cat of age 10 to 12 months might have a nutritional deficiency that will be needed to be corrected. The only way to make this correction is by giving it a vitamin supplement. But you will still need to ask the vet to prescribe the right one since you cannot recognize it yourself.
Let’s talk about the types of vitamin supplements that your cat needs.
Vital Vitamin Supplements for Your Cat
Vitamins are vital to both man and animals. What you should bear in mind about vitamins is that your cats, you should be given the appropriate proportions as advised on mycatstopreviews.com/best-cat-vitamins.
Also, many vitamins are extracted from the raw materials that are pre-existing in cat’s foods, and that’s why it’s more important to feed cats with quality food than to give them supplements.
Here is a breakdown of the most common and essential vitamins your cat requires as a supplement or in their diet.
Vitamin A
To boost your cat’s immune system, this vitamin is necessary. It improves their vision as well. Fat-soluble vitamin is also known as vitamin A. This is to say that vitamin A will be stored in the fatty tissue or in the liver; that is, it will be excreted out by the body just like a water-soluble vitamin.
When you are feeding your cat with food that is rich in vitamin A, and you still give it vitamin A supplement, you are causing harm to the cat’s health. Too much of it is toxic, and that is why you should be cautious and only give vitamin A supplement if your vet says so.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is another important component that must be given to cats. It is meant to retain and balance calcium and prosperous in the body of your cat. This vitamin is well-known as the sunshine vitamin, and it aids the correct functioning of the cat’s bones, muscles, and nerves. Vitamin D is just like vitamin A that is regarded as fat-soluble. Hence, cats shouldn’t consume it in excess; it’s dangerous!
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
This is also a water-soluble vitamin that is easily depleted through urine, and it must always be replaced for this reason. Replacing it must be done at the appropriate level. Its work on your cat is to keep and control the cat’s nervous system, skin health, and gastrointestinal functions.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
This vitamin is paramount for the growth and the overall health of the cat. It enables the cat’s body to break down the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, to enable oxygen to be used by the cat and to produce energy.
This amazing vitamin will also improve the cat’s skin and coat quality. When your cat lacks this vitamin, there will be an adverse change to its eyes area, skin, and the abdomen.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Vitamin B1 is also a great water-soluble vitamin that is essential for your cat’s healthy metabolism of carbohydrates. It also helps to maintain nerve impulse transmission and normal growth of your cat.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
This vitamin is a water-soluble too, and it’s also a part of the vitamin B category. Vitamin B6 is formed by three components.
This vitamin cannot be in the muscle of the cat. Therefore, they require a frequent source of vitamin B6 to maintain enough level of it in the cat’s body.
Furthermore, vitamin B6 is essential to boost the functions of red blood cells and a healthy immune system. When your cat has adequate protein in its body, you need to give it vitamin B6 to metabolize it. It will help its body to break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to distribute oxygen and produce energy.
When your cat is not growing well, getting depressed, having irreversible kidney lesions, and convulsive seizures, it means it lacks vitamin B6. A licensed Vet should confirm this to be sure.
Well, vitamin B6 deficiency is rare in cats, but be cautious of it.
Conclusion
Too much of everything is not helpful but destructive. You should also note that you can put your cat at risk when you administer too many vitamin supplements.
At different ages and lifestyles, cats have various dietary needs, that’s why you should be careful of the type of supplement you give your cat.
Remember that; the vitamin is not the only component your cat needs. So, before you give your cat any vitamin supplements, talk to your vet first. This will help you know if your cat needs vitamins supplement and the right type it needs.
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