Commercial nutritional cat supplements come in a variety of forms. Some of these products contain one or more essential nutrients such as taurine, an amino acid cats do not manufacture themselves, calcium and vitamins. These essential nutrients can be naturally derived or are synthetically produced. Some cat supplements on the market are extracts of some natural product like garlic or yeast. Cat supplements come in the form of liquids, pills and powders.
We sometimes feel that we need supplements because we do not get the correct nutritional requirements with our fast paced lifestyles. We extend that feeling to our cats and feel that they need cat supplements as well. We are certainly are told by manufacturers that cat supplements are a necessary part of their diet.
So are cat supplements a necessary addition to their diets? Cat nutrition has come a long way in the past few decades and cat food is continuing to become better in meeting the nutritional needs of our cats all the time. If a cat owner has a basic knowledge of cat nutrition, reviews labels and chooses a quality cat food, most cat nutritionists would not recommend cat supplements for the majority of cats.
There might be times in your cat’s life where a cat might need a larger dose of certain nutrients. These times include when they are kittens, pregnant or lactating mother cats, sick and elderly cats. There are now quality cat foods on the market that have the various increased nutritional needs making it easier to switch the brand of food to meet these needs rather than try to use cat supplements and get the right amount of the cat supplement. Commercial cat foods developed for different life stages and/or medical conditions are a proven and safer way to deliver the needed nutrients.
When thinking about giving your cat a supplement of any kind, you need to know how much of that supplement is already in their diet. Supplement dosages can also vary from product to product and these supplements are not regulated. It is very important to read the label of every supplement and give the appropriate dosage for the age and weight of your cat. Just as not having enough of particular nutrient can have a negative effect on your cat, having too much can also be harmful and dangerous to your cat. Overdoses of vitamins A and D are more common than deficiencies of those vitamins. You might have the best intentions in giving a cat supplement, but make sure you are doing no harm in the process.
As with any concern you might have about your cat’s health, discuss cat supplements with your veterinarian. You can discuss the pros and cons of using cat supplements as well as the alternative natural approaches to treating medical conditions. If you do decide to use cat supplements to boost your cat’s health, use them with caution, follow dosing requirements, and use cat supplements which are tried and true.