All you need to know about cat vitamins

Here's the question of the day - Do cats need vitamins & supplements? 

Like how you'd take vitamins if you aren't getting all your nutrients through food because you're a picky eater or you just don't have the time to plan meals, cats on homemade diets benefit from cat vitamin supplements to keep them healthy.

Should I give my cat vitamins?

According to Dr Sherry Sanderson at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, "The key point is that most cats consuming a complete and balanced diet probably have a better-balanced diet than most humans". Cats that eat kibble or wet food diets do not need cat vitamin tablets since their food is already fortified with essential nutrients in the right amounts as per their age and breed. However, certain cat vitamin syrup like that for skin and coat may be given additionally for further enhancement as per a veterinarian's prescription. Often, when we give a cat vitamins in addition to kibble or wet food diets, it can result in an overdose of vitamins, invariably causing more harm than good. 

What vitamins do cats need the most?

According to the AAFCO, i.e. the Association of American Feed Control Officials, cats need the following vitamins -

• Vitamin A - to maintain a healthy vision, develop strong bones, enhance skin health, and ensure optimum growth

• Vitamin D - to increase the amount of calcium and phosphorous so as to aid the development and maintenance of healthy bones and joints. An important question that most cat parents often wonder - Do cats get vitamin d from the sun? Well, no. Unlike humans, cats cannot synthesise vitamin D from the sun and thereby rely heavily on their diet for the same. 

• Vitamin E - acts as an antioxidant that protects the cells against cancer and other diseases.

• Vitamin K - Important for normal blood clotting

• Thiamin - Ensures food is broken down efficiently to produce necessary energy. 

• Riboflavin - Like Thiamin, riboflavin works on carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to synthesize energy 

• Panthothenic acid - Necessary for metabolic action of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

• Niacin - Niacin is required to break down food in the form of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

• Pyridoxine - Necessary for metabolic action of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

• Folic acid - Required to synthesise DNA

• Biotin - Essential in making fatty acids and DNA

• Vitamin B12 - Crucial in ensuring healthy brain function and energy synthesis

• Choline - Required for healthy cognitive function

Cats that are fed homemade diets rely on vitamins and supplements throughout their lives. Do older cats need vitamins, is a question that veterinarians get asked a lot. And the answer to that is simple - often, as cats go through various stages of life, they may require one vitamin more than the other. For example, kittens may require more multivitamins to ensure optimum growth of both mind and body. Contrarily, older cats need vitamins that support ageing bones and joints. Hence, all cats require vitamins if they're on homemade diets, regardless of how old they are. What changes is the type of vitamin and how often it is fed.

What kind of vitamins can I give my cat?

This is best answered by your veterinarian. Cat vitamins are often found as multivitamins, i.e. a mix of essential nutrients in the form of cat vitamin tablets; bone and joint vitamins, i.e. cat vitamin syrup rich in calcium and phosphorus; skin and coat vitamins, i.e. those rich in vitamin A and E and so on. Depending on which vitamin or vitamins your cat requires the most, your veterinarian will prescribe the necessary dosage. 

Should I give my cat vitamins every day?

While most cats do require multivitamins every day, other cat vitamins, i.e. those fed for a particular purpose, maybe fed at different times in a week as per your veterinarian's advice. Whilst most vitamins that cats need are included in multivitamins, there’s one particular vitamin that gets cat parents wondering whether or not it’s necessary. Do you know which one that is? Yup, vitamin C. So, can you give cats vitamin c? According to the Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University, cats synthesise the required amount of vitamin C, i.e. their bodies make how much is necessary. Hence, they do not rely on external sources, like humans, for vitamin C. In cases where your cat’s body cannot synthesize vitamin C, your veterinarian will prescribe the necessary dosage.

How do I administer cat vitamins & supplements?

Vitamins for cats are available in the form of cat vitamin paste, syrups and tablets. Whilst pastes are often used topically, syrups and tablets may be fed through a syringe or mixed with food. More often than not, most cat parents find themselves administering cat vitamin supplements through a syringe since cats are picky eaters. Before attempting to use a syringe, it is best to watch how a veterinarian does it. 

The key to harnessing the maximum potential from cat vitamin supplements is feeding the right dosage, and the best person to help you with that is a veterinarian. That said, here’s to happier, healthier cats!