How to Give Cats Nutritional Supplements
Assess your cat's health., Discuss supplements with your veterinarian., Buy high quality supplements., Give supplements as directed., Give supplements to a cat with heart disease., Give supplements to a cat with liver disease., Increase your cat's...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Assess your cat's health.
If you are considering giving your cat nutritional supplements, it is important for you to understand your cat's overall health.
This assessment should be done by a veterinarian.
Having an overall assessment will allow you to make decisions about what supplements the cat does, and does not, need.
A good time to get a thorough understanding of your cat's overall health is during their annual veterinary exam. -
Step 2: Discuss supplements with your veterinarian.
If you are considering giving your cat supplements you should discuss it with your veterinarian.
The cat's veterinarian should have a good understanding of your cat's health and they should have the veterinary knowledge to explain what certain supplements would, and wouldn't, do to your cat's health.
Your veterinarian will likely caution you to not over do it with supplements.
While it is important that your cat gets all the necessary vitamins and minerals it needs to stay healthy, giving it too many vitamins and minerals can hurt its health as well., If your veterinarian does agree that your cat may benefit from taking supplements, you should be sure to buy quality products.
These may be available through your veterinary office but you may have to go elsewhere to purchase them.
Many pet stores will stock supplements for pets and you can buy them online.
However, if buying supplements somewhere other than your veterinary office, be sure to read all the ingredients so that you are not giving your cat more ingredients than it actually needs. , As with all medications and supplements, it is important that you follow the directions on the packaging provided or follow your veterinarian's suggestions for dosage.
This will help you assure that your cat gets a therapeutic dose of the supplements you want to give it.
Supplements can be given to your cat in a variety of ways.
Some supplements are given in pill form but most are given in forms that are easier to give to a cat, such as oils or powders that are put on food.
For example, supplementing your cat's diet with fish oil simply requires that you put the oil on the cat's food.There is not much existing data about safe use of supplements in cats.
In order to safeguard your cat, discuss supplement dosing with your veterinarian before giving supplements to your cat., There are some nutritional supplements that can be given to cats with heart disease that can improve their health.
These include omega-3 fatty acids, which are usually given to cats in the form of fish oil.You can buy fish oil at any natural food store or pharmacy.
However, the quality of these products will vary and dosing information for a cat will not be supplied.
In this case, you should look at the label to make sure the product is pure and you should discuss dosing with your veterinarian. , If your cat has liver disease, you should discuss the possible benefits that supplements might provide for its health with your veterinarian.
For example, antioxidants might be beneficial because they can help protect liver cells.Some other supplements that might be helpful include Vitamin E, Vitamin C, S-adenosyl-methionine, and milk thistle.
Discuss the use of these supplements with your veterinarian before giving them to your cat. , Renal failure, also known as kidney disease, can cause your cat to lose a large amount of vitamins.
This is because excess urination draws water soluble vitamins out of the body.
In order to counteract this problem, your veterinarian may suggest supplementing your cat's vitamin intake of vitamins B and C.
This can be done with vitamin supplements or by switching the kind of food that it eats.
In most cases, your cat's vitamin intake can be increased most easily by changing the food it eats.
Most cat foods that are made specifically for cats with renal failure have increased amounts of vitamin B and C in them., If your cat is aging and has developed arthritis, it is a good idea to discuss the supplements that might help its agility with your veterinarian.
In many cases, the veterinarian will suggest supplementing the cat's diet with glucosamine and chondroitin.While these supplements will not get rid of arthritis completely, they can help to improve joint function. -
Step 3: Buy high quality supplements.
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Step 4: Give supplements as directed.
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Step 5: Give supplements to a cat with heart disease.
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Step 6: Give supplements to a cat with liver disease.
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Step 7: Increase your cat's vitamin intake if it has renal failure.
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Step 8: Supplement your cat's diet if it has arthritis.
Detailed Guide
If you are considering giving your cat nutritional supplements, it is important for you to understand your cat's overall health.
This assessment should be done by a veterinarian.
Having an overall assessment will allow you to make decisions about what supplements the cat does, and does not, need.
A good time to get a thorough understanding of your cat's overall health is during their annual veterinary exam.
If you are considering giving your cat supplements you should discuss it with your veterinarian.
The cat's veterinarian should have a good understanding of your cat's health and they should have the veterinary knowledge to explain what certain supplements would, and wouldn't, do to your cat's health.
Your veterinarian will likely caution you to not over do it with supplements.
While it is important that your cat gets all the necessary vitamins and minerals it needs to stay healthy, giving it too many vitamins and minerals can hurt its health as well., If your veterinarian does agree that your cat may benefit from taking supplements, you should be sure to buy quality products.
These may be available through your veterinary office but you may have to go elsewhere to purchase them.
Many pet stores will stock supplements for pets and you can buy them online.
However, if buying supplements somewhere other than your veterinary office, be sure to read all the ingredients so that you are not giving your cat more ingredients than it actually needs. , As with all medications and supplements, it is important that you follow the directions on the packaging provided or follow your veterinarian's suggestions for dosage.
This will help you assure that your cat gets a therapeutic dose of the supplements you want to give it.
Supplements can be given to your cat in a variety of ways.
Some supplements are given in pill form but most are given in forms that are easier to give to a cat, such as oils or powders that are put on food.
For example, supplementing your cat's diet with fish oil simply requires that you put the oil on the cat's food.There is not much existing data about safe use of supplements in cats.
In order to safeguard your cat, discuss supplement dosing with your veterinarian before giving supplements to your cat., There are some nutritional supplements that can be given to cats with heart disease that can improve their health.
These include omega-3 fatty acids, which are usually given to cats in the form of fish oil.You can buy fish oil at any natural food store or pharmacy.
However, the quality of these products will vary and dosing information for a cat will not be supplied.
In this case, you should look at the label to make sure the product is pure and you should discuss dosing with your veterinarian. , If your cat has liver disease, you should discuss the possible benefits that supplements might provide for its health with your veterinarian.
For example, antioxidants might be beneficial because they can help protect liver cells.Some other supplements that might be helpful include Vitamin E, Vitamin C, S-adenosyl-methionine, and milk thistle.
Discuss the use of these supplements with your veterinarian before giving them to your cat. , Renal failure, also known as kidney disease, can cause your cat to lose a large amount of vitamins.
This is because excess urination draws water soluble vitamins out of the body.
In order to counteract this problem, your veterinarian may suggest supplementing your cat's vitamin intake of vitamins B and C.
This can be done with vitamin supplements or by switching the kind of food that it eats.
In most cases, your cat's vitamin intake can be increased most easily by changing the food it eats.
Most cat foods that are made specifically for cats with renal failure have increased amounts of vitamin B and C in them., If your cat is aging and has developed arthritis, it is a good idea to discuss the supplements that might help its agility with your veterinarian.
In many cases, the veterinarian will suggest supplementing the cat's diet with glucosamine and chondroitin.While these supplements will not get rid of arthritis completely, they can help to improve joint function.
About the Author
Alexis Butler
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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