Vitamins for cats

What vitamins does a cat need

The needs of representatives of the cat tribe in vitamins are special, they are associated with their physiology, a tendency to certain diseases. The most important vitamins for a cat's health are A, B, C, D, E, K, H. Each of them plays its role in the biochemical processes that regulate the functioning of the cat's body, and their action is interrelated.

Like other nutrients, such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, mineral salts, vitamins are necessary for cats in an amount that cannot be called impressive, because even in microdoses they regularly perform the function assigned to them by nature.

It should be borne in mind that individual products and vitamin preparations contain different amounts of vitamins, and their overabundance, or, on the contrary, a lack can negatively affect the health of the animal. In the first case, a pathology such as hypervitaminosis often occurs, in the second, which occurs more often, hypovitaminosis.

Note: under some circumstances, the occurrence of hypovitaminosis in a cat may not have a relationship with a reduced vitamin content in its diet. The reason may lie in the natural supra-dimensional need of the body for these biologically active substances. This happens with dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, due to the fact that helminths have bred in the stomach of the cat, or with liver diseases, as well as during the treatment of diseases provoked by infections, when the animal is brought to life with antibiotics and sulfonamide preparations that cause the breakdown of vitamins in the body.

Kittens, elderly pets, as well as pregnant and nursing cats need the most vitamin-rich nutrition.

Vitamin A

This vitamin is responsible for many important functions, including cell growth, maintaining sharp vision in light of varying intensity. The beautiful glossy coat of a cat is also the result of the "activity" of vitamin A. It is found in egg yolk, fish oil, carrots, green vegetables, various herbs, milk, oil, offal – cod liver, beef, pork, lamb, pork kidneys.

The cat should not be treated too often with fish oil, cod liver – this can lead to hypervitaminosis A, characterized, among other things, by the destruction of cartilage tissue and the loss of animal mobility. One of the obvious symptoms of hypervitaminosis A is that the cat stops caring for its fur coat, and it becomes dirty and tangled.

Hypovitaminosis And also adversely affects the woolen coat of a pet, manifesting itself in alopecia – hair loss.

B vitamins

This group of vitamins is responsible for the smooth functioning of the central nervous system of the animal, improving digestion, building muscle mass. In addition, each of the vitamins included in this complex performs an additional function: vitamin B1 supports the cardiovascular system, vitamin B2 promotes healing of wounds on the skin, prevents inflammation, vitamin B5 improves the metabolic process, vitamins B6 and B12 support the systemic work of the liver and pancreas.

• Vitamin B1 is found in lamb, beef, pork, eggs, cottage cheese, milk, fish.
• Beef liver and kidneys, cod liver, quail and chicken eggs, cottage cheese are rich in vitamin B2.
• Vitamin B5 is found in beef and chicken meat, eggs, sea fish caviar, buckwheat.
• Vitamin B6 contains the following products: beef and chicken liver, poultry meat, beans, mackerel, tuna, sardines.
• Vitamin B12 is found in rabbit meat, lamb, pork, beef, liver of these mammals, sea fish, eggs, sour cream

B vitamins, excluding B12, do not accumulate in the cat's body, that is, they do not cause hypervitaminosis, but their insufficient amount often turns into hypovitaminosis:

• hypovitaminosis B1 causes movement coordination disorder, nervous excitement, followed by lethargy, convulsions, trembling, aversion to food and, as a result, weight loss;
• hypovitaminosis B2 often affects the work of the nervous system and sex glands, it provokes dermatitis, muscle weakness;
• hypovitaminosis B5 manifests itself in frequent diarrhea, depigmentation and hair loss, which is usually interpreted by the owners as a normal molt;
• hypovitaminosis B6 can cause anemia, seizures, loss of appetite, tooth decay in cats;
• with hypovitaminosis B12, the work of the pancreas and liver is disrupted.

Vitamin C

The body of cats is able to independently synthesize a full amount of vitamin C, therefore, it is recommended to include it in the cat's diet in addition for certain diseases (as prescribed by a doctor), during the pregnancy of the animal and during the feeding of offspring. At this time, cats need to be fed a small amount of green vegetables, seaweed, malt extract.

Vitamin D

This vitamin is called sunny, because without sunlight it cannot be synthesized in the body – it's not for nothing that cats like to bask in the sun so much. Vitamin is extremely necessary for the formation of a solid, strong and stable backbone of the animal and the balanced functioning of its digestive system.

Kittens especially need vitamin D. With its deficiency, rickets will progress in babies – the bones will become soft and flexible, lameness is possible, growth will be slowed down. But an overabundance of vitamin is fraught with unpleasant consequences for them: the cubs may become sluggish, lose their appetite, they may start vomiting, diarrhea.

Vitamin D is concentrated in fat obtained from the liver of marine fish (cod, halibut), butter, milk, egg yolk.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is responsible for maintaining reproductive functions in animals of both sexes, as well as the balanced functioning of the nervous system. This vitamin is actively involved in fat metabolism, so its lack often provokes cat obesity.

Vitamin E is found in unrefined cold-pressed vegetable oil, milk, eggs, greens, wheat germ, salmon fillet and walleye.

Vitamin K

This vitamin is involved in the work of such an important function of the body as ensuring blood clotting. In the body of a healthy cat, it is present in the required amount, since it is independently produced as a result of bacterial synthesis in the intestine. Its addition to food becomes extremely desirable for specific diseases of the pet that require the neutralization of bacterial microflora through antibiotics.

Vitamin K is found in kelp, alfalfa, egg yolk, carrots, cauliflower.

Vitamin H

This vitamin is responsible for the condition of the animal's skin and coat. With its deficiency, the cat's skin flakes off, and its fur loses its shine.

Beef and pork liver, corn, eggs, sour cream, cod, chicken meat contain this vitamin.

Vitamin Herb

Cats living in nature can often be caught doing something as useful as eating grass. These animals, by the smell of plants, unmistakably identify useful species for themselves. By the way, scientists believe that from observations of animals eating this or that plant in case of illness, people have formed their own pharmacopoeia of herbs.

At home, you can also give your pet the opportunity to improve their health. Place a few cute stable pots on the windowsill or in the loggia and germinate several types of greenery in them. Cats prefer young sprouts of wheat, oats, corn, rye. They are rich not only in vitamins, but also in trace elements necessary for the animal's health.

A wide range of seeds of various grasses for germination, including in mixed species, is presented in specialized pet stores and conventional pharmacies.

Vitamins in ready-made cat food

Choosing ready-made cat food, in the annotation to which, as a rule, certain vitamins included in it are indicated, the owners often focus on the taste preferences of their pets and the price. However, it is in inexpensive feeds that there are artificial flavors, flavors that attract cats so much, as well as dyes. The presence of vitamins in the feed will not be able to neutralize the harm from such fillers.

Preference should be given to ready-made premium-class feeds, having carefully studied the information placed on the packaging, which indicates the age of the animal for which the product was developed, the breed of the cat, contraindications. Similar types of feed are also differentiated depending on whether the animal is sterilized or not.

Vitamin complexes

Vitamin complexes for cats are presented in the form of vitamin–enriched treats and in the form of preparations - tablets, capsules, powders. The basis of the first are meat, fish, vegetable masses, cereals, vitamins themselves play the role of additives to them. The latter do not contain tempting ingredients for animals, representing only vitamins and minerals.

Before buying expensive vitamin gifts for cats in specialty stores, make sure that your mustachioed pet really needs them. Contact the clinic, where the cat will have a biochemical blood test, which will show whether he needs mineral and vitamin supplements. You can make a visit to the doctor without a cat. In order not to expose the animal to stress, which usually occurs during his journey in a "cage" and being in an unfamiliar environment, you can cut or comb the pet a little at home to get a piece of his fur and take it for a similar biochemical analysis.

Taking vitamin preparations should be prescribed exclusively by a veterinarian, he also develops a course of treatment or prevention, its consistency. Powders, tablets, capsules can be tried to put the animal directly into the mouth on the tongue, and if this is not possible, mix it with food that is attractive to the cat. If necessary, vitamins are injected.

It is worth considering that it is not very easy to determine the true need of a cat for vitamins, even for specialists, since it depends on many factors that are not sustainable:

• vitamin metabolism in the cat's body is unstable, depending on its age, season, conditions of detention and even possibly the stress state of the animal at the time of the analysis;
• the digestibility of various vitamins is affected by their interaction, as well as the ratio of these biologically active substances with proteins, carbohydrates, minerals;
• the detection of persistent hypovitaminosis during the analysis may be complicated by the accumulation of vitamins in the cat's body, which is temporary, due to recent fortified feedings.