by Sharon Cullars

Created on: February 08, 2009   Last Updated: February 11, 2009

Understanding cat vitamin requirements

Whether you are a new cat owner or have had a feline family member for years, you need to know how to keep your cat healthy. Prevention is key to a long, happy life for your pet, and one of the steps you can take to keeping your cat healthy is providing your pet with cat vitamins. A daily regimen of cat vitamins, in addition to a sensible, balanced cat diet, goes a long way to maintaining your pet's immune system, keeping a glossy coat, and even preventing debilitating mood swings. A well-balanced cat diet of proteins, fruits and vegetables should provide the essential vitamins your pet needs, but too often owners rely on processed cat foods, which can be deficient in necessary vitamins. If you do feed your cat generic or processed foods, supplement his or her diet with cat vitamins to prevent vitamin deficiencies.

So just what types of vitamins does your cat need? Well, there are basically two groups of cat supplements: water solubles and fat solubles. Because water solubles are not stored and are easily depleted, it is important that you add these to provide good cat nutrition. The basic water solubles are Vitamins C and B complex vitamins like thiamin and niacin. If your cat does not get a sufficient amount of these vitamins, he or she may suffer certain conditions such as slowed healing, disease susceptibility, loss of nerve and reflex functions as well as general weakness in the limbs. Vitamin C even prevents urinary tract infections. Thiamin supplements are especially important if you feed your cat large amounts of raw fish as this leads to Thiamin deficiency.

Because fat soluble vitamins are stored in your cat's fatty tissues, it is important that you do not oversupplement. Always consult with a veterinarian regarding the right dosages for your cat. One of the main fat solubles is Vitamin A, which prevents blindness and provides your cat with normal growth as well as a healthy skin and coat quality. A Vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets while Vitamin E is essential in reproductive health. Another fat soluble, Vitamin K, provides increased clotting time, which prevents hemorraging. Again, many of these are found in vegetables and fruits. However, generic cat food may not provide sufficient dosages to meet cat vitamin requirements.

Because cat nutrition is very complex and relies on they type of cat you have, as well as his or her age and weight, you should always consult with an expert to provide the right amount of cat supplements to your cat diet. Your cat will thank you for it with added years of affection.

Learn more about this author, Sharon Cullars.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.