Vitamins for cats, how much do they need?

 

Every cat owner wants his beloved animal to be distinguished by beauty, good disposition, playfulness and, of course, good health, and the presence of such enviable qualities largely depends on what the owner gives his pet. The nutritional needs of cats are very different from other four-legged cats. These little predators are truly carnivorous, in other words, meat eaters, and they are quite content with an exclusively meat menu. However, the owner should ensure that the pet's diet is varied, and that the product contains all the necessary elements and, of course, vitamins – biologically active substances that provide a balanced metabolism in the animal's body, prevent hair loss, increase immunity, and in case of disease – contribute to fast recovery.

What vitamins do cats need?

The needs of representatives of the cat tribe for vitamins are special, they are related to 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 plays a role in the biochemical processes that regulate cat body functions, and their actions are interrelated.

This cat prefers to receive vitamins naturally.

Like other nutrients, such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, mineral salts, vitamins are needed for cats in quantities that cannot be called impressive, because even in micro doses they regularly perform the functions assigned to them by nature.

It should be borne in mind that individual diets and vitamin preparations contain different amounts of vitamins, and their excess, or, conversely, their deficiency can negatively affect the health of the animal. In the first case, such a pathology as hypervitaminosis is common, in the second, more common, hypovitaminosis.

Note: In some circumstances, the occurrence of hypovitaminosis in cats may not be related to a decrease in the vitamin content of their diet. The reason may lie in the body's natural excessive need for this biologically active substance. This occurs with dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, due to the fact that worms have multiplied in the cat's stomach, or with liver disease, as well as during the treatment of diseases provoked by infection, when the animal is revived with antibiotics and sulfa drugs that cause the breakdown of vitamins in the body.

Kittens, elderly pets, and pregnant and lactating cats need the most vitamin-rich nutrients.

Vitamin A

This vitamin is responsible for many important functions, including cell growth, maintaining visual acuity under different light intensities. A cat's beautiful shiny coat is also the result of "activity" of vitamin A. It is found in egg yolks, fish oil, carrots, leafy greens, various spices, milk, butter, cod liver, beef, pork, lamb, kidney. pig.

Cats should not be treated too often with fish oil, cod liver – this can lead to hypervitaminosis A, which is characterized, among other things, by the destruction of cartilage tissue and loss of mobility of the animal. One obvious symptom of hypervitaminosis A is that the cat stops grooming its coat, and it looks dirty and rumpled.

Hypovitaminosis Dan also has an inappropriate effect on the pet's coat, manifesting itself in alopecia – hair loss.

B vitamins

The perfect balance of vitamins is the key to the health of your pet's skin and coat

This group of vitamins is responsible for the well-coordinated work of the animal's central nervous system, improves digestion and builds muscle mass. In addition, each of the vitamins included in this complex performs additional functions: vitamin B1 supports the work of the cardiovascular system, vitamin B2 promotes healing of skin wounds, prevents inflammation, vitamin B5 improves metabolic processes, vitamins B6 and B12 support systemic function of the liver and pancreas.

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

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

• hypovitaminosis B1 causes impaired coordination of movements, nervous excitement, alternating with lethargy, convulsions, tremors, reluctance to eat and, as a result, weight loss;
• hypovitaminosis B2 often affects the work of the nervous system and gonads, provokes dermatitis, muscle weakness;
• hypovitaminosis B5 manifests itself in frequent diarrhea, depigmentation and hair loss, which the owner usually interprets as molting normal skin;
• hypovitaminosis B6 can cause anemia, seizures, loss of appetite, tooth decay in cats;
• with hypovitaminosis B12, the work of the pancreas and liver is impaired.

Vitamin C

The cat's body is able to independently synthesize a full amount of vitamin C, therefore, it is recommended to include it in the cat's diet for certain diseases (as determined by the doctor), during the pregnancy of the animal and when feeding the cat. descendants. At this time, the cat needs to eat a small amount of green vegetables, seaweed, malt extract.

Vitamin D

Get Vitamin D Naturally

This vitamin is nicknamed solar, because without sunlight it cannot be synthesized in the body – not without reason cats love to bask in the sun. Vitamins are essential for the formation of a solid, strong and stable animal skeleton and the balanced functioning of the digestive system.

Kittens really need vitamin D. With its deficiency, rickets will develop in babies – bones will become soft and flexible, lameness is possible, growth will slow down. But an overabundance of vitamins is fraught with unpleasant consequences for them: the cubs can become lethargic, lose their appetite, they can start vomiting, diarrhea.

Vitamin D is concentrated in fats obtained from the liver of sea fish (cod, halibut), butter, milk, and egg yolks.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is responsible for the maintenance of reproductive function in animals of both sexes, as well as a balanced functioning of the nervous system. This vitamin is actively involved in fat metabolism, so its deficiency often provokes obesity in cats.

Vitamin E is found in unrefined chilled vegetable oil, milk, eggs, herbs, wheat germ, salmon, and pike fish fillets.

Vitamin K

This vitamin is involved in the work of important body functions such as ensuring blood clotting. In the body of a healthy cat, it is present in the required amount, as it is produced independently as a result of the synthesis of bacteria in the intestines. Its addition to food becomes especially desirable for certain diseases of pets, requiring the neutralization of the bacterial microflora with antibiotics.

Vitamin K is found in seaweed, alfalfa, egg yolks, carrots, and cauliflower.

Vitamin H

This vitamin is responsible for the condition of the skin and coat of animals. With a deficiency, the cat's skin peels off, and the coat loses its luster.

This vitamin contains beef and pork liver, corn, eggs, sour cream, cod, chicken.

vitamin potion

Herbal vitamins for cats

Cats living in nature are often found engaged in beneficial grass-eating activities. These animals, by the smell of plants, clearly define useful species for themselves. By the way, scientists believe that from observing animals that eat certain plants when sick, people have formed their own herbal pharmacopoeia.

At home, you can also give your pet the opportunity to improve his health. Place some fairly stable pots on a windowsill or in a loggia and grow some kind of greenery in them. Cats prefer young sprouts of wheat, barley, corn, rye. They are rich in not only vitamins, but also trace elements necessary for animal health.

A wide variety of seeds of various grasses for germination, including mixed varieties, are available at specialty pet stores and regular pharmacies.

Vitamins in ready-to-use cat food

Vitamins for cats in ready-to-eat food

Choosing ready-made cat food, in the annotations of which, as a rule, certain vitamins are indicated, including, owners are often guided by the taste preferences of their pet and their price. However, in cheap foods there are artificial flavors, flavors that attract cats, and dyes. The presence of vitamins in the feed will not be able to neutralize the dangers of the filler.

Preference should be given to ready-made premium food, after carefully studying the information on the packaging, indicating the age of the animal for which the product was developed, breed of cat and contraindications. The same type of feed is also distinguished depending on whether the animal is sterilized or not.

Vitamin complex

Vitamin complexes for cats are presented in the form of snacks fortified with vitamins and in dosage forms – tablets, capsules, powder. The former are based on meat, fish, vegetable masses and cereals, while the vitamins themselves act as additives to them. The latter does not contain ingredients that are tempting to animals, only vitamins and minerals.

vitamins for cats

Before you buy expensive vitamin gifts for cats at a specialty store, make sure your whiskered pet really needs them. Call the clinic, where the cat will undergo a biochemical blood test, which will show if he needs mineral and vitamin supplements. You can make a visit to the doctor without a cat. To keep your animal from stressing out, which usually happens during its "cage" journey and being in an unfamiliar environment, you can shear or comb your pet a little at home to get a piece of its fur and hand it over. for similar biochemical analyses.

The intake of vitamin preparations should be prescribed exclusively by a veterinarian, he also develops treatment or prevention, their consistency. You can try putting powders, tablets, capsules into the animal's mouth directly on the tongue, and if this is not possible, mix them with food that is attractive to cats. If necessary, vitamins are given by injection.

It should be borne in mind that it is not easy even for a specialist to determine the cat's true need for vitamins, since it depends on many unstable factors:

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