How to supplement nutrition for cats?
A quality cat food that meets all of your cat’s basic nutritional needs. However, if you feel your cat’s health needs some extra support, you may want to consider supplementing your cat. Cat supplements may be especially helpful for people with serious medical conditions such as kidney failure or heart disease. To find out which supplement is right for your cat, you should first evaluate your cat’s health with a veterinarian. You can then discuss with your veterinarian which supplements are right for your particular cat.
Assess your cat’s health.
If you are considering supplementing your cat, it is important to know your cat’s general health. This diagnosis should be made by a veterinarian. By doing a holistic assessment, you can decide which supplements your cat needs and which doesn’t.
An annual veterinary check-up is a great time to get a complete picture of your cat’s overall health.
Discuss supplements with your veterinarian.
Discuss with your veterinarian if you plan to supplement your cat. A feline veterinarian should be very knowledgeable about your cat’s health and have veterinary knowledge to tell you what certain supplements do and don’t do for your cat’s health.
Your veterinarian may warn you not to overdose on supplements. While it’s important for your cat to get all the vitamins and minerals she needs to stay healthy, giving her too much can also be detrimental to her health.
Buy quality supplements.
If your veterinarian agrees that your cat can benefit from supplements, buy a quality product. They may be available through your veterinarian, but you may need to go elsewhere to buy them.
If possible, buy supplements from your doctor so you know you’re getting a safe, high-quality product.
Many pet stores sell pet supplements that you can buy online. However, if you buy supplements from outside the veterinarian, be sure to read all ingredients so you don’t overfeed your cat.
Give supplements as directed.
As with all medications and supplements, it’s important to follow the package directions or your veterinarian’s dosage recommendations. This will help you ensure that your cat is getting the therapeutic dose of supplements you want for her.
Supplements can be given to your cat in a number of ways. Some supplements are available in tablet form, but most are in a form easier for cats to take, such as oils or powders that can be added to food. For example, if you are adding fish oil to your cat’s diet, all you have to do is add the fish oil to your cat food.
There is not much data on the safe use of supplements in cats. To protect your cat, discuss supplementation dosages with your veterinarian before supplementing your cat.
Nutritional supplements for cats with heart disease.
There are nutritional supplements that can be given to cats with heart disease to 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 health food store or pharmacy. However, the quality of these products can vary, and dosage information for cats is not provided. In this case, you should check the label to make sure the product is pure and discuss dosage with your veterinarian.
