Cat Supplements and Weight Management: What Every Cat Owner Should Know
Weight Problems with Your Cat
Cats can gain and lose weight just as humans do.
For cats this can happen in cycles that last for several months and it is wise to keep an eye on the condition of your cat to ensure that it is not getting overweight, which could result in diabetes or losing too much weight due to some unforeseen illness.
It is wise to weigh your cat on a regular basis and keep an account of its weight to ensure that there haven't been any big changes.
If its belly begins to hang down when it walks, and in some cases sway from side to side, then it is obviously becoming overweight.
You should also be able to feel its rib cage by running your hands along the sides of its body.
If your cat appears to be gaining weight with no noticeable change in its diet then it is time to see the vet to determine if there is any illness that is causing this weight gain.
You should also look for other signs of ill health such as listlessness or the fact that it is putting on weight without eating additional food.
If the weight increase is just from the consumption of more food then put a little less down each time to control its intake until the cats weight comes back to a normal level.
While a cat might continue to ask for more food, you need to think of its best interests and that is to stop it from over eating and maintain good health.
You might even need to change the food that you are feeding your cat with one that has fewer calories.
Geriatric cats that don't get as much exercise won't require as much food otherwise they will tend to put on weight.
There are specific foods that are available for geriatric cats and these are specially formulated to ensure they stay in good health in their old age.
Should You Be Feeding Your Cat Supplements?
Provided you are giving your cat a balanced diet there should be no need to give it additional amounts of supplements.
In fact by adding additional vitamins and minerals to your cat's diet you could actually be upsetting the natural balance of the nutrition and doing more harm than good.
Many of the commercial cat foods are nutritionally complete and balanced and no additional supplements will need to be added if you are feeding your cat these types of foods.
If you are feeding your cat on a raw food diet that represents the types of foods that it would eat in the wild then it should be nutritionally balanced with sufficient protein and the essential vitamins and minerals that it needs to remain healthy.
The only time where you might need to give your cat additional vitamin supplements is during times of illness, or where there are other factors involved such as loss of body fluids or diarrhea.
Even in these circumstances it is wise to check with your vet first to ensure that these additional supplements will not cause any other problems.
If you feel that the nutrition of your cat is not up to par then by all means you will need to consider supplementing its diet, after being sure that you have got good advice on the matter.
There are a lot of good cat vitamin and mineral supplements on the market and they can help improve your cat's health particularly as your cat ages but it is best to give these to your pet based on sound advice from a good vet.
It is well worth discussing with your vet any changes that need to be made to your cat's diet during the various stages of its life.
Nutritional needs tend to change somewhat as the cat ages and there are some good commercial products that help with fur balls and other problems that specific breeds of cats might have.
Cats that are well cared for will live a lot longer than what could be expected in the wild and for that reason, as with people, aged cats can require additional supplementation.
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