Cat Vitamins and Nutrition

When thinking about cats and nutrition, think about the fact that cats in the wild are pretty exclusively carnivorous animals. Cats love meat, cats need meat, and they may need cat vitamins to supplement the nutrients they're getting from their cat food.

Cat Food and Mad Cow?

There's no evidence that cats can get mad cow disease from cat food made from beef, but some cat owners worry and avoid meat in their cat's diet for this reason.

When pet food is recalled, it is recalled to ensure that that food doesn't make it back into a cow's food.

The risk the pet food manufacturers are protecting against is the risk of infecting the cattle stock with BSE (mad cow disease). Imagine a farm where cats live and eat in the barn, the cow's home. Pulling infected cat food or dog food off the market ensures that cows will not eat it.

Organic Cat Food

If you are still worried that your cat's meat may be contaminated with BSE, or even other contaminants and parasites, you could consider buying only fresh, organically produced cat food.

An animal organically raised eats only grains and plant food, so you'll know that it will not be infected with mad cow disease, at least. As for parasites, some people say that freezing the food for a week will kill the possible parasites.

Introducing cat vitamins may help meet all nutritional needs, especially meat proteins, needed for a healthy, happy cat. These are not the same dietary needs as a dog's or a human's. Cats' nutritional needs and digestive systems are entirely unique to cats.

So, the answer is No, you cannot feed your cat your dog's food.

Homemade Cat Food

Many cat owners are now making homemade cat food. Most will agree that cat vitamins and minerals and other nutrients should be added to homemade cat food to ensure the proper balance in meeting the nutrition needs of your cat.

You should always check with a veterinarian about the best way to meet your cat's nutrition needs. They will get to know your pet and advise on the healthiest diet. A veterinarian may also recommend a digestive enzyme, especially if the cat is on a homemade cat food diet.

Buying Cat Food

Dry cat food can be considerably cheaper than wet cat food, but sometimes it's best to go with the best nutritional value. Compare the nutrition labels on cat food products at the same time that you are comparing prices, and compare prices pound for pound or meal for meal.

You may find that the cost difference between different brands of cat vitamins is not as great as you think for ensuring your cats best nutrition and health.