Home
Cat Lovers Blog
Cat Behavior
Cat Breeds
Cat Care
Cat Facts
Cat Health
Cat Illness Symptoms
The Cat Litter Box
Litter Box Problems
Fun Cat Stuff
Cats and People
Funny Cat Pictures
Cat Lover Products
Famous Cats

[?] Subscribe To
This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Add to Newsgator
Subscribe with Bloglines
 

Vitamin C For Cats
A Good Thing?


Some are recommending supplementation of vitamin C for cats. Given the biology of the cat, this is not only questionable, it may be harmful.
People have a hard time being objective sometimes, and have a tendency to apply their own views to everything. This is often true when it comes to animals.

The truth is, though, that while cats are mammals and similar to humans in many ways, they do have their differences. One of those differences is in the way certain vitamins and nutrients are metabolized. For humans, supplementation works, but vitamin C for cats is a different story.

Cats synthesize their own vitamin c from glucose, so they don't normally need supplementation of this vitamin. This makes sense, since the natural diet of a cat would not include vitamin C intake, or at least not in large quantities.

According to the Cornell Book of Cats, unless there is a "high metabolic need or inadequate synthesis," then supplements of vitamin C are not necessary. In fact, a number of studies show that it may actually be harmful.

First, it can contribute to the formation of stones in the urinary tract. Second, it may enhance the absorption of iron, resulting in an overdose of iron.

In addition, there has been more than one study that has failed to show that vitamin C supplementation has any effect on healing viruses or bacterial infections, in cats.

As a nutritional supplement for cats, vitamin C is probably a bad idea. There are, however, other nutritional supplements that your cat might benefit from.








Jump from Vitamin C for Cats back to Cat Health

Jump from Vitamin C for Cats back to the home page of Cat Lovers Only



Top

Cat Lovers Only Home | Cat Health | Cat Illness Symptoms


Copyright © 2004 - 2008 cat-lovers-only.com. All rights reserved.

"The website for cat lovers!"




footer for vitamin c for cats page