I have discussed a lot about cat food in my other articles. I felt that I hadn’t discussed enough food supplements used in food recipes. In this article, I will tell you about Homemade cat food supplements in detail.
First, we need to know what cat food supplements actually are. Well, we make food with the best ingredients, no doubt but only ingredients are not enough. There are some vitamins and minerals that cats need which are not sufficient in raw materials. So, we are supposed to use some food supplements that can fulfil the need.
As you know, cats are not supposed to consume grains, vegetables, and fruits as their bodies are not designed for them. If you feed your cat human-like food, then your cat can’t digest those as a result. They may suffer from upset stomach, Diarrhea, loss of appetite, vomiting, and so on.
On the other hand, cats need vitamins and minerals. So, to fulfil the needs, supplements are the best idea. Supplements are essential for cats that are used to eating a raw diet as only meats can’t do all the work alone.
I strongly recommend you check the supplements with your vet so that your cat can adjust to those. I have checked so many products to check if transparent ingredients, use dietary supplements, and micronutrients such as omega-3, digestive enzymes, vitamins, and minerals are used in a proper measurement there.I will dive into the most common supplements your homemade cat food often lacks. Those supplements are also the best for cat food.
Table of contents
Types of cat food supplements
You should remember that if your cat has a commercial high-quality feline diet, then you don’t need to provide any supplements to your cat. When making the food yourself at home, you must add supplements to your cats because homemade cat food is documented in nutritional shortage, and food supplements are also used as medicine in some cases.
The types of cat food supplements are:
- Vitamins
Cats need a large dose of Niacin than any other to other animals. They also need vitamin A- which is available in small fishes, colourful veggies like carrots and beans, and fruits like mangoes, bananas, etc. Vitamin D is another essential vitamin available in the early morning sunlight. Outdoor cats don’t have any problem getting enough vitamin D, but indoor cats must provide vitamin D with supplements.
Vitamin D3 is the animal version of vitamin D.
- Minerals
The need for minerals is the same as vitamins. Oxygen transfer Ph balance, enzyme synthesis, Iron, magnesium, calcium, chloride, sodium, and potassium all are included in minerals. Our bodies and health depend on those minerals. Chelated minerals are easier for the body to absorb because they are enriched with another organic compound. Chelated minerals are more bioavailable.
- Taurin
It is one kind of Amino acid found among protein’s building blocks. Taurine is critical to assist normal body function. Though animal body tissue provides homemade taurine, cat food enthusiasts always encourage using Taurin in cat food. Taurin supplements are available in powder, chewable, liquid, and gel form.
- Fatty acid
A healthy diet is incomplete without fatty acids. Your cat might need fatty acids for health maintenance. Fatty acids are generated from both plant and animal sources. It keeps the cat’s system running, and the metabolic system and cell integrity are also maintained. Omega-3 and omega-6 are the main fatty acids and sources of oils. Cats need a lot of oils in their diet. You must ensure your homemade cat food contains Omega-3, omega-6, DHA, AA, LA, GLA, CLA, and EPA. A fatty acid is available in tablet and chew form.
- Calcium
Note: excessive calcium is very dangerous for cats. So, I recommend you consult with your vet to ensure your cat really needs it. The vet will also determine the amount of calcium.
The lack of calcium can cause hypoglycemia in cats. Calcium is also necessary for oral health and teeth. Commercial food has much calcium in it, but homemade cat food has some lacking calcium. It is available in powder, syrup, and oil form.
- Fish oil
Fish oil for cats is enriched with Eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic (DHA). Cold-water fish are the most common sources of fish oil. Omega pure fish oil is higher in concentration than salmon oil.
- Probiotic
Probiotics are available in supplement powders, tablets, and the outer surface of kibbles. Probiotics are needed in Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Enterococcus for optimal gut health and the digestive system.
- Glucosamine
Glucosamine is a naturally occurring chemical. It helps to improve the mobility of a cat’s bone joints and repair damaged cartilage. Glucosamine is a very important chemical element.
As cats grow older, the cartilage decrease from the bones. So, glucosamine save cats from stiffness and pain in the joint in the cold season. Glucosamine sulphate is another important ingredient for joint tissue. It is also important for collagen function for reducing pain and inflammation. Glucosamine hydrochloride is included in it, which makes it naturally stable and available naturally available.
- Chondroitin
Chondroitin supplements help to create maintain and create joint tissues. Chondroitin Sulphate (CS) is the most critical building block for cartilage. It provides fluids to the joint and maintains the stability of the joint. You can get enough chondroitin from fish, avian cartilage, and pig trachea.Squid cartilage is the most ethical chondroitin that Chotrodine cartilage E is derived from it. Chondroitin gives protection to the joint for the next time.
Some top brands of cat food supplements
Well, there are so many choices in the market. It is difficult to select between them. I have sorted out some brands to make your task easier.
Those are-
- Yummier’s Beef Supplements Mix-in for Cat’s Skin and Coat Aid.
- Purina Pro Plan Forti Flora for cats- Best for Digestion.
- Zesty Paws Pure wild Alaskan Salmon oil- Best for skin oil and coats.
- The Missing Link Original All Natural Superfood Cat Supplement- Beat Overall.
- Nutramax Professional Line Cosequin Joint Health Supplements For Cats- Best For Joints.
- VetriScience Laboratories Senior Multivitamin- Best for Seniors.
- Pet Natural L-Lysine Chews for Cats- Best for Immune Support.
Now the details-
Yummier’s Beef Supplements Mix-in for Cat’s Skin and Coat Aid as Homemade cat food supplements
The fridge-dried ingredients of Yummier’s Beef Supplements Mix-in for Cat’s Skin and Coat Aid are beef skin and coat aid, beef heart, and ELK digestive aid. The ingredient trio supplies nutrients and protein to your cat’s delicious food. Jonathan Van Ness and Antony Porowsky from Netflix’s Queer Eye have founded the line to help felines to live their best lives.
Purina Pro Plan Forti Flora for Cats- Best for Digestion as Homemade cat food supplements
Net weight/ CONT. NET: 1.06 oz (30 g).Purina Pro Plan Forti Flora for cats is specially designed for digestive issues. If your cat has the problem, you can try the powdered Probiotic. It is also effective in Diarrhea. The main source of the Probiotic is dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation. It cherishes good bacteria that are beneficial for gut health and Diarrhea.
Brewyer’s Yeast, Vitamin C, Zinc, Manganese, calcium, and Taurin are other beneficial ingredients. One box contains 30 pre-portioned packets. Each packet contains probiotics. Use it over your cat’s food just one time per day.
Zesty Paws Pure wild Alaskan Salmon oil as Homemade cat food supplements
It is specially designed for cats’ skins and coats. As mentioned in its name, you can easily understand that its main ingredient is wild Salmon fish from the extremely cold water of Alaska. Just use one pump in your cat food daily and see the difference. The skin and coats of your cat will become healthy, soft, and shiny.
Zesty Paws Pure wild Alaskan Salmon oil is enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. EPA and DHA from Omega-3 fatty acid provides necessary lubricants to your bone joint, strengthening the immune system, and are also beneficiary for the heart.
You know very well that vitamin E is very much helpful for the skin and coat. It is also helpful for the hair growth of cats. Your kitty will surely like the fishy flavour of the oil.
The Missing Link Original All Natural Superfood as Homemade cat food supplements
It is good for all over health. A superfood enriched with all-natural powdered formula. It contains Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids for healthy skin and fur, dietary fibre for better digestion, and phytonutrients to soothe inflammation in joints of bones.
Besides, The Missing Link Original All Natural Superfood Cat Supplement contains flaxseed, beef liver, kelp, grass, and alfalfa meal. So, the ingredients made the supplements an all-rounder. It gives protein, fat, fibrous carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals at a time. Just sprinkle in your cat’s homemade food or kibbles one time daily.
Nutramax Professional Line Cosequin Joint Health Supplements as Homemade cat food supplements
It is a specialist in arthritis and other joint issues.Your cat will punch, jump, and play like their kittenhood by using this Nutramax Professional Line Cosequin Joint Health Supplements. It contains Glucosamine, Manganese, and Chrondroitin in s blended form.
The main job of the supplement is it produces cartilage and protect bones. You need to consider your cat’s weight then you can use it. Take just ½ capsule once a day and mix it with your cat food for a month. Consequin also keeps the bladder healthy and in good condition.
VetriScience Laboratories Senior Multivitamin- Best for Seniors as Homemade cat food supplements
No animals are invincible, and cats are as well. At 11, your witty kitty doesn’t remain witty at all. They’re considered senior cats. As usual, some health issues start appearing at this age.The health issues are vision, respiratory, mobility, etc. VetriScience is a multivitamin along with minerals that helps to recover especially senior cats, in the whole body.
The pack is available in bite-size chews that contain 20 chews. The tasty fish-flavoured supplements are enriched with Salmon oil, Safflower oil, taurine, lysine, oat flour, rye flour, whole grain fibre, and amino acid. Some vitamins and minerals include vitamin A, D, B12, calcium, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, biotin, and brewers yeast. Brewyer’s Yeast also repels fleas.
Pet Natural L-Lysine Chews as Homemade cat food supplements
The chewable supplement is the best for immune support. The chicken-liver flavour will be appreciated by your pet because of it’s for its delicious power. The main ingredients of the chewy supplement are L-lysine and amino acids. Other ingredients are oat, burly, rye flour, brewer’s Yeast, and calcium.
Pet Natural L-Lysine Chews for Cats
Best for Immune Support, prevents infection, and keeps good immunity and respiratory health.
Note: You must check it with your veterinarian before using it.
From where to begin using supplements in homemade cat food?
When you see that only food is insufficient for your cat because food can’t fulfil the cat’s needs, you can use food supplements. More or fewer supplements are important at all stages of your cat’s life.Your vet will determine the supplements for your cat. So, follow his advice. Sometimes supplements don’t work quickly because it needs time. So, if supplements don’t have any significant effect on your cat, have patience. Don’t stop giving supplements to your kitty very soon.
How to include supplements in your cat’s food?
Incorporating supplements into your cat’s food isn’t a difficult job. There are some tricks and tactics to do it. I have described it below:
- First of all, find out the problem of your cat. There are so many supplements and their functions. So, which supplement does your cat needs- you have to find out first.
- When providing supplements to your cat, you must notice that the supplement is working on your cat or doing any harm instead.
- You must let your vet know if you notice anything unusual in your cat’s litter.
- Early, your cat may not like the taste and flavour of the supplements. Identify the reason and serve a very small amount. Vitamins and minerals can be the supplements that your cat may not like at first.
- Cook the food very well first, then add supplements to it.
- You must consult your veterinarian if you don’t understand which supplements are the best for you.
The benefits of homemade cat food supplements
Well, when giving your cat those, you’ll see the benefits of homemade cat food supplements. But I am telling you about my experience and the cat owner’s review. The benefits of the supplement are:
- Control of the ingredients that are going to your cat’s body
As you prepare food for your cat and pour food supplements according to the vet’s advice, you have control over the food and food supplements.
Moving forward, commercial food ingredients are not always transparent about the ingredients because there is a high chance of using by-product ingredients. So, if you want a transparent formula, homemade food supplements are the best.
- Health benefits
Cat food supplements have so many health benefits. There are varieties of health supplements that are effective for all parts of the body. Such as coats and fur, eyes, immune system, digestive system, kidney’ liver, heart, bladder, etc. So, use it if your cat is not getting enough support from regular food.
- Supplements prevent allergies
Canned commercial food often can be the cause of allergies in your cat as you don’t have any control over them. If you’re making food at home, you can use non-allergic supplements for your cat, as you know which supplements are harmful.
- Supplements prevent obesity
Many cat owners complain that commercial food makes their kitty obese. So, if you use useful supplements to reduce fat in your cat’s body, it can prevent obesity.
- Supplements provide energy to cats
There are so many testimonials that cats got energized and active by consuming homemade cat food supplements.
- You can save money
As you know, a commercial high-quality feline diet is expensive, and many of them can’t be the staple food o your cat. So, making food at home and using supplements can be budget-friendly and save money.
Are supplements mandatory for old cats?
With growing age, every animal becomes unable to absorb and digest some food ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, iodines, irons, etc. For example, old cats have difficulties digesting vitamin B12.
So, if your senior cat is comfortable and able to digest regular food, then it ok. For those cats, supplements are not mandatory, but if your cat has difficulties with gastrointestinal disorders, then food supplements are mandatory for them to give a backup.
Raw cat food supplements
You know that cat food has 3 classifications. Those are- commercial cat food, homemade cat food, and the last one is raw cat food. Raw cat food means direct protein from animal sources, more clearly, raw meat and fish. As the food is raw, then you don’t have a chance to mix supplements just like cooked food. But raw food also needs supplements.
Well, raw food is a good choice for cats and their owners. Some cat enthusiasts give logic for raw food that raw food is very much safe. But only providing raw meat or fish isn’t enough. You also need to provide supplements to your cat’s diet.
Why should you need to add food supplements to your cat’s raw food?
Prey model raw cat food has a large portion lacking nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients. Meat and fish can provide only protein and Iron. What about the other ingredients? If you provide your cat with only meat and fish for a long time, then a nutrition deficiency will definitely occur. So, supplements are mandatory in raw food. The supplements are-
- Vitamin E
Fish contains a lot of omega-3 amino acids. So, if your cat is consuming, then he needs more vitamin E. So, regular food can’t provide more vitamin E than using vitamin E supplements for your cat’s raw food.
- Kelp
Kelp is a good source of iodine, as your cat needs it. Ascophyllium Nodosum is one type of kelp that take very good care of your teeth and also removes tartar from a cat’s teeth.Be cautious about the amount of kelp that you’re using in your cat’s food. Using excessive kelp can cause thyroid problems in your cat.
Note: if your cat has hyperthyroidism, then kelp is strongly forbidden for your cat.
- Blue-lipped Mussels
Mussels contain a lot of nutrients like ManganeseManganese, omega-3, taurine, and zinc. Blue-lipped mussels contain more nutrients. Your cat can’t produce ManganeseManganese in’s own body. This is an essential nutrient. So, you have to provide it to your cat.The lack of ManganeseManganese may cause reproduction failure, poor growth, and loss of equilibrium. So, blue-lipped mussels are a good source of ManganeseManganese.
- Psyllium husk
You don’t want to provide your cat with prey-like food. That means you dons serve your cat a bird with its feathers because it is a mess. But feathers and furs are very much important to fulfil the needs of fibre. For this reason, you can rehydrate Psyllium husk in water. Psyllium husk works as a dietary supplement and is very much useful for a cat’s gut health. It is a good source of fibre and water as well.
- Nutritional Yeast
The nutritional Yeast grows in sugarcane and beat molasses. It is a deactivated yeast. You’ll get it in grocery shops in flakes and yellow powder form. The nutritional Yeast is enriched with vitamins B1 and B8. Lack of Vitamin B can cause lethargy, drooling, vomiting, Anorexia, and seizures. So, use it as a sprinkle on your cat’s food. Nutritional Yeast doesn’t have any side effects. If you overdose on your cat’s food, then don’t worry. It will be flashed out with urine.
Raw cat food supplement to avoid
All supplements are not good for your cat’s raw food. There are some supplements that are toxic and harmful. Those are some herbs such as Willow bark, Birch, and Feverfew. Garlic and onions are also unnecessary in raw cat food. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and can be accumulated in a cat’s body. So, be very careful about the amount that you’re providing to your cat.
About premixes for cat food
Premixes often claim that they’re balanced food for cats and kittens. The websites and brands specifically state that the food made with premixes meets all the conditions and follows the nutrient guidelines of The Associations of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
The brands also claim that the premix-based food is for all cats. That means cats of all ages, growth, and weight. People who are eager to use premixes to make cooked or raw food for their cats are requested to ask in Raw Feeding for IBD Cats Facebook group.
Some cat food premixes
- Know Better For Cats-Beef Recipe- Previously Known as Better in the Raw For Cats (24oz). Check prices on Amazon and other e-commerce sites. 3-star ratings.
- TC Feline Raw Cat Food Premix/Supplements To Make a Homemade, Natural, Grain-free, Holistic Diet-Original Version with No Liver (Trial 4.2 oz) Egg-free Formula. 3-star ratings. Check prices on Amazon and other e-commerce sites.
- Know Better For Cats-Chicken Recipe Premix. Check prices on Amazon and other e-commerce sites. 3-star ratings.
- Stella and Chewy’s Fridge-dried Raw Yummy Likin Salmon & Chicken Dinner Morsels Cat Food, 3.5 oz bag. 3-star ratings. Check prices on Amazon and other e-commerce sites.
- EZ Complete Raw Cat Food or Cooked- A Premix to Make a Homemade Cooked and Raw Cat Food Diet. All Natural, Grain-free, Human-grade, and Species Appropriate Raw For Cats (225 g/ 7.9 oz Small). Check prices on Amazon and other e-commerce sites. 3-star ratings.
