Supplements are big business. But what about supplements for cats? Are they necessary, and can you buy them online?

Do cats need supplements? No, but they can help with your cat’s health in certain situations. You should feed them a specialist diet if they are a kitten, an older cat, or are overweight and diabetic. Feeding your cat normal food in these circumstances can make them sick or ill. Consult with a veterinarian before making big adjustments to your cat’s diet.

Most specialist diet foods for cats are more expensive than regular food. That’s because they contain special ingredients or additives that you wouldn’t normally find in cat food. However, they can make all the difference to your cat’s health.

Cat Diets and Supplements

Every cat is unique. You knew that already. They all have their own likes and dislikes when it comes to all number of areas in their lives. Different cats have different preferences in terms of what toys they’ll play with. Some cats like a cat basket, and some cats like a proper cat bed. We’ve already covered those types of preference in our cat toys and cat beds articles.

Another area where cats will differ is what they prefer when it comes to food. There are many things to consider when it comes to cat food, and whether to choose wet cat food or dry cat food is just one of the decisions to wrestle with. But it can get more complicated than that; some cats require specialist diets.

What a cat needs when it comes to food intake can change. Sometimes, changes will purely be down to your cat’s age. A kitten and an older cat will need very different looking meals. Other times, health conditions can come into play, and changes in diet have to be made to take better care of your cat’s health. That’s why we’ve written a number of helpful articles on specialist diets for cats.

Finding The Right Diet For Your Cat

To bring you the best in advice, we keep ourselves up to date with what’s currently understood in the world of cat food and science. We know how different food types affect cats in different ways. For example, scientists have proven that a diet that’s too high in carbohydrates can cause harm to your pet – the proof is right here in this ‘Cats and Carbohydrates’ article. Equally, a diet of wet food only can cause oral health problems, as this oral health study confirms. Whatever your cat’s needs, we know that as a responsible cat owner, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing everything you can to keep your cat healthy.

We’ve already done an article on cat health essentials you should have at home, and that covers some of the basic supplements too. But we want to make sure you get specific information for your cat’s condition, too. This page should serve as an overview to help you find all of our information on specialist diets. Simply read through the list and the basic details below, and click on the link that’s relevant to you and your furry friend.

Specialist Diets For Kittens

Having a kitten is one of the most rewarding and trying times you can have as a cat owner! They need you far more than an older cat does, even if they don’t necessarily know or appreciate it. You’ll spend your time training them to do the most basic things, like use a litter tray, or accept a collar. You might also find yourself training them how to eat wet or dry food. Cat food manufacturers know that, and they’ve developed specialist diets just for kittens.

The nutritional balance that a kitten needs whilst its growing is different to the one it will need when it’s older. It’s the same as the reason we have baby food for little humans! If you’re a cat parent to a kitten (or kittens), or even if you’re thinking of taking some kittens on, our guide to the best food for kittens will tell you everything you need to know. That includes wet kitten food and dry kitten food, as well as supplements for kittens.

Specialist Diets For Older Cats

An older cat, like a human, can get a little picky about food. Sometimes that’s just because they’ve developed preferences. Sometimes it’s because their health makes it necessary. A cat who’s lost a few teeth will struggle with dry cat food, for example. They may have digestive complaints which make processing some kinds of food more difficult. Even if they’re still healthy for their age, their bodies may need more or less of certain ingredients. In short, they need older cat food.

That’s why specialist older cat diets exist. Cat food for seniors is especially formulated to keep your cat fitter and stronger for longer. Some foods can even sooth certain health conditions. Supplements for elder cats can help, too. If your cat is an older gentleman or lady of the cat world, read our guide to food for older cats and find out how you can make life more comfortable for them.

Specialist Diets For Overweight Cats

Cats are as prone to piling on the pounds as we are! They don’t like it anymore than we do, either. An overweight cat can’t run as fast or jump as high as they want to. Anyone who’s owned a cat knows they don’t have great portion control. Some of them will also meow very loudly to be fed, even if they’re not hungry! That can make life hard for you. You feel bad if your cat cries for food and you don’t feed it. Equally, you feed bad if your cat is overweight and you’re helping it to get bigger! Fortunately, help is at hand.

There are specialist diets for overweight cats that work very cleverly. Diet food for cats mean you can maintain your cat’s portion sizes, but the ingredients help to keep the weight off. Sometimes, a subtle shift in carbohydrate intake is all that’s needed. Sometimes it’s time to prepare your cat for a whole new diet! Whatever remedy is required, we’ve got the information you need. Read our guide to food for overweight cats, make a cat diet plan, and prepare to become your furry friend’s personal trainer!

Specialist Diets For Diabetic Cats

Diabetes in humans used to be a recipe for misery. Not only do you have a significant health problem, you can no longer eat a lot of your favourite foods. Seemingly anything that tastes good – especially anything containing sugar – went straight off the menu. Then a genius came along and invented variations of your favourite snacks designed for diabetics, and the world was happy and bright again. They’ve also done the same for cats!

Diabetes in cats can be a serious, and life shortening, condition. It has to be treated with care, and the introduction of a properly balanced specialist diet is a must. But it doesn’t mean their diet can’t still be fun, and it doesn’t mean they have to go without. Scientific thinking on managing feline diabetes has been revised yet again in 2018, and we’ve familiarised ourselves with the advice. Read our guide to the best diabetic cat food. You might be surprised by what’s out there. You can even still stock treats for diabetic cats!

Cat Supplements

Supplements and specialist diets work hand in hand. If you’re not sure what a supplement is, consider your own daily routine. Do you take a vitamin tablet? How about a cod liver oil tablet? Do you have probiotic yogurt in the fridge? All of these things are supplements. You take them because they bring you some kind of benefit. You’re probably looking to develop or maintain bone or muscle strength. You might want better digestive health. Most of us want to look or feel younger and fitter, and the right supplements help.

Cats can benefit from supplements just like we can. They’re provided for largely the same reasons! You can use cat supplements to help your cat retain its mobility. There are supplements out there designed to help your pet maintain its glossy coat. Anything you take a specialist diet supplement for, your cat can do, too! Click on our cat supplements guide and find out everything you could ever want to know about cat vitamins.

Did We Miss Anything?

We’re always looking to expand and improve our range of knowledge. Like we said, we keep ourselves up to date with scientific research, and basically if it’s related to cats, we always look to make sure we know about it. If your cat requires specialist dietary advice, and we don’t provide it, let us know. We’re always happy to add more helpful content to our site, because that’s how we can serve you best! Thanks for stopping by and reading this page. We hope we found something useful to you. And if you did, please share it and tell all of your cat loving friends!