Can one give human vitamins to cats in greatly reduced doses?

Answer 1

It is not advised that any form of medication or supplements designed for humans are given to animals such as cats.

Animals have very different bodies to humans and therefore have very different requirements.

Some vitamins, such as Vitamin A, are fat soluble, so it will linger in the body for a long time, which means that it is very easy to overdose a cat, even in reduced doses. Bear in mind that cats are smaller and spend around 70% of their lives asleep, so it is quicker for them to overdose and they are less active so they are burning less fat, meaning the fat soluble vitamins stick around their bodies even longer.

Overdosing on fat soluble vitamins can cause:

• Difficulty walking
• Muscle degeneration
• Pains in limbs and back
• Stiff neck
• Loss of appetite

Your cat gets plenty of fat soluble vitamins from fish-based food, liver-based food and kidney-based food. If you are feeding your cat correctly, there is absolutely no reason why you should give them more vitamins.

You should definitely avoid giving your cat Vitamin D. Cats harvest their Vitamin D by lounging in the sun, since the majority of the vitamin comes from direct sunlight. Giving your cat a Vitamin D supplement can cause:

• Vomiting
• Pain when touched
• Mass weight loss

Human vitamins A and D are toxic to cats, whereas natural A and D vitamins from food/sunlight is fine.

Even if you drastically reduce the dosage of human vitamins for a cat, there is still a huge risk of overdose, because the majority of vitamins, being fat soluble, are absorbed into the fat and sit in the body for a long time. Cats are not the most active animals, so they do not burn a lot of their fats.

Giving your cat a balanced diet of fish and meat (including liver and kidney) and allowing them to have plenty of space to lay about in the sun is the best way to make sure they are getting all the vitamins they need. So, if you are feeding your cat properly there is absolutely no reason why you should give it supplements.

If your cat does require more vitamins, special doses designed for cats are available from a vet. For example, Vitamin K is prescribed by vets to cats and dogs who accidentally ingest rat poison.