Mary Allen
The individual vitamins cannot replace each other. The functions of these organic substances from animal and vegetable foods are very specific.
Fruit and vegetables five times a day: these vitamin bombs are essential for our health. Cats, however, can’t do anything with it: they don’t need to take vitamin C with food because they can build it up themselves in their liver. The carotene from carrots or spinach, the provitamin A, which humans can convert to vitamin A in the intestinal mucosa, cannot be used by cats. The mouse hunters depend on the supply of vitamin A, which is only found in animal food such as mouse liver. The vitamin requirements of humans and cats are therefore very different.
Healthy Or Toxic – It’s The Quantity That Counts
Vitamins are organic substances from plant and animal foods. They control, accelerate and influence countless bodily functions. The right dose plays a crucial role in this. Both too much and too little fat-soluble vitamins can cause damage. Since commercially available complete food is tailored to the needs of cats, additional vitamin supplements for healthy animals are superfluous. Vitamins A, D, and E are fat-soluble. Vitamin A is important for keeping the skin, mucous membranes, and eyes healthy. Due to its fat solubility, it cannot simply be excreted in the urine but is stored in the liver and kidneys. Therefore, an oversupply of vitamin A-rich food or vitamin preparations can lead to symptoms of poisoning. So be careful when feeding raw beef liver as it is a real vitamin A-bomb. On the other hand, if the cat does not get enough vitamin A, skin problems, fertility problems and vision problems can occur.
Self-Sufficient In Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for healthy teeth and bones. A deficiency is extremely rare because complete food contains enough of it. An overdose from additional vitamin preparations is more likely and can lead to calcification in the kidneys and vessel walls. Liver, cod liver oil, and fish are particularly rich in vitamin D. Vitamin E is an antioxidant with a cell-protecting effect, which is mainly found in cereals and nuts, only a little in animal foods.
Good To Know
The need increases for high-fat fish with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. The regular excessive consumption of tuna in oil is therefore not advisable. Unlike the fat-soluble ones, there is no danger of overdosing on the water-soluble vitamins C, H, and the B complex. At the same time, this means that no larger vitamin stores can be stored in the body. A deficit of the various B vitamins, which fulfill different functions in the metabolism, becomes apparent within a few weeks. The ongoing undersupply of vitamin B1 results in movement disorders. Liver, meat, and yeast are particularly rich in B vitamins. The extremely rare lack of vitamin H, also known as biotin, leads to a dull coat and dandruff.