Cat Supplements for Weight Loss & Vomiting

A healthy cat is a happy cat. In today's fast-paced world, cats may not always get all of the healthy, nutritional foods they need. Commercial foods lack these ingredients and can lead to overweight, sick felines. This creates a greater risk of illnesses such as heart and liver disease, diabetes and infections, and cats may also have difficulty playing. While the best way to lose weight and stay healthy involves diet and exercise, cats can also benefit from supplements as part of their meals.

  1. Yogurts

    • When a cat becomes ill, vomiting may reduce some of the healthy bacteria in its stomach. According to an article written by Robert Hart, co-founder of Vitality Science, cats can have foods with probiotics such as yogurt. However, like humans, cats can sometimes have allergic reactions to commercial grade dairy products. Also, the hydrochloric acid in a cat's stomach can destroy the probiotics in yogurt before they take advantage of them, according to Hart. Encapsulated probiotics can survive these harsh acids. Products like ProBiotic Blend and Complete Probiotics for Pets can help restore a healthy balance of bacteria in sick cats.

    Soil-Based Organisms

    • Soil-based organisms live in soil and produce enzymes. According vetinfo.com, SBO supplements have no equal in preventing lymphoma in cats. SBOs such as Pet Flora and Celloquent can also reduce vomiting. Cats like to eat grass and dirt as it is, and laboratories manufacture SBOs with amino acids and herbs to simulate these tastes. SBOs come in a granulated and powder form or as a paste or liquid. The powder form works best in sick cats that experience digestive problems. Cats should receive the SBO daily with food.

    Chitin

    • Crustaceans such as shrimp, crap and shellfish have a starch called chitin in their shells. This starch bonds to fat and reduces its absorption into the body, therefore making it easier to digest and dispose of fat and helping maintain a healthy body weight, according to an article published by veterinarians Steve Marsden and Shawn Messonnier on petcarenaturally.com. Chitin supplements come in capsule form, but by themselves do not produce significant weight loss in cats, so owners should administer chitin capsules to cats as part of a healthy diet. However, not a lot of medical research on chitin as a weight loss supplement has produced reliable results. But it does appear safe for consumption by cats.