The sun can t help cats create vitamin d in their bodies because of their fur.
Vitamin d requirements for cats.
Before buying a supplement ask your veterinarian which kind if any is best suited for your cat s life stage and medical condition.
For example unlike dogs cats require dietary sources of vitamin a arachidonic acid and taurine.
Vitamin d is vital in regulating the calcium and phosphorous balance in your cat s body.
While for us humans is quite simple to get vitamin d by exposing ourselves to the sun in addition to getting it from specific foods for cats there is only one way of getting the needed level of vitamin d.
Vitamin d toxicity in cats.
Cats have some dietary requirements that are different from those of dogs and can develop nutritional deficiencies when fed diets formulated to meet the nutritional needs of dogs.
As this ratio becomes either wider or narrower than the optimum the requirement for vitamin d increases but no amount will compensate for.
Cats and dogs have low vitamin d requirements when calcium phosphorus and the ratio of the minerals are correct.
How do cats get vitamin d.
Pro vitamin d3 7 dehydrocholesterol in the skin of dogs and cats has a much lower concentration than that found in the skin of species that can convert 7 dehydrocholesterol to.
It also promotes the retention of calcium thus aiding bone formation and nerve and muscle control.
Too much can cause overly acidic urine which can lead to crystal formation and a lifethreatening blockage.
That is from their diet.
The need for vitamin d depends to a large extent on the ratio of calcium to phosphorus.
Too much can be toxic.
Where to buy cat supplements.
Dogs and cats unlike humans and most other species are unable to naturally convert very much vitamin d in their skin when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Indeed this chimes with work done in the human field.