Cat Supplement That Claims To Do Everything

Count

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I was browsing for some malt paste and saw this thing. It claims that if you give it to your cat for a month, it helps your cat in a number of ways. Apparently it supports the immune system, improves liver functions, helps with indigestion and improves bowel flora, it is an antioxidant and antiinflammatory.

It contains: Thistle, Watercress, Burdock, Dandelion, Elm, Rhubarb, Yarrow, Geven, Valerian, Flax Seed, Ponytail

It is relatively cheap, and it's not from a brand I heard of before (and it feels like just two random words joined together, heylove), so it probably is useless, or possibly even poisonous (didn't check yet), but maybe it does something? What do you think?
 

jen

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I have never heard of it, but I tend to be wary of any one product that claims to do it all. As long as a cat is eating an appropriate diet, there really isn't a reason for vitamins and supplements. That being said some cats get sick or have weak immune systems and could benefit from something. The only brand I can somewhat vouch for is Standard Process. They have supplements for specific needs like hepatic, adrenal, cardiac support or immunity or whatever. The clinic I work at prescribes it and people swear by it.
 
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Count

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That's what I thought. I actually do give vitamins and malt (both GimCat) to my cat but this thing is probably unnecessary. Just wanted to see if people used something like this before and had noticeable good results.
 
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Count

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It stops hairballs and lets them digest their hair. A lot of veterinarians recommend it.
 

lisahe

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Malt is, indeed, a common ingredient in hairball remedies like Petromalt.

In our experience, the best way to prevent hairballs is to brush a cat daily. And feed a diet that fits a cat's digestive system. Here's a good introductory piece about that and why hairballs aren't normal.

And back to the original question: I'm not a fan of fix-it-all herbal remedies, either, whether for cats or humans!
 

daftcat75

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The ingredients do look like they support the claims. To what extent? That's the big question. I don't see this as being harmful (except maybe too much malt can wreck a litterbox if you're giving other malt products.) But it's quite likely that there just isn't enough there to be helpful. You'll also likely have to give it some time to work like a few weeks. Milk thistle, for example, can take months to show a liver benefit.
 

She's a witch

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I used to supplement my cats with gymcat synthetic vitamins and my girl had elevated values of some of them (can't recall exactly but I think it was vit D and/or E, but she was still under 1yo at that time). So I think if you feed your cat good quality, high protein food, there's no need to supplement it with any vitamins at all.
My vet encourages me to use some natural hairball remedies, like yolk, oil, butter, instead of commercial paste.
 
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Count

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I am just trying to be cautious with vitamins since Count still is a kitten. Vet says it can't be harmful (as long as a low amount is given) and it can even be beneficial. As for malt, I actually never had a hairball issue before, just started using it because Count's old vet recommended it. I never thought about it after that, even though I changed vets. Count does have some gastrointestinal issues though, so it probably is helping him with that. New vet never said anything negative about me giving him malt paste either.
 
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