For some reason the subject is vitamin C and cats is controversial online. One article says that vitamin C is harmful to cats and the next says it’s a miracle vitamin for our kitties. We get a lot of questions about this subject, so today we’ll discuss vitamin C and cats – from personal experience.
Vitamin C And Cats
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. In it’s purest form (ascorbic acid) it acts as an acidifier of pH in the body. As an antioxidant it also helps support joints, bones and the immune system. Everyone knows to take vitamin C for overall health and well being. So why do some think it could be bad for cats?
Simply put, many individuals refuse to believe anything that isn’t backed up 100% with scientific evidence. While we agree that science is a great asset to have on your side, it’s not that simple. You see, the “scientific evidence” that medical professionals are looking for require a LOT of money and time. While many drugs can afford this because of government grants, the FDA is unwilling to approve any non-pharmaceutical component. There’s no chance that natural supplements will receive government funding for the research needed to appease those who need evidence.
That being said, there’s plenty of evidence and there are plenty of studies that support the use of vitamin C in cats.
Our personal experience with vitamin C and cats
Pooh Bear, our special needs cat with an autoimmune disease and high anxiety, was struggling to urinate. It was the weekend, of course, and taking him to a vet is so terrible because anxiety triggers the bursting of ulcers he has from his disease. We tested his urine with pH strips and it was too alkaline. We knew that alkaline pH can create struvite crystals in the urine, so we gave him a mega dose of pure ascorbic acid and water (product listed below). We watched him closely that evening and he was urinating just fine by morning. We continued giving him vitamin C for a few more days, just to be safe. He was fine.
Scotch, our oldest cat, was 18 years old and slowing down tremendously. When we had his blood tested, the vet said his kidney levels were also high. We immediately began transitioning him to a species appropriate raw food diet and added CATalyst and a high dose of vitamin C to his diet. Within a few weeks he was jumping from counter to counter and climbing the fridge. He is now 21 years old and his kidney levels have not increased at all.
There’s a quote from the movie The Notebook that says, “science only goes so far, then there’s God”. I’d like to rephrase that to “science only goes so far, then there’s common sense”.
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