The 7 Best Cat Supplements, According to Real Cats

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Cat supplements we recommend on an orange background

The Spruce Pets / Amelia Manley

At some point in their lives, most cats will struggle with itchy skin, bouts of diarrhea, upper respiratory issues, joint pain, or other ailments. A nutritional supplement for a cat can enhance their overall well-being while helping to address issues, alleviate symptoms, and minimize their discomfort.

We recommend checking with a vet before introducing anything new to your cat's diet, especially since some dietary supplements for pets make exaggerated claims about their efficacy.

For help finding the best cat supplements, we began with detailed feedback from 13 households with cats. We asked each to evaluate their cat's supplements—is it easy to use? Did it have the desired affect on their cat's health? This provided a strong basis for further research. We looked in particular for supplement brands that work with industry-leading third-party organizations, like the National Animal Supplements Council (NASC), to ensure their products are safe for pet consumption.

We found a lot of great options to meet a variety of feline needs and preferences. Our favorite cat supplement is The Missing Link's Superfood Powders Feline Wellbeing Supplement which blends healthy fats, phytonutrients, and dietary fiber in an easily delivered powder form. 

Our Top Picks

Best Overall

The Missing Link Feline Wellbeing Supplement

The Missing Link
The Missing Link.
What We Like
  • Supports skin, coat, digestion, and immunity

  • Adds savory flavor to food

  • NASC certified

  • Packaged in resealable bag

What We Don't Like
  • More challenging to mix in with dry food

The Missing Link's Superfood Powders Feline Wellbeing Supplement provides omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, dietary fiber, and phytonutrients to support skin and coat health, proper digestion, and immunity. The supplement is easy to add to a cat's normal food, and it has been independently tested and certified by the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), a non-profit organization committed to promoting and enhancing transparency, safety, and quality within the animal health supplement industry.

The supplement for cats is made with flaxseed, beef liver, dried kelp, barley grass, and alfalfa meal for a well-rounded dose of protein, fat, fibrous carbs, vitamins, and minerals. It's manufactured in the United States in a facility registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to produce products for animal consumption.

Depending on your cat's weight, you'll give them up to one full teaspoon of Superfood Powders Feline Wellbeing Supplement per day. The flavor is described as savory or meaty, but there are some cats that do not like the added flavor to their food. It's more likely to be consumed if the powder is cohesively mixed in, so if your cat eats kibble you should try to lightly moisten the powder with a spray bottle to make it a little sticky.

NASC Quality Seal: Yes | Type: Powder | Benefits: Skin, coat, digestion, immunity

Best Probiotics

Purina Pro Plan FortiFlora for Cats

Amazon Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements FortiFlora for Cats

Amazon

What We Like
  • Helps restore gut balance after diarrhea

  • Provides probiotics and antioxidants

  • Pre-measured packets are easy to use

What We Don't Like
  • Adds liver flavor to food which not all cats enjoy

For cats struggling with diarrhea, Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Formula FortiFlora for Felines is our top recommendation to help alleviate symptoms and restore balance to their digestive system. From our survey, the majority of the cat parents found this product to be reliable, effective, and easy to administer.

Each daily dose is individually package in a sachet to preserve the potency. There is no need to measure, simply tear open a packet and sprinkled it top of a cat's regular food. Your cat will ingest live probiotics—a healthy strain of bacteria known as enterococcus faecium—to promote intestinal health. Other ingredients include brewer's yeast, vitamin C, zinc, manganese, calcium, and taurine.

This Purina supplement was developed by scientists, veterinarians, and nutritionists in the United States specifically for cats. One box comes with 30 pre-portioned packets containing live microorganisms (probiotics), which you can sprinkle over your cat's food once a day.

NASC Quality Seal: Yes | Type: Powder | Benefits: Digestion, immunity

Best for Skin and Coat

Zesty Paws Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil

Pure Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil for Dogs & Cats

Amazon

What We Like
  • Helps skin retain moisture to alleviate dryness

  • Free of GMOs

  • Fish oil from wild caught Alaskan salmon

  • No artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, or synthetic colors

  • Suitable for dogs and cats

What We Don't Like
  • Has a fishy odor that tends to linger if spilled

The Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil from Zesty Paws is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA and DHA, which are naturally found in fish. For cats, adding one or two teaspoons of the oil to their food can help keep their skin retain moisture, alleviating dryness and bringing about a healthier coat.

Zesty Paws derives their fish oil from wild salmon caught in the Alaskan Bering Sea, and the fish oil is free of GMOs, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, and synthetic colors. The Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil is suitable for dogs and cats, and the recommended serving increases with weight. Most cats enjoy the flavor, but the oil retains the fishy smell of salmon which will linger if spilled so use caution when pouring (we learned from experience).

NASC Quality Seal: Yes | Type: Oil | Benefits: Skin, coat

Best for Joints

Nutramax Cosequin Joint Health Supplement for Cats

Nutramax Cosequin Joint Health Supplement for Cats

Courtesy by Amazon

What We Like
  • Provides glucosamine and chondroitin for joint and muscle health

  • Capsule or soft chew format

  • Also beneficial for some bladder issues

What We Don't Like
  • Omega-3 fatty acids only added to soft chew version

If your feline has arthritis or other joint issues, we recommend Nutramax's Cosequin Supplement for Cats. This supplement contains a blend of glucosamine, manganese, and chondroitin sulfate, which help produce cartilage and protect bones. Cosequin for Cats can also improve bladder health by protecting the lining of the bladder wall.

Depending on your cat's weight, a daily dose will be one or two capsules which are easy to open and sprinkle on to your cat's food. Nutramax also offers a soft chew version of the Cosequin Supplement for Cats with the added benefits of omega-3 fatty acids for coat and skin health, but not all cats view the chew as a treat so it might be more difficult to get them to eat the supplement in that form.

All of Nutramax's supplements for pets are made in the United States where the company implements strict guidelines and rigorous testing, but the company does not partner with the NASC.

NASC Quality Seal: No | Type: Capsule or soft chew | Benefits: Joints, muscles, bladder

Best for Seniors

VetriScience Laboratories Senior MultiVitamin

VETRISCIENCE NuCat Senior Multivitamin for Cats

Courtesy by Amazon

What We Like
  • Fish-flavored

  • Provides antioxidants, amino acids, fish oil omegas, and B vitamin

  • Formulated to maintain immune, heart, liver, eye, and brain health

What We Don't Like
  • Only available as a soft chew

When your feline friend reaches their senior stage (around 11 years of age), you might start noticing issues related to vision, mobility, and respiratory health. VertriScience Nu Cat Senior Multivitamin is a formulated to support whole-body health (immune, heart, liver, eye and brain) in senior house cats.

Each bite-sized chew is fish-flavored and made with nutrient rich ingredients including: salmon oil, safflower oil, taurine, lysine, oat flour, and rye flour to provide healthy fats, whole-grain fiber, and amino acids. This daily supplement also contains calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, Vitamin B12, Vitamin A, folic acid, and biotin.

NASC Quality Seal: Yes | Type: Soft chews | Benefits: Skin, coat, ocular, joint, muscles,

Best for Immune Support

Tomlyn L-Lysine Immune Support

Tomlyn Immune Support

Tomlyn Immune Support

What We Like
  • Chicken and fish flavored

  • Supports eye, respiratory, and immune system health

  • Sprinkle on top of regular food

What We Don't Like
  • Some humans don't like the smell

Each serving of Tomyln L-Lysine Immune Support for Cats provides 500 mg of Lysine, an essential amino acid, to help your cat's immune system stay strong. Lysine is also beneficial for eye and respiratory health. After a bout of recurring pink eye infections (conjunctivitis), a survey participant added a scoop of this supplement to two meals per day and their short hair domestic's eyes have been infection free for over three years.

For cat's six months of age or older, the recommended daily dose is one scoop two times per day, and Tomyln can be added to dry or wet food. Start by adding half a scoop or less to your cat's regular food to introduce the supplement slowly. The powder is fish and chicken flavored, and most cats find it enjoyable, but Tomyln also offers this supplement as a daily fish-flavored soft chew. All are made in the United States and have the NASC quality seal.

NASC Quality Seal: Yes | Type: Powder or soft chew | Benefits: Immunity, ocular, respiratory

Best Meal Topper

Fera Pets Multivitamin Topper for Cats and Dogs

Fera Pets Meal Topper

Fera Pets

What We Like
  • Resealable and recyclable pouches

  • Provides vitamins, minerals, and probiotics

  • Adds cheesy flavor and scent to food

  • Suitable for dogs and cats

What We Don't Like
  • Not suitable for cats with a goat milk allergy

Fera Pets Multivitamin Goat Milk Topper is easy to add to your cat's favorite food. The powdery supplement's main ingredient is nutrient rich goat milk which adds a cheesy smell and flavor along with vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. A daily serving for cats up to 25 pounds is one teaspoon, and the topper is packaged in a resealable bag.

The Multivitamin Goat Milk Topper is beneficial for most cats (and dogs), but Fera Pets also offers the Hip & Joint Goat Milk Meal Topper with glucosamine and MSM; the Skin & Coat Goat Milk Topper with collagen, biotin, and vitamin C; the Immune Goat Milk Meal Topper colostrum and temperature-stable probiotics; and the Calm Goat Milk Meal Topper with ashwagandha and L-theanine.

Fera Pets sources their goat's milk from The Netherlands from grass-fed goats raised without GMOs, antibiotics, and growth hormones.

NASC Quality Seal: Yes | Type: Powder | Benefits: Immunity, digestion

Final Verdict

If you're looking for a high-quality supplement that supports whole-body health, your best bet is The Missing Link The Original Superfood Supplement for Cats. The powdered formula is chock full of healthy fats, phytonutrients, and dietary fiber. That said, if you have a senior cat at home, you might want to select something formulated specifically for older felines, like VetriScience Laboratories Nu Cat Senior MultiVitamin, which has essential amino acids and omega-3s, plus a blend of vitamins and minerals.

How We Found The Best Supplements for Cats

Veterinary products can be difficult to independently test, so we instead rely on our wide pool of testers and product experts for feedback about their experience with medications, supplements, and other veterinary products. Most recently, our research team created a comprehensive survey to gather consistent data across multiple households about preferred supplement for cats. This survey of more than 15 cats (their owners did the answering) provided us insights into each cat's age, weight, and other factors that helped us select the best supplements for any variety of cat. We asked about which supplements were used in each household and how often, gathering data on benefits, consistency, and preferred brands. Finally, we also asked each cat owner to provide numerical ratings and detailed feedback for their chosen supplements, scoring for ease of use, effectiveness, and value.

We also consulted with multiple expert sources, both while developing our survey and for additional insights into how to best use supplements for cats.

What To Look For In Cat Supplements

NASC Certification

There are a number of organizations dedicated to vetting products created for animals. We recommended checking the product you select for your can for the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) seal of approval.

To place the NASC seal on product packaging, companies must have strict quality controls and a system in place to monitor products in production. These supplement manufacturers are required to submit to random testing and meet strict labeling guidelines.

Ingredients

Look for products that clearly list out all ingredients. If you aren't familiar with an ingredient, do some research before you give the supplement to your cat.

In general, products for pets that are manufactured in the United States are required to disclose the ingredients that are included, but that doesn't always apply to products from international manufacturers. We recommend steering clear of supplements that contain fillers, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives, and looking for information on where ingredients were sourced.

For example, Zesty Paws supplements clearly state that their products contain no artificial flavors or preservatives or synthetic colors. The products are made in the United States with U.S. and globally sourced ingredients.

FAQ
  • Do all cats need supplements?

    No. Always check with your veterinarian before introducing a supplement to your cat. With your vet's guidance, you can pinpoint which supplement is the most beneficial for your cat's current needs.

  • Do cat supplements help with arthritis?

    Potentially but check with your veterinarian first before giving your cat a supplement for arthritis. Studies have shown that cats with arthritis may benefit from taking a supplement with glucosamine, chondroitin, and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) to reduce joint pain and inflammation.

  • Can cats take supplements made for humans?

    No, do not give your cat supplements made for humans as they may contain ingredients that are harmful to cats. Consult with your veterinarian to find the supplements best suited for your cat.

Why Trust The Spruce Pets?

This article was written by Theresa Holland, a professional writer, animal lover, and former pet owner with extensive experience covering cat and dog products. You can read more of her work on The Spruce, MyDomaine, and Byrdie.

This roundup was updated by Anna Mejorada, a writer for The Spruce Pets, who shares her home with a happy pomeranian named Gidget.