So I recently visited a vet for my cat’s eye issue, and she asked me what I feed my cat… it’s chicken thigh, chicken heart, chicken liver and a little pumpkin and very small amount of rice. I told her I also add supplements like taurine, calcium, sardine, and another multivitamin syrup that covers iron, vitamin D and B vitamins.
She immediately started lecturing me that these supplements are unnecessary since I’m feeding her primarily meat based diet. She used taurine as an example and said its already present in the meat that I am giving, even when I questioned if the amount is enough, or if cats would be able to synthesise it, she was very confident in her advice. She additionally told me to make sure i feed 200g chicken thigh and the organ meat only once or twice a week.
The whole experience made me feel a bit weirded out and even question her expertise/education as a vet, especially since she is not a vet nutritionist and I did not go to her for dietary advice or ask about it.
But I’m wondering if my understanding regarding supplements and balanced diet is correct now, I just wanted to double check on here. I’ve been using the FEDIAF 2025 nutritional requirement for cats as a reference and making sure my cat gets her required amount of all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and nutrients through her home food and supplements.
I do plan to visit a vet nutritionist and get a second opinion, but I was wondering things like adding supplements, especially taurine and calcium is basic knowledge that us cat parents have right?
I started wondering if it was some other commercial propaganda to make us buy these supplements without the need for it after hearing how confident this vet was.