Vitamin B12 is essential for cats and can only be taken through nutrition: let’s find out which foods contain it.
Cobalamin is an essential vitamin for our four-legged friend. In fact, it performs very important functions in Fuffy’s body: a lack of it could cause serious damage. Let’s see which foods contain vitamin B12 and what are the consequences of cobalamin deficiency in cats.
The importance of cobalamin in cats
Also known as cobalamin, vitamin B12 is a major contributor to a cat’s well-being.
It is an essential nutrient of group B, which also includes:
- Vitamin B1, or thiamine;
- Vitamina B2, o riboflavina;
- Vitamin B3, or niacin;
- Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid;
- Vitamin B6;
- Vitamin B8, or biotin;
- Vitamin B9, or folic acid.
What is cobalamin used for? It regulates important vital functions in the cat, including digestive and gastrointestinal functions. In addition, it participates in the red blood cell production process and contributes to the proper functioning of the nervous system.
Finally, vitamin B12 has anticarcinogenic, detoxifying and mood-modulating effects.
Foods that contain vitamin B12 for cats
As we have anticipated, the cat’s body is not able to synthesize vitamin B12 independently: it must be taken through the foods that contain it.
For this, it is essential that the cat’s diet is balanced and balanced, in order to provide it with all the essential nutrients it needs. In which foods is this essential B vitamin found? Here is a list:
- Liver;
- Egg;
- Pesce;
- Viscera
- Offal.
Furthermore, cobalamin is also present in foods of plant origin, albeit in smaller quantities. Among these are spirulina algae and sea buckthorn.
Symptoms and risks of vitamin B12 deficiency in cats
If the cat does not eat foods that contain a sufficient amount of vitamin B12, it could suffer from serious nutritional deficiencies.
How to recognize cobalamin deficiency in cats Here are the main symptoms manifested by the animal:
- Lethargy and fatigue in cats;
- Diarrhea;
- He retched;
- Difficulty moving
- Lack of coordination
- Weight loss;
- Depression.
Among the other causes that can determine a lack of vitamin B12 in cats, there is a problem of absorption of the nutrients contained in food.
In this case, we speak of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. This pathology affects the pancreas and impairs its digestive abilities, making the animal more voracious, but visibly wasted.
Other diseases that can cause cobalamin deficiency in cats include diabetes and kidney failure in cats. How is vitamin B12 deficiency treated?
After having diagnosed this condition through simple blood tests, from which the red blood cell count will be very low, it will be sufficient to give the animal some supplements, as well as, of course, formulate a food plan complete with all the essential nutrients for its Welfare.
