Short answer. Cat supplements are dosed by body weight, like dog supplements, but the amounts are not proportional and the three Trueleaf cat formulas do not share one table. Calming Support runs one chew a day for a cat up to 5 lb and five a day over 20 lb. Hairball Support and Senior Support both run double that, two a day up to 5 lb and ten a day over 20 lb. Cats are not small dogs, and a supplement formulated for a dog should not be given to one.
How much should I give my cat?
Calming Support for cats
| Body weight | Chews per day |
|---|---|
| 1 to 5 lb | 1 |
| 5.1 to 10 lb | 2 |
| 10.1 to 15 lb | 3 |
| 15.1 to 20 lb | 4 |
| Over 20.1 lb | 5 |
Hairball Support and Senior Support, the same table for both
| Body weight | Chews per day |
|---|---|
| 1 to 5 lb | 2 |
| 5.1 to 10 lb | 4 |
| 10.1 to 15 lb | 6 |
| 15.1 to 20 lb | 8 |
| Over 20.1 lb | 10 |
Ten chews a day sounds like a lot and it is worth explaining. These are small chews, and the hairball and senior formulas work through fibre and oil content, which needs volume to do anything. Spread them across the day rather than putting ten in a bowl at once. Most cats will take them as treats through the evening.
Why can't I just give my cat the dog version?
Cats handle a number of compounds differently from dogs, and several things that are routine in a dog formula are not appropriate for a cat. This is the single most important line on this page: do not split a dog supplement down to cat size. Use a formula made for cats.
It is also worth saying that cats are harder to supplement in general. They are neophobic by nature, they notice changes in texture and smell that a dog would eat straight through, and a cat who decides a food is suspicious will remember that decision for weeks. Introduce anything new alongside something familiar, and give it several days before concluding they have refused it.
If your cat is on medication, or has kidney disease, liver disease or diabetes, talk to your veterinarian before adding anything at all.
Allergens: two of the three contain fish, one contains shellfish
Taken from the labels as they read today, because this is the sort of thing worth being direct about.
| Formula | Contains |
|---|---|
| Calming Support for Cats | Fish. Salmon forms part of the Omega-3 blend, alongside flaxseed and hemp seed |
| Hairball Support for Cats | Fish. Salmon oil is an active ingredient |
| Senior Support for Cats | Fish and shellfish. Green lipped mussel powder |
If your cat has a diagnosed fish or shellfish sensitivity, Senior Support is the one to rule out first. The other two still contain salmon. All three also contain poultry and pork protein among the inactive ingredients, which matters if your cat is on an elimination diet. Check the full list on each product page before you buy.
How many hairballs are normal?
An occasional hairball in a long-haired cat is ordinary. Hairball supplements work mainly through fibre and oils that support the normal passage of swallowed hair through the gut.
What is not ordinary, and needs a veterinarian rather than a supplement:
- Repeated retching that produces nothing
- More than roughly one hairball a month, or a sudden increase on their usual pattern
- Retching alongside weight loss, appetite change or lethargy
- Straining in the litter box
Retching that produces nothing is the one to take seriously. It can be a sign of something other than hair, an obstruction included. Feline asthma is also commonly mistaken by owners for hairball behaviour, because the posture looks similar and the cough sounds like a cat working up to something.
Brushing does more than any product here. Every day for a long-haired cat, two or three times a week for a short-haired one. Less hair swallowed means less hair to pass, and nothing you can feed competes with simply removing it first.
What changes for a senior cat?
Cats are generally considered senior from around eleven. What shifts: kidney function, joint comfort, muscle mass, coat quality and often appetite.
The most useful thing an owner of a senior cat can do is not a supplement at all. It is twice-yearly veterinary visits with bloodwork, because the conditions that shorten a senior cat's life show up in blood values long before they show up in behaviour. By the time a cat looks unwell, you are often late.
Second most useful, and free: weigh your cat once a month on a kitchen scale and write it down. Steady weight loss is one of the earliest signals there is, and it is almost impossible to see by eye on an animal you live with every day.
What does stress look like in a cat?
Not like a dog. Cats hide, over-groom, avoid the litter box and redirect aggression onto another pet in the house. There is rarely any pacing or vocalising to warn you.
Environment usually matters more than anything you can feed. Litter boxes, one per cat plus one, in separate locations rather than lined up in the same room. Vertical space they can retreat to. Predictable feeding times. Somewhere the dog or the toddler genuinely cannot follow.
Litter box avoidance deserves singling out. It is very often a medical sign, urinary in particular. It warrants a veterinary visit before anyone treats it as a behaviour problem or a cleanliness one.
Common questions
How much do I give my cat?
By weight, daily. Calming Support uses one table and the other two use a different one with roughly double the count, so check which product you have.
Can I give my cat the dog version?
No. Use a cat formula.
Ten chews a day seems like a lot.
The chews are small and those two formulas depend on fibre and oil volume. Spread them across the day.
My cat will not eat it.
Try it crumbled into wet food alongside something familiar. Give it several days before you decide.
When is my cat a senior?
Around eleven, and twice-yearly veterinary visits with bloodwork are the standard advice from that point.
When to talk to your vet instead
Cats are unusually good at hiding illness, which is the reason so much of this page routes you to a veterinarian rather than to a product. Weight loss, appetite change, hiding more than usual, any change in litter box habits or retching that produces nothing: all of those are appointments. A supplement supports a cat who is basically well, and the difficult part with cats is that basically well and quietly unwell look almost identical from across the room. You can see all three formulas on the cat collection page.
