Pet supplements / best of
Best cat supplements.
Every supplement we score that is labeled for cats, ranked on our rubric. Cats are underserved here, so read the dose and the evidence closely.
Cats are underserved in the supplement aisle. Many products are formulated dog-first and add a cat dose almost as an afterthought, and the cat-specific evidence is often thinner than the marketing. This list pulls every supplement we score that is labeled for cats, ranked by full composite, so you can see the cat-relevant options in one place with their tradeoffs named.
Two patterns are worth knowing going in. First, the strongest-evidenced category for cats is the same as for dogs: omega-3 fish oil, where the research is best and a small cat's dose is easy to hit. Second, several popular cat supplements rest on weak or contrary evidence, which our rubric reflects regardless of how well the product is made: a general-wellness multivitamin for a healthy cat on a complete diet, an L-lysine product for feline herpesvirus, and probiotic blends that disclose only a combined CFU count.
Use the ranking as a starting point, then read each scorecard's evidence and dose. A supplement is not a substitute for a complete diet or veterinary care, and scores are our opinion under a published rubric, not veterinary advice.
23 supplements
Ranked by PetScored composite.
- Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Pet Soft Gels
The strongest-evidence omega active, fully disclosed in triglyceride form and third-party tested; a partial per-softgel dose for a larger dog keeps it just under the top.
Dogs & catsSkin & coatNASC seal8.8Strong - Zesty Paws Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil
A disclosed, well-dosed salmon and pollock omega oil, NASC-sealed and inexpensive per day; strong execution puts it near the top. The Feb 2025 Zesty Paws recall covered soft chews, not this oil.
Dogs & catsSkin & coatNASC seal8.5Strong - Grizzly Salmon Plus Wild Salmon Oil
High disclosed EPA and DHA per pump in natural triglyceride form, NASC-audited, and inexpensive per day; strong execution lands it at the top of Good.
Dogs & catsSkin & coatNASC seal8.4Good - Nutramax Denamarin Tablets for Dogs (Medium)
The studied SAMe and silybin combination at the dose used in the canine trial, fully disclosed; moderate evidence and a high cost per day keep it Good.
Dogs & catsLiver7.9Good - Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Cat
A triglyceride-form fish oil third-party tested for purity and keyed to the feline skin and coat evidence; a typical cat reaches only a partial share of the studied EPA and DHA dose at the labeled serving, which keeps it Good rather than Strong.
CatsSkin & coatNASC seal7.8Good - Nutramax Dasuquin for Cats Sprinkle Capsules
A fully-disclosed glucosamine, chondroitin, and ASU joint capsule for cats at the studied forms and a weight-scaled dose; the active's osteoarthritis evidence is contested and Nutramax is not an NASC member, so it lands Good rather than Strong.
CatsJoint7.8Good - Nutramax Welactin Feline Omega-3
A disclosed fish-oil liquid delivering an EPA and DHA dose near the feline dermatology target, keyed to the cat skin and coat evidence; well made, though the fish-oil form is not stated and the scoop count is derived.
CatsSkin & coat7.8Good - VetriScience GlycoFlex Plus for Cats
A fully disclosed, per-ingredient cat joint chew from a NASC, own-facility maker, with green-lipped mussel alongside glucosamine and chondroitin and a hedged support claim; the catch is the same as every glucosamine product, the evidence for the active is weak and contested, so it lands Good on execution rather than Strong on proof.
CatsJointNASC seal7.8Good - Nutramax Cosequin for Cats Sprinkle Capsules
A transparent, well-priced feline joint capsule from a batch-testing owner-operator, held to Good by the contested glucosamine and chondroitin evidence base.
CatsJoint7.7Good - Vetoquinol Zylkene Capsules (75 mg)
The canonical alpha-casozepine calming supplement, a milk-protein hydrolysate with modest but real randomized-trial support for situational stress in cats and dogs, NASC-sealed with a restrained non-sedating claim. It scores on a moderate evidence tier, not a strong one, and at over a dollar a day it runs expensive for the category.
Dogs & catsCalmingNASC seal7.4Mixed - Pet Naturals Calming for Dogs and Cats
The studied L-theanine form, fully disclosed and very cheap per day, but at 5 mg it is well under the studied dose; weak evidence and a low dose hold it to Mixed.
Dogs & catsCalmingNASC seal7.3Mixed - VetriScience Composure Calming Chews
A calming chew scored on its disclosed L-theanine (the studied Suntheanine form); the C3 colostrum complex is not in our evidence library and at 21 mg the L-theanine is below the studied dose, so it lands Mixed.
Dogs & catsCalmingNASC seal7.3Mixed - Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements FortiFlora Feline Probiotic
The feline twin of FortiFlora: one studied strain from an owner-operator manufacturer, but no NASC seal, no independent testing, and a high cost per day; Mixed.
CatsGut & digestive7.1Mixed - Virbac Vetasyl Fiber Capsules
The one hairball product built on fiber, which is the only hairball approach with controlled cat evidence: a randomized trial found a dose-dependent drop in trichobezoars from a specific fiber, and a second study found psyllium plus higher dietary fiber raised fecal hair excretion in long-haired cats. The label is clean, NASC-sealed, and weight-scaled, with psyllium disclosed at 490 mg per capsule. The catch is dose: the trials raised total dietary fiber to 11 to 15 percent of the diet, and a single 490 mg capsule is far smaller than that, so the label does not prove a daily capsule delivers a studied-effective amount, and Value is flagged approximate. Still the best-evidenced option in a category whose alternative is petroleum gel with no efficacy trial.
CatsHairballNASC seal7.1Mixed - VetriScience UT Strength Feline
A fully disclosed, NASC-sealed cat urinary chew with a restrained support claim; the problem is the evidence, not the execution. A placebo-controlled trial of oral glucosamine for feline idiopathic cystitis found no benefit, and the 2025 feline consensus says glycosaminoglycans have no significant benefit, so a cranberry-and-glucosamine urinary supplement scores low on evidence no matter how cleanly it is made.
CatsUrinaryNASC seal6.8Mixed - NaturVet Cranberry Relief Plus Echinacea for Cats
A cleanly disclosed, NASC cat urinary chew built on cranberry; the support claim is restrained, but cranberry has no controlled efficacy evidence in cats and most feline lower-urinary disease is sterile, so the anti-adhesion rationale does not even apply. Well made, weakly evidenced.
CatsUrinaryNASC seal6.6Mixed - Vetoquinol Enisyl-F L-Lysine Oral Paste
A well-made, NASC-sealed, properly dosed L-lysine paste from an owner-operator manufacturer, but the controlled evidence is against lysine for feline herpesvirus, which lands it in Limited; to its credit the label stays restrained and does not over-claim a cure.
CatsImmune & respiratoryNASC seal6.4Limited - VetriScience NuCat Multivitamin
An NASC-sealed, fully-disclosed feline multivitamin from an owned cGMP facility; well made and cheap, but a general-wellness multivitamin for a healthy cat on a complete diet has weak evidence, which is what holds it down.
CatsMultivitaminNASC seal6.3Limited - Nutri-Vet Hairball Paw-Gel for Cats
A petroleum-free hairball gel that licks off the paw, built on vegetable oils rather than petrolatum, with every active disclosed and an NASC seal. The catch is that petroleum-free is a sourcing story, not an efficacy one: a vegetable-oil lubricant gel rests on the same absent evidence as the traditional petroleum kind, because a peer-reviewed review found none of the commonly recommended hairball-prevention strategies have been tested in cats. The label stays modest, claiming to lubricate and minimize shedding rather than to eliminate hairballs, which is why it edges just above the petrolatum gel on honesty while landing in the same low band. Fiber is the only hairball approach with trial support.
CatsHairballNASC seal6.0Limited - Tomlyn Laxatone Hairball Remedy Gel
The classic petroleum-jelly hairball gel, NASC-sealed and clearly labeled, but it has no controlled efficacy trial in cats; a peer-reviewed review notes no study has evaluated the common hairball-prevention strategies. The lubricant mechanism is plausible and low-risk, but the 'eliminate and prevent' claim runs ahead of the evidence, so it scores at the floor. Fiber, not lubricant gels, is the hairball approach with actual trial support.
CatsHairballNASC seal5.5Limited - VetriScience Vetri Mega Probiotic
A 7-strain probiotic that names its strains but discloses only a combined 7.5 billion CFU, so we cannot confirm an effective per-strain dose and the Active Dose score is capped; the marketing also reaches past the acute-diarrhea evidence into allergy, immune, and behavior claims. Well made and inexpensive per day, but the hidden per-strain dose and claim breadth land it low.
Dogs & catsGut & digestiveNASC sealProprietary blend5.3Limited - Nutramax Proviable-DC Probiotic Capsules
A seven-strain probiotic from a batch-testing maker at the studied strain set, well priced; the multi-strain evidence is modest and per-strain CFU is hidden behind a proprietary blend, so it lands Limited.
Dogs & catsGut & digestiveProprietary blend5.2Limited - Visbiome Visbiome Vet High Potency Probiotic
The studied De Simone (former VSL#3) multi-strain formulation, NASC-sealed, but it discloses only a combined 112.5 billion CFU rather than per-strain amounts, so under our rules it is a proprietary blend (Active Dose capped) and at over a dollar a day it lands in Limited.
Dogs & catsGut & digestiveNASC sealProprietary blend5.1Limited
FAQ
Frequently asked
What supplements are actually worth giving a cat?
It depends entirely on the need. Omega-3 fish oil has the strongest evidence, mainly for joint comfort and skin. Studied-form joint and liver supplements have a reasonable case for the right cat. A general multivitamin for a healthy cat already eating a complete diet has weak support. Talk to your veterinarian about your specific cat before starting anything.
Why do some popular cat supplements score low here?
Because our rubric scores the evidence and the delivered dose, not popularity. A healthy-cat multivitamin sits on weak evidence; L-lysine is sold for feline herpesvirus that the controlled trials say it does not prevent or treat; and combined-CFU probiotic blends hide their per-strain dose, which caps the Active Dose score. Good manufacturing cannot rescue those.
Can I give my cat a dog supplement?
Sometimes the same product is labeled for both, and several here are. But cats are not small dogs: dosing differs, and some ingredients safe for dogs are not appropriate for cats. Only give a cat a product labeled and dosed for cats, and check with your veterinarian first.
This ranking is our opinion under a published rubric, not veterinary advice. Affiliate links on individual scorecards never affect the score. See the affiliate disclosure and medical disclaimer.