Apple Cider Vinegar and Cats?

kittylover23 · Jul 13, 2012

Well, apple cider vinegar may be the smelliest form of vinegar, but it does have it's benefits with humans. It cured my dad of heartburn and acid reflux. As soon as he had an "attack", he took the ACV and it stopped it. Eventually, the attacks stopped altogether! So I was thinking, if humans can benefit from ACV, what about kitties?

From http://therealowner.com/health/10-good-reasons-to-give-your-pet-apple-cider-vinegar/, ten good reasons to give your pet ACV:

1. ACV contains vitamins, minerals, and enzymes important for keeping animals healthy.
2.ACV neutralizes the acid in dogs and cats. Adding apple cider vinegar to their food will help keep those brown tear stains for forming under their eyes and eliminate the brown patches on your lawn by balancing your pet’s PH.
3. A solution of half water and half ACV added to the skin after a bath will get rid of fleas. Let the fur air dry and, to be sure fleas don’t return add a table spoon of ACV to their drinking water. (4 to 5 cups of water) Adjust amount of vinegar for small animals.
4. For itchy skin use a solution of half water and half ACV on your pet’s skin as well as adding it to their drinking water.
5. For Ringworm, sponge affected areas twice a day with one third water and two thirds ACV.
6. You can ease the pain of arthritis and stop hot spots by adding ACV to your pet’s drinking water.
7. Spray your barn with Apple Cider Vinegar to keep flies away. Also, sprayed on farm animals to keep flies, and other pests away.
8. A bit of vinegar in their food or drinking water will keep kidney stones from forming especially in cats.
9. Spray ACV to horses hooves to dry up thrush.
10. Spray your pet’s bed and bedding with ACV every few days to keep fleas from moving in and to keep it smelling nice.
Your pet depends on you for it’s well being so it is important to remember that small animals such as birds, cats, and small dogs need a lot less ACV than larger animals. Adjust the dose according to your pet’s size and work them up slowly to the recommended dose. If you are not sure how much ACV to use talk to your animal health professional.

Story of a cat whose life was saved by ACV: http://murphyscats.blogspot.ca/2008/11/domino-cat-saved-by-apple-cider-vinegar.html

My question is, is it safe and do you reccomend it?

mrsgreenjeens · Jul 15, 2012

I don't think you could get a cat to drink it! As far as rinsing them in partial ACV (if you're brave enough to give them a bath

), I don't think that would hurt.

Definitely think there is something to the healing benefits to it, just think cats are finicky enough and have such sensitive noses that they would have a hard time with it. My opinion only

whollycat · Jul 15, 2012

JMO, but I would not add this to my kitties diet. ACV has an undiluted pH of between 4.25-5.0 (it is very acidifying), so not something I would be comfortable with. Messing with the natural balance of a kitty's pH is a recipe for disaster with the urinary problems it could cause. I'd pass.

kittylover23 · Jul 15, 2012

mrsgreenjeens said:
I don't think you could get a cat to drink it! As far as rinsing them in partial ACV (if you're brave enough to give them a bath :lol3: ), I don't think that would hurt.

Definitely think there is something to the healing benefits to it, just think cats are finicky enough and have such sensitive noses that they would have a hard time with it. My opinion only

Cats definitely do have sensitive noses. :lol3: I don't think any of my cats would touch ACV with a ten foot pole!

kittylover23 · Jul 15, 2012

WhollyCat said:
JMO, but I would not add this to my kitties diet. ACV has an undiluted pH of between 4.25-5.0 (it is very acidifying), so not something I would be comfortable with. Messing with the natural balance of a kitty's pH is a recipe for disaster with the urinary problems it could cause. I'd pass. :rub:

Good point! I haven't given this to my cats yet in fear of screwing up their pH levels. :nod: I guess I will pass as well!

whollycat · Jul 15, 2012

kittylover23 said:
Good point! I haven't given this to my cats yet in fear of screwing up their pH levels.

I guess I will pass as well!

matts mom · Nov 3, 2012

I read about using Apple cider vinager to clean Feline acne, so I tried it with Matt.....a 50/50 mix with water. He went insane, lapping it up as fast as I dabbed him with it lol. I feel much better about washing his chin with this solution than I did about the peroxide. HE likes it better too lol

matts mom · Nov 3, 2012

I wouldn't use it as a suppliment or anything, but as a cleaning agent, it beats actual chemicals anyday

mewlittle · Nov 9, 2012

I put a little ACV in there drinking water they don't even notice it ever since i started adding ACV in there water my male cat stopped having crystals in his bladder and no more infections same thing for my male dog and my 1yr old kitten ear cleared up and it helped heal up there soars on there skin and i noticed less vomiting and no more gunky stuff in bumbles eyes while nothing else helped for there problems not long ago i ran out of ACV and they didn't have it for a month there problems slowly started to come back yesterday i finely was able to get more ACV and I added to there water last night they are steal drinking there water with no problems and they are on a good diet also i think my cats problems started when they was with there previous owners

rosti · Nov 10, 2012

I've heard of this before but I wouldn't make/let them drink it. I actually have a skin problem myself that I am treating with ACV and wouldn't hesitate at using it on cats. Yes I have used it on ear infections with VERY good results. And on thrush with horses...........

space1101 · Nov 10, 2012

I used to put a little bit in their water and they drank it for a bout 1 or 2 month. I don't know if it is good or bad, my cats look the same with or without vinegar in their drink.

jim peterford · Feb 20, 2013

Does anyone know if it's ok to put a little ACV in my kitties food if she has occasional flare ups of pancreatitis and has stomach issues where her gut sounds a little too gurgly and will vomit bile when she has a flare up? I'm at the point where I am doing everything possible and this is the only thing I haven't tried. She is on 2.5mg of Prednisolone every other day, herbal pills for pancreatitis and colon health, I just started putting a little fish oil in her food and my vet recommends 2.5mg of pepcid daily to keep her tummy calm. He said he doesn't know of anyone that uses ACV but he would think that vinegar being as acidic as it is would not be beneficial to add to an acidic stomach. The top post says that ACV neutralizes acidic stomachs, so what is the truth? Anyone with a similar situation here?

meri · Apr 2, 2013

I started giving my lovely cat ACV a little over three months ago...and it has been amazing! She is a full breed Cornish Rex (hairless) with a very sensitive stomach. 8 years old...She wasn't getting along with the other cat in her home so when my neighbor was fed up, I rescued her 7 months ago. The first thing I noticed was how often she would vomit...once or twice a week. Which i guess would be normal if she had hair and needed to get rid of hairballs. So first i switched her diet to grain-free, human grade wet & dry food. This helped some and I can tell she likes the food more than the science diet she had been eating before. Then I started adding one capful of Braggs ACV and two capfuls of water to her wet food in the morning (this helps to hide the strong smell). She loves it and has only vomited once or twice since i've started giving it to her. What a relief!

here's her diet:

7-8am 2 oz of Before Grain canned turkey or beef wet food (by Merrick) with 1 capful of ACV and 2 capfuls of water added

mid day 1/4 cup of Instinct Raw boost grain-free chicken meal dry food

7- 8pm 1/2 pouch Cats in the Kitchen Chicken & duck (by Weruva)

Sometimes I'll add an extra serving of wet food in the late morning if she seems particularly hungry 1-2 oz

ACV-Bragg's Raw unfiltered, unpasteurized with the Mother

FYI-I don't give her any seafood, she doesn't like it and i've read it's not particularly good for them.

Also, Ive noticed that her teeth look better healthier since making these diet changes!

hope this helps!

myoho2.jpg

meri
Apr 2, 2013

koots · Apr 16, 2014

I would not be messing with Alkaline PH Apple Cider Vinegar. I think ordinary vinegars are Acid (white & brown) but I know ACV is Alkaline for some reason. Cats' PH is delicate balance, one slight bit into Alkaline ratio is bad & creates urinary chaos, Urine blockage. Their PH should be constantly Acid & is why their diet should be Acid Meats. Bad Alkaline causes narrowing of Urethra. Then inflammation happens quickly from straining to Pee (unsuccessfully). And Vet quick for antibiotics & other meds. to make them Pee & a nice hefty bill. They will trying to 'Pee' from the anxiety of not being able to & often around the house, so don't scald them. I would only try the Acid Vinegars with water idea, for apply on their fur to avert fleas.

kberker90 · Jun 29, 2014

I use Bragg apple cider vinegar on my kitten for fleas. Not only does he enjoy cleaning himself after, he finds the water droplets on the floor and cleans those too!!

tferney · Sep 11, 2014

Hello,

I can attest to using apple cider vinegar in cats. My male cat was blocked the vet was not open and we are 2 1/2 hours from an emergency vet. I started giving him a 1 to 4 ratio of acv and water every hour for 4 hours and by the second hour he was dribbling some urine by the 4th hour he was urinating with blood. I continued every 3 hours by mid day the next day his urine was flowing normally with no abnormal color. A few months later it happened again. I followed the same regime and it worked. Now I give him acv and water in a syringe daily and have had no more problems. My cat is very healthy. I also use it for yeast infections in my St. Bernard's ears. He gets them a few times a year. It changes the ph in the ear and the yeast can not flourish. I treat them twice a day for about a week. He is usually much better after the second dose but I continue to treat to cure it. Good luck.

koots · Sep 16, 2014

No, Apple Cider Vinegar is not Acidifying. It is Alkaline. Just Google & see extensively, it is different to other Vinegars which are Acidic, but ACV has an Alkaline effect on the body. It is called "Alkaline Forming" on the body. That is the resulting effect & telling point.

koots · Sep 16, 2014

Apple Cider Vinegar is definitely Alkaline "forming" (different to other vinegars which are Acidic forming), I wonder if your Cat had a very Acidic diet like fresh mince eg. or you may have given your cat Cranberry, (which is sometimes suggested for urinary blockages). Because if your cat responded favorably to the Alkaline Apple Cider Vinegar, it appears your cat's Blood PH was, originally, TOO acidic, which is very unusual as Cats do need an Acidic PH different to humans who need an Alkaline PH. And this could explain why your cat responded positively to ACV & began urinating.

scrittore · Nov 18, 2014

Giving ACV in any thing approaching a daily dosage is not advisable because of the issue you raise - but - giving it once a week in small quantities mixed in with food and/or water is not endangering and has noted benefits in preventing feline urinary crystals @Koots

We have three kitties - one we lost previously to cystitis several years ago before we learned of and about ACV. Haven't lost any since.

lizallen · Feb 6, 2015

I introduced apple cider vinegar to my cat Roxy's daily diet a couple of months ago following her recurring bouts of cystitis. I dilute a quarter of a teaspoon of ACV in two teaspoons of water and mix it thoroughly into her wet food, to which I add some dry food - just once a day for breakfast. At first she seemed a little bemused by this new addition to her bowl but after a couple of days she found she liked it. The infection cleared up after a couple of days and I've continued to put this amount of ACV into her food. I'd recommend that you use Bragg's raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the 'mother', which you can buy from health food shops for about a fiver, rather than a crappy bargain brand. I'm sure some cats will turn their noses up at it but it's definitely worth a try.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Cats?

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