Aktivait: capsule to improve mental alertness in older cats
Anti-dementia tablet for cats
Have you heard of Activait® for cats and if so have you used it? This is a “nutraceutical” supplement in a capsule which is claimed to prevent brain damage due to aging. It sounds like a sort of anti-dementia product. To good to be true? It seems not.
Sixty capsules cost about £25-30 in the UK or about £2 per capsule at it most expensive. My first question is about getting your cat to eat this. It doesn’t matter if you deliver a capsule direct or on food it will usually be damn tricky.
However there are some good write ups about this product. It is a supplement for older cats and dogs (the products are not interchangeable, incidentally).
The ingredients have been recorded to improve signs of disorientation, social interaction and house soiling in older dogs.
The supplement contains:
- omega-3 fish oils
- vitamins E and C
- L-carnitine
- alpha lipoic acid (this is toxic to cats so I presume is not included in the cat version)
- coenyzyme Q
- phosphotidylserine
- selenium
The studies about the benefits of this product relate to dogs but as mentioned the results were good.
Has anyone tried it?
I’m not familiar with this trade name; but, I’m aware that Hills Science Diet has a canine food on the market with the same ingredients in it.
I don’t really see how the ingredients listed will actually make a change in cognition. They’re really considered supportive supplements that may help some with slowing the progression of the already present dementia.
There’s nothing harmful; and, I think using it would make caretakers feel good that they are doing something helpful even if it has no impact on the animal.
I think that consumers for animal products need to keep in mind that many companies play to our emotions, knowing that we are influenced by products claiming to enhance the lives’ of our pets.
I agree but what caught my eye was a short article by Dr Fogle a well-known British vet who said that dogs have been shown to improve with this product. It is probably worth trying. If I had known about it I’d have tried it on my late Binnie as she had a bit of dementia.
I like and respect Dr. Fogle.
I just have a thing about any practitioner endorsing or partnering with products on the market. I don’t like walking into a doctor’s office and seeing what looks like advertisements all over. Worse yet are the offices with commercials for products playing over and over… no programming… just one product info commercial after another.
Yes, vets should be neutral and objective. They are not.