Vegetarian capsules/caplets
- Thread starter drjsiems
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tuckers mom
Very Active Member
Vegetarian caplets don't contain gelatin, which is made from animals. I haven't seen anything that said they were not good for cats. Maybe others would know more.
janelle and Nomad
Active Member
It probably means they use a product derived from seaweed, agar agar to make the gelatin capsules. Don't you break open the capsules anyways to sprinke the taurine in the food? Agar agar is in a lot of foods including icecream and. other human products. I really don't think any tiny amount that would be in those capsules would hurt cats.
Larry and Kitties
Very Active Member
Janelle, they are caplets not capsules. Caplets are solid tablets that are in the form of a capsule.
janelle and Nomad
Active Member
It is unclear from her original post if she met capsules or caplets since she used both terms.
drjsiems
Active Member
I knowingly used both terms. I think that I remember reading somewhere that vegetarian capsules (just the capsules - not what is in them) are are not good for cats. I am assuming if that is true, which I am trying to find out, then neither would be the vegetarian Taurine caplets that I just bought because they have something vegetarian in them. In other words I am trying to find out what makes empty vegetarian capsules unsafe - if in fact, this is true.
Judy
Judy
janelle and Nomad
Active Member
This discussion somehow got side tracked on the difference between caplets and capsules. IFrom reading your original post about measuring taurine, you are using caplets which are not emclosed in a shell. If you look on the bottle, most companies are fairly good at listing all of the ingredients in the formula.
Getting back to your question about capsule shells made with agar agar, I did a search and could not find anything indicating it is harmful to cats. Agar agar is sometimes also known as kosher gelatin. Because it can be eaten along with diary products by people who follow jewish dietary laws. I was surprized at how many products and recipes use it.
Another possibility is that the caplets you bought are listed as vegetarian because the taurine comes from a nonanimal source. Taurine can be. Made synthetically.
Bottom line is I couldn't find anything that would indicate the caplets you are using would have anything harmful to your cat(s).
Getting back to your question about capsule shells made with agar agar, I did a search and could not find anything indicating it is harmful to cats. Agar agar is sometimes also known as kosher gelatin. Because it can be eaten along with diary products by people who follow jewish dietary laws. I was surprized at how many products and recipes use it.
Another possibility is that the caplets you bought are listed as vegetarian because the taurine comes from a nonanimal source. Taurine can be. Made synthetically.
Bottom line is I couldn't find anything that would indicate the caplets you are using would have anything harmful to your cat(s).
Karen & Angus(GA)
Active Member
Vegetarian protein is considered to be an inferior choice for cats because the amino acid profile does not match a cats needs as well as meat. Since you are not using these caplets as a primary protein source but to supplement a single amino acid, it should not matter that they are vegetarian.
Dicalcium phosphate and cellulose are both common ingredients in commercial cat food and are considered safe for cats. However, if your cat has kidney disease, it is best to avoid excess phosphate. Cellulose is just insoluble fiber. If you want a taurine supplement without added fillers, try something like this:
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Taurine-Powder-8-oz-227-g/7425?at=0
IMHO, I would use the caplets as long as my cat did not have kidney disease and pick a different supplement next time.
You might get more/better responses if you changed your subject to "raw food supplements".
Dicalcium phosphate and cellulose are both common ingredients in commercial cat food and are considered safe for cats. However, if your cat has kidney disease, it is best to avoid excess phosphate. Cellulose is just insoluble fiber. If you want a taurine supplement without added fillers, try something like this:
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Taurine-Powder-8-oz-227-g/7425?at=0
IMHO, I would use the caplets as long as my cat did not have kidney disease and pick a different supplement next time.
You might get more/better responses if you changed your subject to "raw food supplements".
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