Niacin (Vitamin B3)

A niacin deficiency causes loss of appetite, weight loss, fever and a red, inflamed mouth and tongue that can develop ulcers.

Niacin is vitamin B3, and cats need it in their food. The Merck Veterinary Manual states that cats cannot make substantial amounts of niacin from the amino acid tryptophan, unlike many other mammals, and that cats have a higher requirement for niacin than dogs. Complete cat foods add it to meet nutrient targets. For a cat with a medical condition, your veterinarian can advise on diet.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

Niacin is added because cats depend on their diet for vitamin B3. Meat supplies some, but manufacturers include a measured amount in the vitamin premix so the finished food meets the level set for cats. On a label it may read niacin supplement or niacinamide, and both forms supply vitamin B3.

Most mammals can convert some tryptophan into niacin. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that cats cannot synthesize substantial amounts this way. Scientists link this to very active enzymes in the cat's liver that send the pathway in another direction. As a result, cats rely on niacin in their food, which is why it is one of the cat-specific nutrients in feline diets.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

Niacinamide, also called nicotinamide, is one form of vitamin B3. Niacin, or nicotinic acid, is another. Both provide vitamin B3 activity, and cat food labels may list either one. Pettings groups them on this page because they serve the same nutritional purpose in a cat food.

Pettings gives niacin 4 out of 5 and lists it as a vitamin. It appears on 149 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. It is on every dry food in our list, which fits its place as a vitamin cats must get from food. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.