what you need to know about your dog's food

Choosing The Best Diet For Your Senior Cat

12 May 2015

Isabella Harper

Walk through the pet supply store and you'll find a number of cat foods labeled "For Senior Cats." The ingredients list for these foods is slightly different than for the younger cats. Here are the important things to look for when picking out the best food for your aging cat.

What Does and Does Not Change in the Older Cat's Body

At all ages, a cat's body needs animal protein. It relies on the amino acids it gets from eating meat because it can't produce some of them itself. Your senior cat needs as much energy from animal protein and fat as it did when much younger.

What has changed is that the older cat's body cannot digest some of the fat as efficiently. It also may have difficulty processing the byproducts from the breakdown of protein. These are two of the factors that drive the difference in cat diets.

Health issues are another consideration in feeding your senior cat. Certain health problems may require your cat to eat more fiber or switch to a low-sodium food. Your veterinarian will recommend types of food that meet your cat's health needs. Some are available in the pet supply store while others can be purchased only at an animal hospital.

Determining the Best Food for Your Cat

Considering the health and age factors, here are some tips for choosing the right diet for your senior cat:

• Look for cat food that lists animal protein first in the ingredients ahead of grains. Grains can be difficult for the older cat to digest.
• If your older cat becomes less active and gains weight, choose foods that have a lower fat percentage content.
• If your cat strains in the litter box, they may be constipated from not drinking enough water. Switch them to wet, canned food to increase the water in their diet.
• If constipation is still a problem, add a few drops of mineral oil to their food.
• Your cat may lose some of its sense of smell and be less inclined to eat the food. Go to a more aromatic food, such as a tuna blend, or add the oil and water from canned tuna to their current food.

When diet is dictated by health issues, your vet can recommend specific brands of cat food to try:

• Cats with colitis, diabetes or anal gland disease benefit from a cat food with more dietary fiber.
• A cat with heart disease should be on a low-sodium cat food with higher amounts of the amino acid taurine.
• If your cat has kidney disease, they need to eat a high-protein diet which produces less byproducts that make the kidneys work harder to expel them.

Remember that cats don't like change, so alter your cat's diet a little bit over a longer time frame so they get used to the new food. If your cat is a finicky eater, you may need to try several brands until you hit on the right food for your senior cat. To find more information, contact someone like Petland Albuquerque.

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