Should I Give My Senior Cat Supplements
The level of various vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes may be lower in older animals. This will either be because they absorb less of them through the intestinal tract, or lose more of them through the kidneys and tract. Some senior cats eat less cat food, such as those with oral disease, and may not receive their daily needs of vitamins and minerals. Antioxidants such as vitamins A beta-carotene E, and C may play a role in protecting against the ageing processes. Consult your vet to determine which supplements.
Types Of Cat Food For Senior Cats
There are different types of cat food for senior cats. Those types include
Dry food and wet food is the most commonly used types for everyday consumption. But there are uses, pros, and cons to each type of these types of senior cat foods. Lets dig into it.
Best Wild Caught Fish And Cage
While raw food comes with risks, cats in the wild would eat only raw foods, and fruits, vegetables, and grains would be partially digested in their preys stomach. Freeze-dried raw food delivers pure, concentrated nutrients your cat can digest. Stella & Chewy is one of the top raw food brands for cats and dogs.
Stella & Chewy is made in the USA using ingredients they responsibly source from trusted suppliers. Mimicking a diet your cat would eat in the wild, the recipe includes salmon, chicken, plus organs and bones. Taurine is added as an essential nutrient for your pet, and probiotics support digestion.
These raw foods are all-natural and minimally processed with no added hormones, antibiotics, grains, or fillers. More importantly for your senior feline, it is 100 percent complete and balanced for every life stage.
These freeze-dried raw cat food morsels should be rehydrated with cool or warm water before serving it to your older cat because getting sufficient moisture is crucial. Instructions say never to cook the food before serving, including adding hot water.
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Can You Feed Your Senior Cat Kitten Food
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A question I hear a lot is what the best thing to feed senior cats is. Ive heard a lot of people ask whether kitten food, such as Wellness Complete Health Kitten food or Royal Canin Kitten food, are safe and nutritious enough to feed older cats. This answer really depends on your cat. There are some older cats that might actually benefit from the nutrients in kitten food, whereas some other cats wouldnt do well on kitten food alone. This article will cover the types of cats that can eat kitten food beyond the kitten years and which shouldnt.
Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Dry Senior Cat Food
Protein: 32.0% | Fat: 15.0% | Fiber: 5.0% | Moisture: 9.0%
Blue Buffalo has a history of creating affordable formulas that make no compromises in terms of ingredient quality. Their Healthy Aging formula features deboned chicken as the number one ingredient and boasts a 32.0% protein content and 15.0% fat content. Natural sources of fiber total up to 5.0% max, which is more than enough to keep your older cats digestive tract ticking over healthily. Blue seems to achieve incredibly value for money with each of their cat food formulas, and this senior cat food formula is no different. Its hard to find a cat food with such high-quality ingredients in this price range, so its no surprise they earn a spot on our list. Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Dry Senior review.
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What Is A Good Dry Cat Food For Seniors
There is no definitive answer to this question as different cats have different preferences and dietary needs. However, some good dry cat food options for seniors include Royal Canins Senior Consultation Formula, Hills Science Diet Senior 11+, and Purina ONE Vibrant Maturity 7+. These formulas are designed to meet the nutritional needs of older cats and contain ingredients that can help support joint health, cognitive function, and digestion.
When you buy Temptations Cat Treats, you get free shipping for one day and over $49 in Iams. The ProActive Health Healthy Senior Dry Cat Food contains 16 pounds of dry cat food. The rating is 4.5908 out of 5 stars. The following is the list price and the shipping price. 20% off BB Wet Food and 40% off Select Treats are available when you buy Select Food. You can save 40% off select treats. Free shipping for 1 to 3 days over $49.
Purina ONE Indoor Advantage is a win-win situation for both the customer and the company. This is a high-protein, natural dry cat food in a 16-pound bag. 5 out of 5 stars for this review. Choose BB Wet Food, BB Wet Food 20% off, and PG Wet Food 30% off. There are new options available now. Grain-free, organic food. The price of owza is $29.99 Get 20% Off BB Dry Cat Food and FREE shipping on orders over $49 at BBDry Cat Food.
Stella & Chewys Freeze
You can serve Stella & Chewys Freeze Dried Dinner morsels by rehydrating it with warm or cool water or even feed the food as is it is tender and soft enough for cats with poor teeth and conditions such as tartar buildup or gum disease to eat with ease.
This is the diet of cats in the wild. Raw diet is gaining a lot of popularity and these dinner morsels will provide your cat-from kitten to elderly cat- with all the protein, taurine, and other vital nutrients it needs without sacrificing on taste or texture.
We love this soft food for being 100% free from antibiotics, fillers, colors, and preservatives.
It is also free from grains which is great for cats having digestive troubles, allergies, or pet food sensitivities.
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Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult 11+ Classic Senior Canned Cat Food
Another classic formula from a huge brand name in pet food, Purina. Their Pro Plan range focuses on providing unbeaten nutrition to cats of all ages. This 11+ adult senior formula excels at providing older cats everything they need to feel young again. Each serving is packed with twenty-five vitamins and minerals, along with taurine to promote healthy cell development. This grain-free formula boasts salmon and liver as the two primary ingredients, and as such reaches 10.0% minimum protein content with 78.0% moisture. Those figures equate to a 45.0% dry-matter protein content, far surpassing the minimum AAFCO recommendation of 26.0%. We love this cat food and think its one of the best affordable cat foods for older cats available today.
The 7 Best Cat Foods For Senior Cats
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As we age, many of our needs change. The changes that occur in our bodies need to be accommodated through nutrition and exercise. The same can be said for your feline. As cats age, their bodies go through various changes. As a result, the nutrition your senior cat receives plays a vital role in maintaining their health.
Senior cats also struggle with maintaining a healthy weight since they can pack on the pounds more easily. While some cats may lose the desire to eat and lose weight with age. When feeding your senior cat, there are certain things one needs to keep in mind. Your felines health is important and their food can contribute to their longevity and vitality.
Keeping your senior cats needs in mind, we have compiled a list of the best cat foods that provide premium nutrition.
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Royal Canin Appetite Control Spayed/neutered 7+ Dry Cat Food
For spayed/neutered senior cats, this food is ideal. The simple operation can affect the hormone levels of your cats, leading to weight gain.
This food helps your aging kitty stay fit, fighting the first signs of aging while helping to maintain your cats body weight. This is one of the best cat food for cats that throw up options.
Its packed with vitamins and minerals, giving your cat plenty of vitamin C. This food makes use of L.I.P digestive science innovation and highly digestible protein. It also has added phosphorus levels, which can provide renal support for cats with kidney insufficiency.
The recipe ensures that the necessary nutrients are provided to your cat. And the ring-shaped kibble can slow ingestion speed.
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Purina Pro Plan Focus Salmon & Tuna
The Purina Pro Plan wet cat food has been prepared keeping your senior feline in mind with protein as its core ingredient. The cat food encompasses an easily digestible formula and optimum fat levels. Apart from protein, the food contents include crude fiber, crude fat and several vitamin supplements.
The cat food offers extra care and nutrition for your cat to have an active and healthy life with 25 minerals and vitamins apart from taurine and guar gum in each serving. It is also loaded with minerals like potassium chloride, manganese sulfate, ferrous sulfate, potassium iodide and copper sulfate. The cat food is available as 3oz. cans in four variants of chicken & beef, ocean whitefish & salmon, salmon & tuna and turkey & giblets.
Pros: Easy on the stomach and digests without any problem because of the highly digestive formula.
Cons: Contains added colors, meat by-products and artificial flavors and is not recommended for cats below seven years of age.
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The Best Wet Cat Food For Older Cats
As they age, many cats develop dental issues that make it difficult to chew hard kibble.
Because of this, wet food can sometimes become more of a staple rather than a treat during your cats golden years.
If this is where you and your senior cat are headed, then you still have plenty of choices.
Choose a senior wet cat food that features pure, whole food ingredients with appropriate vitamin and mineral supplementation.
Like these brands for example!
The 11 Best Soft Food For Senior Cats Our Picks
There are so many brands of soft foods available in the market today that its hard to tell which one is the best. However, when you consider nutritional value, consistency and taste together with price, there are only 11 brands that stand out from the rest.
These are some of the best soft foods for senior cats currently available in the market today:
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Blue Buffalo Indoor Health Natural
Its no surprise that we just had to look as a couple of Blue Buffalo optionsBlue Buffalo makes good cat food after all, using real ingredients, vitamins, and minerals that are not only meant to entice your cat to eat, but that are also made for your cat to digest comfortably. With meat right there as the first ingredient in this food, it shouldnt be an issue at least for you to get your cat to eat this food.
Feed this food to your indoor cats for them to chew on the blended bitswhich are made to be soft enough for your cat to eat comfortably. This can be your cats entire diet and theyll get all the nutrition they need to live well.
Pros
- The Lifesource bits are made to be soft enough to eat
- The food is completely natural
- Adult cats find that its easy to chew
Cons
Royal Canin Aging 12+ Thin Slices In Gravy Canned Cat Food
When it comes to choosing a wet food for cats with teeth problems, this product from Royal Canin can make a great alternative. The thin slices in gravy are easier on cats teeth but deliver the same strong meaty flavor with lots of moisture.
While the formula has been designed to appeal to the palate of older cats, it is made with a high portion of animal by-products, which has less of the high-quality protein that older cats need than muscle and organ meat.
The formula also contains grains, which can be problematic for cats with sensitive stomachs. Added essential fatty acids are good for their joints, and reduced sodium and phosphorus protect their kidneys. Overall the formula is also pretty low-calorie, so no need to worry too much about your older cat putting on too much weight.
Pros
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Nutritional Needs For Senior Cats
Senior cats have certain specific nutritional needs that differ from kittens and adult cats. Older cats are prone to certain illnesses, while certain factors such as teeth that weaken with age can also play a part.
As cats start to approach middle age up till they turn 11 years old, their energy needs fluctuate. Senior cats also differ from younger cats because of the nutrients their body can effectively synthesize to stay healthy. A quality cat food for a senior cat should be rich in protein and fiber, while low in carbohydrates from healthy sources.
Other key issues for senior cats include:
1. Difficulties in Digestion
Senior cats can experience trouble digesting protein and fat, which are necessary for a healthy body. The key is the amount of nutrition your cat can absorb from their food to maintain good health. Senior cats need highly digestible protein and fat sources for optimal nutrition. This means the protein and fat in your senior cats food should be from quality animal sources rather than plant-based.
2. Lack of Vitamins
The levels of vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes in your cats body can decrease with age. Not only do they absorb less nutrients, but they can also lose them through the kidneys and urinary tract. Older cats can also experience dental issues, such as tooth loss or oral diseases. As a result, they can eat less, leading to malnourishment.
3. Age-Related Illnesses
4. Increased Need for Hydration
How Do I Choose Senior Cat Food
Senior cats require a different diet from regular cats. This is because their bodies become more frail and prone to diseases. Therefore, it is best to feed them foodsthat are meant for that life stage.
Here are some things to consider when buying a senior cat food formula:
- Healthy Ingredients. Senior cat foods often contain beneficial ingredients such as cranberries, brown rice, and sweet potato, in addition to primary protein sources such as turkey or chicken recipes. They offer benefits like immunity-boosting, hairball control, and improved digestion.
- Wet vs. Dry Food. It is important to note that older catsprefer wet foods. This is because they are more palatable and much easier to chew on. Canned food often comes in variety packs for diversity.
- No Harmful Ingredients. Senior cat foods should not be high in grains . They must also be free from potentially hazardous ingredients such as gluten, soy, meat by-products, and artificial additives .
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Royal Canin Renal Support For Cats E
Royal Canin are a huge name in the veterinary food industry and make a number of the best cat foods for older cats with kidney problems.
The E in the name of this food stands for Enticing and it is composed of an irresistible meaty pâté.
Royal Canin understand that the appetite of a cat with kidney disease can be unpredictable and they often experience days where they just do not feel like eating at all.
It is so important for your cat that they are fed on this kidney food alone and that you do not feel the need to supplement them with human food or treats, which often contain too much phosphorous and protein.
This diet is a high energy food, perfect for those elderly kitties that still like to keep active.
The ingredients are all highly digestible and should not result in stomach upset or worsen any vomiting or nausea that your cat is already experiencing.
Within this range, Royal Canin have created 6 diets labelled A , F , S , D , E and T , and while E is our favourite, your cat may think differently, so you may want to try a few!
Each of these diets can be fed by itself or supplemented.
For example, E can be mixed with either A, F, or S, the dry food options.
Remember, before changing your cats diet or starting them on a renal food, it is essential to have a discussion with your vet beforehand, who will discuss the most appropriate diet for your cat.
Kidney disease is progressive and cats at different stages of the disease will have different requirements.