By the time your cat reaches the age of two, it will have lived the equivalent of twenty-five years in human years. Cats are considered senior starting from the age of eight, which is around the time you need to start paying extra attention to their diet and exercise routines. Unlike many other animals, cats require a very high protein intake, while they continue to need fat in their diet as a source of energy. However, senior cats usually develop digestive problems as they age, and the usual diets they were used to when they were younger will no longer suffice.
Here’s how you can choose the right, healthy, diet for your senior cat.
Activity Level
Although cat health can decrease with age, this isn’t always the case with every senior feline. A great indicator of your cat’s health is energy levels. If you have a geriatric cat who continues to be active during playtime, then you might not need to make changes to your pet’s diet. In fact, veterinarians urge pet owners to avoid making drastic changes to the diet unless a medical diagnosis was made.
That said, cat diets depend on history and husbandry rather than on how many years they’ve lived. If your cat has low energy levels, you may need to speak to your vet about how to incorporate more soluble carbs and fats in its diet.
Prevention
Your cat’s diet should primarily include healthy ingredients that can prevent medical problems from arising in the future. Generally speaking, domestic felines have some common health conditions associated with old age, including urinary tract infections, diabetes, and obesity. Although genetics plays a part, these conditions are mostly preventable through healthy diets.
When your cat reaches the age of eight, you should visit your vet more frequently to see if your pet develops any signs of illness. If your cat is genetically predisposed to developing urinary infections, your vet will recommend a sodium-free diet specifically made for older cats, and it comes in both dry and wet options. On the other hand, you should also consult your vet when it comes to the kind of treats that you feed your pet, seeing as some kinds contain a high amount of fat and sodium, which is not as easily digestible for an older feline.
Ingredients
If you don’t want to feed your cat a packaged diet, you can always opt for fresh food. However, medical dry food contains all the ingredients that your cats need and is fortified with minerals and vitamins that would be more challenging to feed your cat through a fresh diet. Always opt for chicken, low-mercury fish such as salmon, and avoid high-sodium foods. If you’re unsure what brand you need to pick up, just make sure that it’s grain-free, contains digestible nutrients, and is free from any processed meats. Also, cats should limit their consumption of gluten, so make sure that their everyday meals do not contain any.
If you want to feed your cats a natural diet, speak to your vet about whether you’ll need to supplement your cat’s meals with vitamins. Chicken breast, turkey, and salmon are healthy options for a senior cat; however, you should avoid beef, as most of it is processed and loaded with insoluble fats.
Hydration
Whatever you’re feeding your cat, the number one reason why so many health complications can develop in older felines is that they’re not encouraged to drink enough water. Some dry food brands are specifically designed to make your pets feel thirsty, to encourage them to drink more. On the other hand, you’ll want to make sure that the water you’re offering your cat is appealing enough. Some cats prefer to drink water from translucent bowls, while others only drink when it’s in close proximity to them.
This is why it’s advised to have at least one container of water in every room in the house. If your cat plays in the outdoors, make sure that it has access to water there, too. Dehydration in cats can be life-threatening and may trigger the development of infections in the kidneys and urinary tract.
Senior cats may demand less physical attention, but you should always keep an eye on their diet and general health. If your cat is displaying low signs of activity, you may need to take it to the vet more frequently to see if its diet needs to change. Always avoid feeding your cat high-sodium snacks, as this can subject the cat to obesity and urinary tract infections, which can be life-threatening for senior felines.