Food for Senior House Cats

How do you know what type of food to feed your geriatric cat?  It can be challenging without a vet checkup.  Always screen your geriatric cat’s desire for food, food consumption, eating routine, weight, and physiological condition.  This info will be valuable when you and your veterinarian find out your cat’s particular nutritional needs. Unless your cat has problems digesting normal cat food, is becoming overweight or is on prescription food, ordinary complete formulation cat food accompanied by cool water is acceptable.

Your geriatric cat may also be pleased about a cozy resting place near the center of your family living.  It is recommended to progress older cats onto a specially formulated senior cat food. Manufactured cat foods made especially for senior cats provide superior-quality protein and lower phosphorus levels to reduce stress on the kidneys.  The senior citizen cat formulas also add Vitamin E to strengthen the older cat’s authentic defenses.

Cats Grow Old Like Humans Do

Cats go through a number of physical and behavioral changes as they age. As your cat’s metabolism slows down, the cat’s senses begin to weaken.   Senior cats have more problems with taste, sight, smell, and hearing.  Unfortunately, these physical changes are a reality of life, and the cat owner must tweak the nutrition of their cat.  Generally, older cats between the ages of 8 and 12 tend to grow overweight and after age 12 have a tendency to become skinnier and metabolically old.

Keeping A Cat Healthy Through Proper Nutrition

There are a number of diseases and afflictions that felines develop in their older years.  Cats with cancer have extra nutritional needs.  Increasing omega-3 fatty acids and beta-carotene in the elder cat’s diet will aid felines with cancer. Bowel movements may deteriorate as the cat ages, causing problems such as reduced capacity to digest nutrients. Cats will experience a loss in weight when this happens.. There are unique diets formulated for cats that have developed heart disease.  Cat diets for heart disease by and large have decreased amounts of sodium and more of taurine, an amino acid. Preservatives in modern cat foods have been fingerpointed for a number of problems in cats from allergies to cat cancer.  The jury is still out.

Preparing The Cat Food

When getting cat food out of the fridge, it is best to let the cat food warm up.   According to how much you give, it can take up to 2 hours to warm. You can warm catfood in a microwave, but it can get hot spots.  Just watch to make sure it don’t overheat, and mix well after heating to reduce the heat spots.  In general, avoid serving food that is either too hot or too cold.

Other Things to Contemplate About Feeding An Aging Cat

Older cats need fresh water every time they are fed.  This is vitally important in senior cat care.  Keeping the old aged cat properly hydrated is very important. Geriatric cats don’t drink water good even when water is available, so providing clean, fresh water helps.   I advise placing numerous bowls of water in numerous areas in your home. 

Taking Care of an Older Cat Boils Down to This

We suggest that you visit a veterinarian regularly when a cat gets older than 8.   The vet needs to supervise the cat’s health.   Veterinarians have yet to produce a “one size fits all” geriatric cat diet.   The task is merely impossible given the enormous diversity of senior cats and their varying health issues. Tailoring the individual senior cat’s diet based on the cat’s age and health concerns from veterinary lab diagnostics is fundamental to success.