What is the best food for a senior cat?

Question

I have an almost 13 year old Himalayan persian cat that has a sensitive stomach. I've been feeding him a food Muttropolis sells called "Wellness". He seems alright on that but seemed a little sluggish until I started adding some canned wet food to his diet. He's always been a regurgitating/vomiting type of cat so I always feel nervous about his food. Also I feel like he needs to have the best nutrition since he's an 'old' guy!

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Lori

Answer 1

This is a question to ask your vet.  

Answer 2

I have two senior cats; and feed them Iams; it's improved their health alot; the senior brand has less protein so it is harder to digest.

Answer 3

Your cat needs to see your Vet for a "senior wellness exam," including a blood profile. Cats that age generally start having kidney problems and the sooner you start treatment the longer you will have your cat.

Other diseases affect senior kitties as well, and you can get suggestions for good diet plans all for the same nickel--from your vet. If you haven't taken your precious kitty in for a while maybe you should consider it?

Good luck!

Answer 4

Kitten, senior, adult labeled… it matters not, it’s just a marketing label that allows manufacturers to charge more for that particular food.

For example… you pick up a can of Wellness kitten (chicken) and a can of Wellness Chicken) adult. Compare the percentages. The kitten food has 1% more protein and 1% more fat, which is what all kitten food manufacturers tout that growing kittens need more of. Well then where is it, because 1% is certainly not worth noting any comparable difference? And it’s like that across the board. Dry cat food has even LESS of a difference.

What you should be concerned about water intake in an older cat. Keeping thier kidneys properly functioning is important right now, because often, that is what goes first, ending the life of the older cat.

Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It's completely species inappropriate.

All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don't need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol' house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.

So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.

Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones,  urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.

Overall,  wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.

I recommend varying the diet with a constant rotation of 2 to 4 different brands of  canned foods that your cat enjoys. If you do this, and allow your cat the same assortment they would have in nature when eating mice, bugs, birds and rabbits, your cat’s digestive system won't be so sensitive and you won't have to run around looking for a specific brand when your store is out. You will have a nice variety to choose from instead.

Canned foods I recommend you consider for your rotation:

Nature's Variety - http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.la...

Wellness Grain Free Formula’s - http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_welln...

By Nature Organics - http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/productp...

Organix -  http://www.castorpolluxpet.com/store/org...

Evanger's Holistic Pheasant - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/20089...

Evanger's Organic Braised Chicken - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/50103...

Evanger's Turkey & Butternut Squash - http://www.evangersdogfood.com/cat/50111...

Answer 5

Stick with the Wellness.  It's an excellent brand.  But do also take your cues from him and let him have more canned food.  It's healthier and easier to digest.

EDIT:  Perhaps you're worrying about the "senior" label.  That's something used by the more inferior foods to make you feel better about what you're buying.  There's little or no validity to it.

Better foods such as Wellness are suitable for cats of ANY age, from kitten to krone.  It may even indicate that - a common phrase is "suitable for all life stages."

Answer 6

Purina makes a food for adult cats in a red bag.  I have a Maine Coon who is around 13 as well.  He use to be a barfer until we put him on this food.  He has done the best on it and even gained some weigh, which the fat cat didn't need to do!  But this is what our vet recommended.

Answer 7

You can buy special 'senior' food for elderly cats. But wet food seems to be better for him. If he throws up food, it may be that if he eats the kibble type, he can't chew it properly, and so has to regurgitate it. Maybe some cheap white fish will appeal to him better, if you have the money to keep up with this kind of food. Cod is perfect.  

Answer 8

I give my old girl some acidophilus for her stomic... this is the same thing that is in yogert... good bacteria that will stop the vomiting.

I also give her B vite crushed and mixed with the acidophilus / knox geletin/ mix together and sprinkle on the food can.

I also once in a while give some chicken livers cooked and cut up small.

I feed kitten food to her too because it has more protien.

My girl is 19 and going strong.. but old.

good luck >^..^<