Should You Feed Your Older Cat Differently?

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All cats are created equal, right? Wrong. Senior cats have special dietary needs, different from adult cats and kittens. Their bodies require different things.

Sometimes, you will have to supplement in order to provide them proper nutrition. Their energy needs may stay the same, but a cat’s ability to absorb fat changes as it ages. A cat in his senior years will need more protein than other cats of different ages. Smaller kibble, fortified with more vitamins and antioxidants, should be available as an option for senior cats.

As cats age, they become much more vulnerable to disease, as their immune system weakens over time. A cat’s diet should reflect that change and be altered to provide more of a defense. Perhaps they need to increase their Omega-3 fatty acid intake due to a form of cancer, or maybe they need a soft gentle food due to an oral disease. A thorough checkup is necessary to establish the proper plan for your cat’s dietary needs to help keep your senior cat healthy throughout his later years. A checkup is very important, as the same checkup your cat received as a kitten and as an adult will not be the same as the one he has as a senior. Bodies and chemical structure, just as with humans, change. Your own health at sixty is certainly not the same as your health as a newborn.