Nutritional Needs of Senior Cats
Your cat’s nutritional needs will change as she grows older, and it can make feeding time a challenge for both of you. Like humans, cats undergo significant physical changes with age. Understanding some of these changes and altering your senior cat’s food can help maintain her weight and health.
Weight management
Obesity in cats occurs most commonly in middle age. If you notice that your cat is eating less but still gaining weight, it could be attributed to decreased metabolism or decreased activity levels. Because cats often lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle, their foods are often dense with calories that can result in overeating and weight gain. This can lead to chronic medical conditions, including heart, respiratory, skin, and joint problems, especially in older cats. Giving your cat smaller quantities of food or gradually switching her to a lower-calorie food may pare down the pounds.
Although weight loss is sometimes attributed to the aging process, it can also be the result of an underlying disease. If your senior cat has a healthy appetite but is still losing weight, consult your vet for symptoms of heart disease, thyroid dysfunction, cancer, or diabetes. A decreased appetite could be associated with periodontal disease (gum and tooth problems), gastrointestinal disease, kidney failure, or a reduction in taste sensation.
Smakrika tips
Maintaining your senior cat’s health
When determining how much to feed your cat, follow these guidelines for proper senior cat nutrition:
- Slowly adjust her caloric intake to physical and environmental conditions (for instance, indoor vs. outdoor cats, spayed/neutered)
- Give your cat a stimulating environment where she can be active
- Switch to a food with a lower energy density (reduced fat or fiber)
- Implement portion control and meal feeding
- Introduce foraging devices (meal-dispensing feeders, food-filled toys)
- Introduce barriers to food access (baby gates, elevated feeding stations)
We can help
Choosing the best cat food for your senior cat will provide her with a higher quality of life. Cats have shown health benefits from a food supplemented with antioxidants, fatty acids, and a prebiotic source. Thanks to an easy-to-digest formula, along with an exclusive blend of antioxidants, Omega-3 fatty acids, and other nutrients, Science Diet® Adult 11+ Age Defying pet food, with its natural ingredients, can help:
- Nutrition to support youthful vitality
- Exclusive multivitamin blend to help keep older cats agile, more alert and interactive
- Optimal levels of key nutrients to support eye, heart, kidney and joint health
- Natural, high quality, easy-to-digest ingredients with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives for a flavorful, nutritious meal
Find out more about transitioning your cat to Science Diet® Adult 11+ Age Defying cat food.
If you have an older indoor cat, we also offer Science Diet Adult 11+ Indoor Age Defying dry cat food. It offers precisely balanced nutrition tailored to senior cats with an indoor lifestyle. This senior cat food contains balanced nutrients that help:
- Nutrition to support youthful vitality
- Optimal levels of key nutrients to support eye, heart, kidney and joint health
- Healthy fiber supports digestive health and high-quality ingredients make litter box clean-up easy
- Clinically proven antioxidant blend with vitamins C + E to help support a healthy immune system
- Natural, high quality, easy-to-digest ingredients with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives for a flavorful, nutritious meal
Choosing the right kind of food for your senior cat can help her to lead a long, healthy life. For more information on what’s best for your senior cat’s food needs, consult your veterinarian. Read more about wellness visits for senior cats.
Relaterade produkter
Senior Kattfoder
Hill's Science Plan Senior kattfoder med kyckling är ett helfoder för seniorkatter, specialutformat med ActivBiome+ Multi-Benefit teknologi.
Detta foder stödjer ett hälsosamt åldrande under de senare åren i kattens liv. Innehåller en speciell blandning av ingredienser som hjälper äldre katter att hålla sig rörliga, piggare och mer interaktiva.
Kattungefoder
Hill's Science Plan Sterilised Kitten kattfoder med kyckling är specilutformad med ActivBiome+ Multi-Benefit teknologi. Detta foder är noggrant utformat för att tillgodose behoven hos kastreradee kattungar, med kliniskt bevisade antioxidanter och Hill's unika sammansättning för viktkontroll.
Kattungefoder
Hill's Science Plan Sterilised Kitten kattfoder med kyckling är specialutformat med ActivBiome+ Multi-Benefit teknologi. Detta foder är noggrant sammansatt för kattungars utvecklingsbehov, så att de får en bra start i livet och växer till sin fulla potential.
Senior Vitality Mature Adult Kattfoder
Hill's Science Plan Senior Vitality Kattfoder med Kyckling & Ris erbjuder en noggrant balanserad nutrition som hjälper till att främja deras dagliga förmåga att komma upp och röra på sig.
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Hill's Cat Foods: Nutritional Balance Just for Indoor Cats
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Cats Need Good Nutrition In Order To Stay Healthy
Good nutrition is about the right balance of nutrients. Learn more about health issues when feeding a cat food that has an improper nutritional balance from your friends at Hills Pet Nutrition.
Nutritional Needs of an Indoor Cat
The lifestyle of an indoor cat differs greatly from that of an outdoor cat. Often, an indoor cat has a lower exercise level than one that lives outside. And, since she has more time to groom, an indoor cat is more likely to develop hairballs.
Helping a Cat with Sensitive Skin
Cats with sensitive skin have special needs and even healthy cats can sometimes develop poor skin health. Learn more about sensitive skin symptoms in your cat, what you can do to help your pet feel more comfortable and get recommendations on sensitive skin cat food.
Sätt din katt på diet utan att den märker det
Vår kalorifattiga sammansättning hjälper dig att kontrollera din katts vikt. Den innehåller högkvalitativt protein för att bygga slanka muskler och är tillverkad med noga utvalda ingredienser för en smakrik och näringsrik måltid. Kliniskt bevisade antioxidanter, vitamin C+E, bidrar till ett friskt immunförsvar.
Sätt din katt på diet utan att den märker det
Vår kalorifattiga sammansättning hjälper dig att kontrollera din katts vikt. Den innehåller högkvalitativt protein för att bygga slanka muskler och är tillverkad med noga utvalda ingredienser för en smakrik och näringsrik måltid. Kliniskt bevisade antioxidanter, vitamin C+E, bidrar till ett friskt immunförsvar.