Older cats need special care

This is Ed who is in his mid-teens which is quite old for a cat.    He came in with Jasmine and they are best friends, although they do go their separate ways during the day.   Like most old stagers, Ed is a bit on the thin side.  It’s hard to keep weight on the seniors although they eat huge amounts.   Both Ed and Jasmine love their food and have big appetites.   Why aren’t they as fat as cushions then?   As cats get old they find it harder to metabolize their food.   Although they wolf it down, it doesn’t do them so much good as when they were younger.   It takes more and more food to give them the nutrients they need and if it’s slightly off-balance then it may be doing more harm than good.

Ed is in good condition for his age and is still nice and active.  If a younger cat ate the same amount, it would be a real fatty.   As cats age, their body can’t handle the same amount of protein and a special diet is needed.   Senior food is recommended for cats over seven or eight years of age.   It will be balanced so that it doesn’t put any strain on the kidneys and will be lower in protein.   Older cats must have special ‘senior’ biscuits and this is very important.   Normal adult biscuits just won’t do.   If you feed your cat natural food (as opposed to convenience food which is what bought in cans, dry biscuits and pouches are) then you can balance the ration yourself.   Organic brown bread, toasted and crumbed goes down well with a bit of white fish.   Brown rice is often liked and can be mixed with finely cut lamb or rabbit.    A small saucer of goats milk is digestible, also a spoonful of home made rice pudding goes down a treat.    Stewed meat with mashed potato and gravy is enjoyed by many of our elderly feline friends.    It’s easy enough to do and definitely less trouble than going to the supermarket. 

This is Myrtle who is also a senior citizen, although a bit younger than Ed and Jasmine.   Myrtle likes her food minced up very fine and this goes for many of the old’uns.   Having their teeth checked is always a good idea.   When old cats don’t eat it’s often because they need the dentist!    It’s claimed that a biscuit diet keeps a cat’s teeth in good order for longer.    Cats living in the wild usually have good teeth into old age, this is possibly because they eat rodents and birds, bones and all.    We leave ‘senior’ biscuits out all the time so that the cats can pick at them whenever they feel like snacking.

We also offer catnip tablets and make the herb itself available – it’s a real tonic and is easy to grow – cats love it.    As cats get older the consistency of the food is important so chop it up finely.   Sometimes very strongly flavoured food will tempt a picky eater.    Flaked mackerel or warm tuna usually hits the spot, although we do not buy tuna at present as it being overfished and becoming endangered.

If an older cat is in real need of extra nourishment, perhaps following an illness, then liquidizing food is another option.   Fish and milk mixed to soup  consistency can be lapped up.   Or try poached chicken or soft meat.   Vets have a ready made invalid diet available in cans and cats do like it.    Getting the right nutrition will help your cat to have a good quality of life for much longer.