**No matter our age, our parents always view us as their little kids. Taking care of cats feels the same way; we naturally feel responsible for them, just like our parents feel responsible for us.**
They will always treat their kittens like they never age. But true as it is, cats do get old; and at that age, they need different things than they did as young kittens.
They may not look old as average humans do when they age (with wrinkles and fallen teeth), but that doesn’t mean the cats are still young on the inside.
At this point, you need to come up with a change of diet for your senior cat, brush up on the levels of nutrients and food values, and take great care of them in their golden years to ensure a happier and healthier lifestyle for them.
So, let us start informing you about the changes you need to make, things you need to consider, and some of our top picks on the best cat food for your older cats.
Best Senior Cat Food Comparison
Product’s Reviews On 8 Of The Best Cat Food for Older Cats
There are plenty of foods available in the market that suit the need of senior cats. All of them can not be the best option for your cat.
So, we researched what we could lay our hands-on and tried to find the best senior cat foods and luckily managed to chalk up the ones that we think ticked the boxes.
Note that they do not follow any order of importance. Here are our eight suggestions for older cats:
1. Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Natural Mature Dry Cat Food
It is made with a formulation that supports your cat’s health.
It is made with delicious, proteinous, boneless chicken, whole grains and vegetables and is free of poultry by-products.
It is specially designed for cats shedding off weight or vomiting due to aging.
Pros
- Cat parents say this food helps their senior cats gain the lost weight.
- promotes a shinier coat.
- Helps in having better poop.
Cons
- The kibble is harder than some to consume.
- Cats who have trouble chewing dry kibble are not a big fan of this piece.
2. Hill's Science Diet Dry Cat Food, Adult 11+, Indoor, Chicken Recipe
This food is made for cats aged over 11 years to provide nutrients that support the eyes, heart, kidney, and bone joints.
The natural ingredients with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fibres help easy digestion in your cats.
Pros
- The natural fibre present in this cat food reduces hairball formation.
- The protein in it helps to build muscle without compromising with the maintenance of an ideal weight.
- They also offer a 100% money-back guarantee or refund if you are by any chance unsatisfied with their product.
Cons
- Cats with dental problems don’t want to have it.
- The size of the kibbles is more significant than would be preferred.
3. Delectables Lickable Wet Cat Treats
It comes with ingredients not limited to chicken, tuna, tuna extract, and vitamin supplements.
Cat parents claim that it is a very palatable option for their cats with the tons of nutrition it carries and is an option they would go for again and again.
2 pouches per day is enough for an average senior cat if you want to buy this.
Pros
- Easier to feed with the “lickable treat”
- You can feed one packet per meal without worrying about portion sizes and the hassles of deciding.
Cons
- Cats that do not want to eat are seen to swallow the liquid and leave the solid portion of the treat behind. So, that is a waste of food.
- It has artificial flavor in it which might upset you.
4. Iams Proactive Health Senior Adult Dry Cat Food
This food uses chicken as the number 1 ingredient to promote strong muscles and provide much-needed energy in senior cats.
Vitamin E helps restore the wobbly immune response of senior cats with essential nutrients, calcium, potassium, etc.
It also contains L-Carnitine, which allows them to maintain a healthy weight.
Pros
- It stops plaque formation and has a lot of good ingredients.
- It helps to prevent obesity.
Cons
- Has lesser calories than the orange variation of the same manufacturer.
- Cats get skinnier, fur becomes dry and brittle if no variation is brought or supplement is added to this diet.
5. Purina Pro Plan Senior 11+ Canned Wet Cat Food
Made with real salmon and tuna, the Purina Pro Plan ensures healthier skin and coats in your senior cat and improves their immune system.
Cats over 11 years of age can reap the benefits that this wet cat food comes up with.
Pros
- Senior cats with sensitive stomachs will love it.
- It makes the cats more energetic, and you will find them up for a play they would otherwise have refused.
- You will notice softer coat and brighter eyes in your cat after continued feeding of this food.
Cons
- It has an artificial flavour and added colour to it. So it isn't entirely natural.
6. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Chicken Recipe Soft Loaf Canned Senior Wet Cat Food
This senior cat food comes in the form of a pate. This is why it is very soft and easy enough for cats with or without teeth to eat.
The food also has easily digestible protein.
It contains mainly meat; and has chicken, chicken liver and broth listed as the top three ingredients on the content list.
It is grain-free but contains guar gum as a filler.
Pros
- It is very soft.
- It is the best option for very old cats.
- It contains added Taurine in it.
Cons
- Some cats don’t like it for being soft, especially cats not too old.
- It also causes pooping troubles in some cats.
7. Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Aging 12+ Thin Slices in Gravy Wet Cat Food
This is a veterinarian-recommended, highly palatable, easily chewable, wellness-inducing senior cat food wet recipe with many essential fatty acids and glucosamine/chondroitin for cats with bone and kidney diseases.
Pros
- Very picky cats also love this wet cat food.
- It has reduced phosphorus to help cats with kidney disease stay further away from it.
Cons
- Some cats do not want to have it.
8. Hill's Science Diet Wet Cat Food, Adult 7+, Tender Chicken
A blend of chicken and pork liver, besides all the tons of ingredients it has, this senior cat food is good for cats aged over seven years.
It contains baked chicken in a gravy form that will be easier to digest and consume.
It also contains Taurine, which promotes good vision and heart health.
Pros
- It has added dietary supplements to ensure that your senior cat gets the best of both worlds.
- It also has added chicken liver flavor.
Cons
- It contains grains and modified starch, which will put off some buyers.
- And it causes some cats to vomit.
Who Are Senior Cats?
Before you know what senior cat food is, you need to know who senior cats are.
Cats aged more than seven years are considered to be senior cats. According to the Omni calculator, cats aged 12 years are almost equivalent to humans of 64 years.
The food that contains all the necessary ingredients concerning taste, nutrients, and nourishment in your senior cat, is called old cat food.
Our aim here is to help you explain everything you need to know about the best senior cat food on the market.
What To Look For In Good Food For Senior Cats?
Before anything, you must know that there is no single best cat food for your senior cat.
One is best for a certain age, one for a particular disease, and one for a specific breed, but one best cat food for a senior cat of all types is impossible to find and manufacture.
Below we have listed some common considerations that you must have when you are in the right cat food for your older cat:
1. Moisture Content Of Food For Older Cats
Like humans, older cats have the enamel of their teeth weaken with age, thus making the loss of teeth inevitable in senior cats.
One or two tooth loss is nothing to tax your brain since it is very natural.
But if the case is severe or your cat is having trouble chewing his food or facing discomfort, you need to adjust his diet and increase its moisture content.
2. Ingredients Of Good Food For Senior Cats
One of which is a sensitive stomach.
So when a cat has something that it shouldn’t have or something that will upset the digestion process, low to mild allergies develop.
And it does not occur if they are given new food only.
Old food once enjoyed with so much pleasure can cause these allergies if fed without the right direction or following the correct procedure.
Sometimes, it needs to be removed from the cat's diet, even if it were once a staple.
An upset stomach, vomiting, trouble pooping or litter problems, etc., are the symptoms your cat has a sensitive stomach now.
But do not worry.
There are several types of products in the market, brewed with the correct quantity of each ingredient to help solve the problem of stomach sensitivity in cats.
This is just one case. Products are available with ingredients that tackle kidney problems, obesity in cats, etc.
You have in mind that, although the irritants are compromised are replaced, there are no failings of essential nutrients in the overall diet that your cat should have at that age.
The number of ingredients can be decreased, but the functions that those ingredients have shall be provided in other variations and formats.
The most common ingredients that you must avoid are corn, wheat, other whole grains or grain by-products, a by-product of poultry or fish, artificial colour and flavours, soy, etc.
Steer clear of the pack if you find that the content of such ingredients in the list charted on the cat food package is high.
Know that a happier tummy makes a more comfortable kitty, and it all starts with the right ingredients.
3. Vitamins and Minerals
So, look for cat foods with more vitamins and minerals in higher quantities than usual.
But you should know that there is no specific content of vitamins and minerals that should be maintained through and throughout.
It differs from brand to brand. So please choose what you like as long as it is optimal and advised by your vet, and you are good to go.
But one thing that you must keep in mind is a probiotic presence in your cat food.
Not necessarily crucial for adult cats or kittens but especially important for aging cats, probiotics promote good gut health, digestion, and immune health.
And if your cat has a sensitive stomach, then what?
Yet another time, you should opt for foods with probiotics and rid your cat of the stomach problems.
4. Caloric Content
Instead of going on adventures, stalking, and hunting, your cat now enjoys being curled into a ball on the sofa, cuddling with you while it sleeps.
While this is something you might enjoy, this is not very good news for the cat as it spends the day lazily now, burning fewer calories than before.
Along with this, if there has been no change in their diet too, all the fat will pile up in pounds and make them obese, which is the last thing you want with your cats.
Since obesity is bad for your cat, especially at this age when it is inactive, you should go for foods that have a lower caloric content.
At this rate, you can feed them the same amount of food, which is a bowlful or more, with significantly lesser calories, and hence reduce the chance of obesity.
Goodbye weight gains!
5. Type of Food
It is easier to slurp and wipe the bowl clean and is friendlier on their palate.
Hard food is something that is just not right.
This soft, wet food also serves double-time as a fixer of the dehydration problem that older cats face.
Cats are naturally less thirst-driven than most other animals, and when they are older, the drive gets lesser, although it continues to become more vital for them to drink water.
The third benefit of serving them wet food is that it comes with an enticing aroma that encourages them to eat and is an excellent way to improve the appetite of cats that won't eat.
6. Abundance of Fibers
With age, cats may face trouble digesting foods that were straightforward to digest. And more complex to digest means harder to intake the nutrients that were part of the food.
This will give rise to upset stomachs and cat discomfort.
What you can do in this regard is you can provide them with foods rich in fibres.
You ensure that the signs of inflammatory bowel disease and its aftermaths are kept at bay.
This is also a great help if your cat has diabetes.
One friendly reminder: fibres are found more in dry cat food.
So, if you want your senior cat to get more fibre, feed him the dry cat foods instead of the wet, canned ones.
List of The Must-Have Nutrients In The Senior Cat Food
1. Protein
One of the essential nutrients for senior cats is protein.
A very critical part of their diet, a proper amount of quality protein helps cats maintain their muscle mass as they age.
The best way to ensure that your cat food has enough protein is to look at the guaranteed analysis of the type of food.
At least 28% protein should be present in dry cat food, and a minimum of 8 per cent protein should be present in wet cat food.
2. Fats
Many senior cats face trouble digesting and absorbing fats. Therefore, it isn't wise to feed senior cats a rich fat diet.
3. Antioxidants
Free radical damage and dysfunctional immune system and response are joint in aging cats.
So, feeding your cat with vitamin A and other necessary antioxidants is crucial to help them prevent other diseases.
4. Taurine
Taurine is a type of essential amino acid that does not take part in protein formation but conducts a range of necessary functions: the most popular of which is fixing vision and promoting heart health in cats.
Feeding your cat with a Taurine-deficient diet will result in vision loss and decaying of teeth, not to mention cardiac problems.
Your cat food must contain a trace or more Taurine in it.
5. Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids
The two most important fatty acids of them all serve many health functions for your senior cat are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
If you want to save your older cat from cognitive decline or dangerous skin problems, you must ensure it gets enough fatty acids in the diet that you are providing.
Types of Food For Old Cats
You will find the following types of cat food available in the market when searching for the best cat food for senior cats:
1. Canned Cat Food
This is easier to eat, easier to chew and easier on the teeth of the old cats.
From the cat’s point of view, these are often the tastiest of the three, as they contain meat, fat, water, and a trace amount of a few other ingredients without putting in too many things to compromise the taste of the food and make it a hotchpotch of ingredients.
The ingredient list in canned food should always be short and made up of natural ingredients.
You also have to make sure it is free of irritants like corn, wheat, soy, and other grains. Then it can be a perfect option for cats with a sensitive stomachs.
You will also need to remember that they are richer in calories than dry cat food, so you must never overfeed your cat with canned, wet food.
2. Semi-Moist Senior Cat Food
You won't be finding this one in the market like you find the dry ones or the canned ones.
This is the mid-point of wet and dry food.
It usually contains more items than wet food, including grains sometimes, but it is especially suitable for cats that don't like to chew and don't like the liquidity in their food that comes with wet canned food.
But the sole and only problem with keeping semi-moist cat food out of your grocery shopping list for cats is that instead of collectively having the benefits of canned and dry food, it has the weaknesses of them fifty-fifty.
3. Dry Cat Food
Because of their ability to combine different nutrients, vitamins, and minerals into a non-perishable, long-lasting, affordable product make them the top priority when cat parents shop for food for their cats.
But as cats age, it becomes difficult for them to chew the hard kibbles. Even if the kibbles are not too hard, old cats do not specifically prefer this type of food.
However, if your cat has a robust, healthy set of teeth, you can try feeding him dry cat food at ease.
But we will still suggest you provide him with canned wet food to help prevent future mishaps.
Common Health Issues With Older Cats
Here are some common health issues in older cats as they age. It is a friendly bunch as you will notice the same diseases in older humans.
1. Dental Problems
2. Sensitive Stomach
As I have mentioned so many times now, a sensitive stomach becomes very common in older cats, reducing their digestive capabilities by a good margin.
It is common in all cats. But the situation worsens with older cats.
4. Kidney Diseases
You will not understand your cat has kidney diseases by checking its urine.
That is probably what you don't want to do, but if your cat is vomiting a lot and you see this often after monitoring for some time, you should set an appointment with the vet as there might be possibilities of kidney disease.
5. Diabetes
Diet is a significant factor if you want to work with the diabetes problem of your old cats.
If you watch his weight and diet and give him insulin regularly, it might be put off.
Prompt treatments always scare away from diabetes.
If your senior cat is on a balanced diet, your old friend does not need supplements for now.
But if they have some health conditions, a,s we have mentioned just now, it can be difficult for the older cats to absorb nutrients from their balanced diet, and no matter what amount you put in, some vitamins and minerals will go to waste.
For example, gastrointestinal diseases in older cats reduce their ability to absorb vitamin B12.
To avoid such nutritional deficiencies, vets provide supplements that meet a specific need.
But you must be careful, as supplements can interfere with your cat's other medicines to tackle its health issues.
Always consult with your vet before bringing a change in your cat's diet, supplements, medications, etc.
Also, most over-the-counter supplements haven’t been tested in cats as readily as on other mammals, so be careful about what you choose.
How Much Should You Feed Your Senior Cats?
There is significant variation in the caloric density of cat foods.
One-eighth of a cup can make all the difference to your senior cat's weight gain or loss. So, portion control is as essential as it gets.
If you are facing trouble managing portions, especially with dry food, you should look at food options where amounts are collected automatically.
If you are still confused about the portion size or did not find what you were looking for, you should go to a vet to have things sorted.
If your cat needs to shed off a few pounds, cat foods help weight loss.
So, you won’t need to control portions, but you will be feeding the excellent quality.
Similarly, if you want your cat to gain a few pounds, feed it appetite-increasing foods rich in aroma and flavour, which don’t look like vomit.
Also, switch to higher calories but remain within the close range.
Buying Guide To Select The Best Cat Food For Senior Cats
1. Read our “What to look for in good food for senior cats” section.
2. Work closely with your cat's vet.
Find a nutritional balance that suits your cat's dietary and disease-tackling needs.
Select the foods that have been prepared/manufactured according to the guidelines provided by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
3. Never forget to read the label of your cat food package.
It has a guaranteed analysis that lists the percentage of the food containing crude protein, crude fibre, crude fat, and moisture.
Even if it doesn’t make any sense to you, visit the manufacturer’s website to understand which is what.
If you are still unsure what all these mean, you can call their customer service, ask and be sure.
We know you want the best for your cat, so why leave any stone unturned?
4. Limit the calories.
Even if you feel like your senior cat is getting thinner, increasing the calorie intake won't solve everything.
Remember that about 50 cal./kg.
It is enough for a typical indoor senior cat, as experts say.
Adjust the level for outdoor cats and the type of activities your cat engages in when it is indoor or outdoors.
5. Listen to your cat.
Don't force-feed him. All things take time to become better. Wait till things get better for your cat.
Conclusion
We sincerely hope that all the information we have provided and that you have found this article about the best cat food for senior cats is a handy guide for you.
We know how much you love and care for them. Through all this information, we tried to ensure that we support you in your endeavour to cater to all your senior cat’s health needs.
Once you have decided on the best senior cat food, don’t forget to check out our Best cat food for older cats with bad teeth article.
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