How to Feed Senior Citizen Cats
June 4, 2008 – 5:42 amProviding proper diet for an elderly cat is a matter of finding out the physical condition of your cat. It can be hard without a veternarian visit. Always examine your geriatric cat’s desire for food, food consumption, eating behavior, weight, and body condition. This info will be useful when you and your veterinarian ascertain your cat’s precise nutritional needs. Unless your cat has problems digesting average cat food, is becoming overweight or is on prescription food, complete formulation cat food accompanied by cool drinking water is satisfactory.
It is recommended to move older cats onto a specifically formulated senior cat food. Store bought cat foods made especially for senior cats provide superior-quality protein and lower levels of phosphorous to cut down stress on the kidneys. The senior citizen cat formulas also add Vitamin E to strengthen the older cat’s authentic defenses.
Cats Getting Older
Cats go through more than a few physical and behavioral changes as they age. As your cat’s metabolism slows down, the cat’s senses begin to diminish. Senior cats have more problems with taste, sight, smell, and hearing. Sadly, these physical changes are a reality of life, and the cat owner must fine-tune the feeding of their cat. Weight loss and weight gain both can both be troubles in elderly cats.
Controlling Disease in Cats Through Diet
There are a number of diseases and afflictions that felines develop in old age. Cats with cancer have extraordinary nutritional requirements. Providing more omega-3 fatty acids and more beta-carotene in the diet will benefit felines with cancer. Bowel health may deteriorate with age, causing problems such as a large reduction the cat’s ability to digest nutrients. This can lead to weight loss. Cat food preservatives have been fingerpointed for a number of problems in cats from allergies to cancer, but all is not known yet what the impact is.
Preparing The Cat’s Meal
When getting cat food out of the fridge, it is best to let the cat food warm up. According to how much you give, it can take up to 2 hours to warm. You can warm catfood in a microwave, but it can get hot spots. Just watch to make sure it don’t overheat, and mix well after heating to reduce the heat spots. If you want a rule of thumb, it is recommended to not get cat food to cold or hot.
Other Things to Ponder in An Aging Cat
When feeding your cat, always give it fresh water. Older cats tend to get dehydrated easier. Keeping the elderly cat properly hydrated is imperative. Elderly cats are often poor drinkers even when water is easily accessible, so providing pure, fresh water helps. I recommend setting a number of bowls of water in separate parts of the house.
Taking Care of an Older Cat Boils Down to This
Like humans, all cats are not made the same. So you can’t give an older cat a cookie cutter diet and expect the right results everytime. Be sure to go along with all the guidelines of your animal doctor, even if your cat fights it at first. It is necessary to make sure your cat lives a long healthy life.
Tags: Cat
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