Do I really need to start treating my cat like a senior kitty-citizen?
Asked by
tinyfaery (
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)
February 16th, 2011
My oldest cat will be 10 this year. She is supposedly a senior cat and because of that I am instructed to give her different food and supplement her diet with vitamins and what not. But she is still a frisky little kitten. She is the most playful one of all of my cats. She isn’t overweight and aside from her heart problem, which is stable, she is just as healthy today as she was 5 years ago.
Does she really need different food and different care. If so, why and what should I be looking out for?
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12 Answers
Personally, and I’m not a vet or an expert by any means, I wouldn’t worry about it. As long as she’s healthy and active, there’s no reason why you should change her food or anything. Just keep an eye out for any problems in the same way as you have been for the last 10 years.
Just my unprofessional opinion.
It’s preventative medicine, and it will help her live longer, healthier.
Older cats are quite prone to kidney dysfunction and kidney failure. As obligate carnivores, cats eat a diet high in protein, which puts a strain on the kidneys. Senior diets typically contain lower levels of protein (and lower calories to compensate for the typical weight gain as pets become less active). You mention in an aside that she has a heart problem, so that’s even more reason to be proactive rather than reactive.
Will it be a problem to give my younger cats the senior food? I currently feed a grain-free diet. Is that not advisable?
Not as long as it’s a high quality food (although if they are < 6 months old, I’d feed kitten food).
Your vet, who knows your cats personally and has experience with them on an individual level as well as professional experience and knowledge, is the person to direct this question to.
My Velvet lived to 19 yrs old and had a congenital heart murmur and I fee her the same food all along.
The only thing I did differently is a comprehensive blood test to check for early signs of kidney or other diseases of old age.
It was a very fast growing tumor under her tongue that did her in finally but right up until a month or two before her death, she would still regularly play “chase tail” with herself.
Milo here: I am 10, and my vet (and all my admirers) say that I was at the top of my form. Coat shiny, teeth clean and sharp, leaping ability unsurpassed, mousing skills undiminished, appetite balanced with perfect weight, deviousness increasing, textbook bathroom habits and still America’s next top model.
See me here
And the product here
Quote: “This photo is private”
When did Yahoo take over Flickr ?
Yuck.
My cat lived to be 19 (and a half!) and we never did any special senior stuff for her. The only special treatment she got was wet food for the first time once her teeth started falling out.
I recommend extra petting, however.
My cat back home at my moms house is a few months shy of 21. She didn’t really start showing signs of age until about 15, so 10 isn’t that bad at all. Maybe a change in cat food, and a closer eye on the cat… but it’ll be just fine.
(My almost-old-enough-to-drink cat still hunts outside…. in the dead of winter)
@gail
What a fabulous cushion. How was it made?
want one for my Smoochie baby.
I just realized that both she and Milo have the similar “white blaze” look. She just comes in a greater variety of colors :)
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