Senior Cat Food

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Ingredients
Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Mill Run, Chicken Liver Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Supplement, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydro

PETNEWSANDVIEWS.COM: Putting a Cat on a Diet is an excellent article on putting your cat on a diet.  One key piece of information is the caloric needs of cats:

How Much Should Cats Eat

Most average, indoor cats require between 180 to 210 calories per day. The larger or more active a cat is, the more calories it needs to consume; the smaller or less active, the fewer calories it needs. For weight loss, some cats may eat as little as 160 to 170 calories per day. Most cats are grazers; they prefer to eat several small meals throughout the day. “I recommend feeding your cat at least twice a day if not more frequently,” says Dr. Ward. “Some of the newer automatic food dispensers allow you to program up to six feedings per day. These are especially convenient and welcome for owners of cats that like to wake them at 2 a.m. for a ‘midnight snack.’”

Your older cat has special needs, so be sure to check out the articles on senior cat food nutrition and keeping your older cat healthy.

As cats age, their nutritional needs change.  As such, it will be necessary for you to adjust your older cat's diet to ensure your older cat's health is safeguarded.  Here are some of the top questions and answers when it comes to senior cat food nutrition.

When should you switch your older cat to senior cat food?  Is it even necessary?

Once your cat begins to approach the last third of her normal life expectancy, she is considered to be an "older" or "senior" cat.  Cats age differently, but in general, the cut-off age is about 8-9 years old.  You may want to discuss this further with your veterinarian, but it would be wise to switch to older cat food to address your cats new dietary needs, especially if she has become overweight.

What makes for a healthy senior cat diet and nutrional cat food?

As with all cat food, a high-quality meat/protein is tantamount to the food you provide your senior cat.  Make sure your cat enjoys her food and that it is made of small, easy to chew bite size kibbles.  Taurine is also a key ingredient in your cat's food, and try to look for cat foods with cranberries to ensure a healthy urinary tract.  While your senior cat won't need as much protein as a kitten, she is still a carnivore and requires a great deal of protein,  a greater percentage than older dogs even.  As such, it is important not to restrict your senior cat's protein intake.  In fact, cat food with low protein may impair your cat's immune function.

In addition to your senior cat's protein requirements, studies have shown that older cat's do not digest and absorb fats as well as younger cats.  So make sure your cat's food has has more easily digestible food in order to ensure she gets the same amount of energy.  Be sure to keep track of your cat's weight and body and adjust her diet accordingly.

What should I feed my senior cat if she has so-and-so disease or condition?

Senior cat's dietary needs are different if they have certain illnesses or conditions.  You should consult your veterinarian about what to look for in foods if your cat is suffering from a particular ailment.  In general however, here is a list of common cat health problems and the corresponding nutritional needs and recommended changes in diet:

• Colitis, constipation, or anal gland disease:  Pick foods with increased dietary fiber.
• Diabetes mellitus:  Pick a diet high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colitis: Pick foods with highly digestible sources of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
• Heart disease: Pick foods with decreased amounts of sodium and increased amounts of the amino acid taurine.
• Chronic kidney failure:  Cat foods with highly digestible protein are important so there are fewer byproducts, which the kidneys are responsible for eliminating in the urine.
• Dental and oral disease: For cats who experience pain while eating hard food, you will probably need to switch to canned food.
• Cancer:  Increasing Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet is recommended.

What about obesity and my older cat's weight?

Just like people, an older cat will have a slower metabolism and be less active, causing her to become overweight.  Maintaining a healthy weight is important for your cat's health.  Many senior cat foods are specially formulated to help your cat stay at a healthy weight - and if she's already obese - lose weight.  In addition to the food you provide your cat, you should engage her in exercise to stimulate her cardio-vascular system and help her lose weight in a healthy way (for more tips, you can see our article on maintaining older cat health).  Exercise is good for your older cat the same way it's good for you!

My older cat is losing a lot of weight and is too thin, what gives?

Some cats tend to naturally lose weight as they age, which normally should not be a problem.  Progressive weight loss (without a change in diet/food), however, can be a warning sign for serious illnesses or medical problems that your cat may have.  It is important for you to monitor your cat's weight and look for small, gradual decreases in weight as that tends to be the first sign of illness.  Some conditions for which weight loss could be a symptom include kidney failure, cancer, diabetes mellitus, inflammatory bowl disease, liver disease, hyperthyroidism, and some other conditions.

Keep a record of your cats weight on a monthly basis, and if you notice any anamolous changes, be sure to notify your veterinarian and have your cat checked out.  He could then suggest a particular dietary change for your cat's condition.

Natural Balance pet food has come into existence to ensure good health and a balanced diet to the pets. It has been accepted wholeheartedly by senior cat owners.  It is through Dick Van Patten, the famous actor, that this product got founded.  This pet food company offers very nutritious and healthy cat food.

These cat foods are prepared by the Natural Pet Food Company in the laboratories of Pacoima in California. The ingredients that you shall find in the Natural Balance cat food are, chicken, duck meal, dried egg, lamb meal, potassium chloride, spinach, zinc sulfate, salmon meal, taurine, potassium iodide and lots more. Natural Balance cat food are rich in protein content and are easily available in the market both in dry and canned form at an economical price.

Some of those that you can opt for are Natural Balance Original Ultra Premium Dry Cat Food, Natural Balance LID Limited Ingredients Diets Green Pea & Duck Formula for cats, Natural Balance Green Pea & Chicken Dry Cat Food.

Nutritional Food is Key to Cat Health

Proper nutrition is vital for ensuring the health and happiness of your cat.  But what should you look for when picking a dry or canned food for your cat?

First and foremost, the brand of food you pick should have a label from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) that verifies the nutritional balance of the food.  The association regulates nutrition and labeling in cat food products and you're only guaranteed that the food is complete if there is an AAFCO label on the food you purchase.  For your convenience, all foods reviewed on this website are AAFCO approved.

Next, since cats are carnivores by nature, you want a meat to be the primary ingredient in the food you purchase.  Just like with regular human food ingredients, the first item listed is the one that is found in the greatest quantity, then the next, and the next and so on.  The last ingredient is the one with the smallest quantity in the food.

Make sure your cat foods also has the nutrient taurine which is important for your cats health.  Quality cat foods should have this along with a lower amount of carbohydrates.  Carbs are inexpensive fillers for cat food manufacturers and the best cat foods are mostly made with meats and proteins, not carbs.

If your cat has a history of urinary tract problems, try to avoid foods with fish in them and try to provide your cat with wet or canned food.  Other things to look for are foods that advertise a pH balance and include cranberries.

Finally, choose a cat food that your cat enjoys and stick with it.  Changing your cats diet stresses her out and could cause her to become ill.  Sometimes changing her food is necessary (to prevent or treat urinary tract diseases, help her lose weight, etc) in which case the food should be changed gradually.

Be sure to consult your veterinarian about what the best food for your cat is at her stage in life.  As cats age, senior cat foods helps them remain healthy in their older age and address their changing nutritional needs.

Check out our articles on switching your cat from dry food to canned food, and which cat foods are best for a healthy urinary tract, too.

Mix Tuna with Canned Food

Are you trying to switch your cat to wet or canned food? Is your cat not eating the food? Here's a quick, easy trick you can use to get your cat accustomed to canned food, which may be better for your cats urinary system.

First you will need the wet canned food and a can of tuna.

When you feed your cat, for each spoonful of cat food, add a spoonful of tuna, then mix the two together.

Next time you feed your cat, mix slightly less tuna with your cats canned food. And the time after that, decrease the ratio even more. Keep doing this until your cat eats only the canned food.

This should get even the most stubborn, picky cat accustomed to any wet food. As a treat, you can pour some tuna juice from time to time on the cat's food or actually give your cat some tuna with its wet food!

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Wysong Uretic™ is a great dry food for cats prone to Urolithiasis, struvite crystals, bladder stones, FLUTD, because it contains no excess minerals and gives your cat acidic urine, which in turn helps maintain urinary tract health and prevent and treat urinary diseases.

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Natura Pet Products, the company that makes Innova brand foods, is known for investing a lot in research and development.  Their Innova Senior cat food is the result of a two year long effort to apply the latest senior cat scientific research findings to their popular Innova cat food formulas.