Cat Food Guide: How to Choose the Best Senior Cat Food?

After having a kitten in your house, you will hope for her happy, healthy, and long life. By the time, your kitten becomes a cat and reaches her senior years. Remember, the dietary needs of an older cat are different than younger cats. For this reason, you have to consider changes in their diet to provide them with necessary vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. The best senior cat food is essential to keep them happy and healthy.

How to choose the best cat food for senior cats?

Remember, you can’t give the same food to your older cats. Some cats may suffer from different health issues. For this reason, you have to consider the health requirements of your cat before choosing food. Here are some everyday things to consider:

Food Needs More Moisture

Senior cats often face common issues, such as sensitivity and tooth loss. Similar to humans, enamel on the teeth of senior cats break down. Tooth loss becomes inevitable as cat ages. With 2 to 3 missing teeth, the cats can eat their food.

Severe tooth loss can increase discomfort in cats. You have to adjust the diet of your cat as per their health needs. If they don’t have teeth, you can choose canned food for them instead of hard food.

Fiber, Vitamins, and Minerals

Numerous cat foods are packed with minerals and vitamins. These food items can keep your cat healthy and happy. Cat food items are suitable for senior cats. The specific minerals and vitamins may vary in each brand; therefore, you have to look out for the best cat food for senior cats recommended by your vet.

Several cat foods for senior doctors have probiotics. These may promote a healthy digestive and stomach system. These types of foods can help your cats with sensitive digestive and stomach issues. Make sure to buy food containing probiotics for an older cat with a sensitive stomach. Older cats have digestive problems; therefore, they need a little more fiber in the diet to stay regular.

Check Ingredients

Stomachs of senior cats may become sensitive to mild allergies and particular ingredients. Their favorite food may cause diarrhea and vomiting. If you are noticing these symptoms in a senior cat, you have to choose special food. Several foods are available in the market to address increased stomach sensitivity.

Make sure to consider special allergies of cats. Sometimes, your cat needs food without soy, corn, and grain. These are problematic ingredients in numerous cases. By eliminating these ingredients, you can ensure a happier tummy of your cat.

Caloric Content

An aging cat inherently becomes less active. The hunting and prowling of a cat will slow down with time. Your cat will enjoy cuddling up with you on the sofa. In this situation, your pet will burn a few calories. With ordinary food, they can put on numerous pounds and become obese.

Obesity is equally bad for cats, just like humans. Special cat foods are available to deal with this situation. You will need exceptional food with lower caloric content. It permits you to prevent obesity in your senior cats.

Nutritional Needs of Cats

A cat needs animal-based protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins. These nutrients are available in top-rated senior cat food. For a healthy coat, brain, skin, and muscle development, you will need healthy meals for a senior kitty.

Moreover, an animal needs carbohydrates available in vegetables and fruits. Cats may not have a strong drive for water. They often get hydration from moisture-rich meat. To avoid dehydration in cats, you must offer plenty of freshwater to your cat. Kitty obesity can be a big issue because it may increase the risk of arthritis, diabetes, and other health issues in your animal.

Protect your cat from fillers, artificial preservatives, and grains to avoid gut and digestive issues. If your child has dental problems, you have to offer soft food. Older cats may have gum diseases, missing, loose, broken or infected teeth. Remember, cats need enough energy to exercise and play. For this reason, you have to provide them with healthy food.

5 Best Senior Cat Food

If you want top-rated senior cat food, here are some best food items for you. Review these items before selecting the perfect food for your cats.

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1. Now Fresh Senior Grain-Free Weight Management Cat Food

Treat your cat with the freshness of Now Grain-Free food. With this weight management recipe, you can nourish your cat with fresh duck, salmon and turkey, fresh omega 3 and six oils (from canola and coconut). Now food features, veggies, fruits, and wholesome berries.

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Your pet can get the benefits of carrots, lentils, kelp, alfalfa sprouts, blackberries, pumpkins, cranberries, spinach, and peas. It comes with zero gluten, grains, corn, beef, rendered meats, soy, artificial preservatives, and by-products. Feel free to choose this recipe for 7+ years older cats to manage their weight. It can be the best cat food for senior cats.

This gluten and the grain-free formula is free from fillers, soy, wheat, and corn. If your cat has any stomach sensitivity, you will need this formula. This cat food can be a suitable choice for digestive issues. With its high protein and balanced content, it is appropriate to support the lifestyle of an active cat. Probiotics can help the good digestive health of your cat. Three types of healthy meat increase healthy fats and essential oils.

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Conclusion

Now Fresh is a suitable food to manage the weight of your senior cats. If your cat is sensitive to grains, feel free to pick this food. Remember, it may not work well for lazy cats. Make sure to consult your vet if your pet has some health issues.

2. Nutro Senior Dry Food Indoor Cat

If you want to serve tasty nutrition to your cat, Nutro Senior dry food can be the best cat food for senior cats. Nutro sources fresh ingredients from trusted suppliers and farmers for nutritious and tasty recipes. The wholesome essentials food promotes digestion because of its natural fiber content. Antioxidants are enough to strengthen the immune system of your cat.

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Nutro recipes are made with fresh and healthy ingredients, such as omega-6 fatty acids. These elements are necessary for a lustrous coat and healthy skin. This food can be great for your senior indoor cats. This calorie-controlled recipe is ideal for your indoor, inactive cat. With this meal, you can feed them without worrying about their weight.

The primary ingredient of this recipe is chicken to provide your cat with essential oils and fats necessary for healthy living. Nutro contains natural fibers to decrease hairball formulation. With added calcium, it can ensure stronger joints and bones in your cats. It is fortified with necessary nutrients, such as taurine to support the healthy heart in senior cats. If you want to save your cat from by-product chicken meal and artificial preservatives, it can be a suitable choice.

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Conclusion

For your senior cat, this dry food may be a suitable choice. It is fortified with taurine and fatty acids. In the presence of this meal, there is no need to worry about the immune system of your cat. It contains brown rice, so it may increase the chances of weight gain.

3. Blue Buffalo Aging Natural Healthy Dry Cat Food

Blue Buffalo is the best senior cat food with natural and wholesome ingredients. This food is suitable for cats of all ages. If your cat has a sensitive stomach, you can pick this food. The main component of this food is chicken. It has many probiotics for nutrient absorption and digestion. It may contain some grains, so you have to consider specific allergies of your kitty.

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It is free of soy, wheat, and corn. Numerous minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and fatty acids are available for overall health. Blue Buffalo can keep your kitty happy and healthy. Remember, this food is not designed, especially for senior cats. It can be a healthy choice for your senior cat. Make sure to consult your vet before feeding your old kitty. It is specially designed to meet the needs of kittens, mature and adult cats.

With DHA, it can support cognitive developments in cats. Chondroitin and glucosamine are necessary for joint health in senior cats. If your cat has a sensitive stomach or issue with hairballs, choose BLUE for your cats. With its unique formula and ingredients, it is right to satisfy special dietary needs of your kitty. BLUE is made with natural, high-quality ingredients and fresh meat. It features wholesome whole grains, veggies, deboned chicken, etc. Moreover, it is free from by-product meals of poultry or chicken.

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Conclusion

BLUE is suitable for cats of different ages. With its finest ingredients, it has numerous minerals and vitamins. It includes veggies, fruit, and wholesome grains. BLUE can meet the lifestyle of every cat. The recipe has some grains; therefore, it may not suit some cats.

4. Wellness Health Natural Complete Dry Cat Food

Wellness is a balanced recipe for senior cats. If you want to provide high-quality grains and proteins for your cat, choose this top-rated senior cat food. It is specially designed for aging, less active cat. This recipe contains a particular level of fiber and fat to maintain the weight of senior cats. It can provide sufficient support to the joint and hips of your kitty.

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Chicken is necessary for senior cats. You can provide this primary ingredient to your cat via this meal. It is not designed for indoor cats. The caloric content of this food is reasonable than others. With this recipe, you can prevent obesity in your cat. It has some prebiotics for the healthy digestive system. Moreover, it contains l-Carnitine dose to deal with a slower metabolism.

Wellness is made without grains, soy, or corns in the USA. If your kitty has a sensitive stomach, you can choose this recipe. It contains balanced nutrition for cats. The formula has Essential minerals and vitamins, deboned chicken and delicious proteins. To support overall vitality and fitness, you will need this recipe.

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Conclusion

It has rice and chicken for senior cats. If your cats are not sensitive to grains, it can be a fit meal. With the use of this meal, you can promote overall vitality and fitness in cats. Wellness is free from artificial flavors, colors, by-products, and preservatives.

5. Ziwi Peak Canned Grain-free Cat Food

If you want the best-tasting food, Ziwi canned food can be the best cat food for senior cats. The rand uses the finest protein from free-range, ethically raised animals. It is free from grains, soy, rice, agar-agar, potatoes, preservatives, BPA, sugars wheat, fillers, etc. The Ziwi recipes don’t have added hormones or growth promotions.

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It is free from processed carbohydrates. This recipe has everything that your cat needs to thrive. They use fresh organs, bone, and meat to mirror a nutrient-dense, whole-prey diet. If your cat has specific health issues, you must consult a vet before choosing it.

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Conclusion

It is made of free-range, grass-fed venison. The food includes green mussels of New Zealand. These are an ideal source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin. It doesn’t have rice, corn, grains, potatoes, soy, wheat, sugars, fillers, and glycerin.

Final Verdict

Dietary needs of your senior kitty change with her age. If you want to optimize her well-being, you will need the best senior cat food. We have reviewed the five best senior cat food recipes. Feel free to choose one of these recipes to support joint health, robust immune system, and heart health of your cat.

Your senior kitty (8-pound) needs almost 240 calories daily. Make sure to decrease this amount gradually with the age of your animal. If you are not sure about the dietary needs of your child, you should consult a vet. With healthy food, you can give a healthy, happy, and longer life to your cat.