Best diet for my nearly 9 year old female cat?

jennielouises

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When we adopted our pusscat 6 weeks ago we were told by cats protection to keep her on 30g of Purina Pro Plan Senior 7+ twice a day. Last Thursday she wasn't well at all. She went for a number 2 and then kept going back to the litter tray and straining to go. She hadn't eaten much for the last two days. We took her to the vets and she was checked over but they said she was ok. She was given an anti-inflammatory injection which she proceeded to throw up when she got her. She therefore spent the next 24 hours at the vets. They got her eating again, gave her pain killers and said they could see she was straining more than normal to go. 

They told us to put her on wet cat food for a while in case she was constipated and keep an eye on her incomings and outgoings! So we gave her Whiskas pouches in the morning and evening. She eats them but seems constantly hungry and keeps asking for more. She also seems to want her pro plan biscuits all the time. 

She is over 5kg so Whiskas guidelines say she can only have two pouches a day but she is constantly hungry. She even woke us up at 5.30 this morning for food when normally she waits till 7am. What is the best amount to feed her? 
 

lokhismom

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If she has constipation problems keep her strictly on the wet food and make sure she's getting all the moisture she can.  Perhaps find a pet fountain and add more water bowls around the house.    Cats get constipation from the lack of moisture in dry food.     Add a bit of water to their food as well. As much as they will tolerate to eat their food. Some cats will eat their food soupy others only like a little water added. 

I had a cat who had constipation from being on dry food and its heartbreaking to see them go thru that. 

Most cats eat around 6 oz or more of wet food a day.  Thats 1 of the larger cans or 2 of the smaller 3 oz cans.   It varies by the size of your cat.   I'd feed her more feedings through out the day.  Perhaps morning, afternoon and late evening before you go to bed. No free feeding.   Also give her a variety of wet and don't stick to 1 brand. 
 

fhicat

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Welcome to TCS! How old is she?  Oops, it says right in the title. 


The guidelines are just that, guidelines. Some cats eat more, some cats eat less, and quality of the food also affects how much cats would eat. Did your vet give you an amount to feed?

See if you can get her on all-wet, the extra water is helpful. Always have fresh water available at all times too. Talk to your vet about possibly exploring acacia fiber -- when my cat had a constipation episode, she said to try acacia fiber and that seemed to clear up his constipation within a couple of days.

If your budget allows it, try some of the better brands (I'm personally not a fan of Whiskas) -- Fancy Feast Classics is good for budget. See our reviews section for some recommendations on brands that other members have had success with.
 
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jennielouises

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Do they do a senior cat food? She needs to be on senior food. My vets gave me royal chain (think that is the name) that was a special GI good but Sparky turned her nose up at it so all I had was whiskas. They are going to let us swap it for their senior cat food though. 

So you think I should avoid the dry food altogether? I am popping into the vets on the way home from work to change the food so will ask them about food quantity then. She is a very hungry cat but also a lazy cat who won't go outside and put on half a kilo since living with us. It's a balance between keeping her satisfied and not letting her get fat. 

Think I am going to get extra water bowls like suggested. 

Do you think not changing her litter tray and her therefore not wanting to use it could contribute to the constipation as well? My hubby and I were out the night before her tummy issues and didn't poop scoop her box. There was day old poo in there on the Thursday and I wonder if she avoided using it because of this (I know they are very clean creatures) and that somehow made her constipation worse? Like I have IBS and get told not to put off going to the loo as it can cause issues?

Thanks for your advice
 

fhicat

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You have some very good questions, and I'll respond to each line as I can.
 
Do they do a senior cat food? She needs to be on senior food. My vets gave me royal chain (think that is the name) that was a special GI good but Sparky turned her nose up at it so all I had was whiskas. They are going to let us swap it for their senior cat food though. 
This is tough. I'm afraid I don't have a good answer for that one. I'll see if someone else with experience with senior cats can offer some input.
So you think I should avoid the dry food altogether? I am popping into the vets on the way home from work to change the food so will ask them about food quantity then. 
I think this is a personal choice. There is no one right answer. It largely depends on your cat, your finances, what's available in your area and what you're comfortable with. My cat, for example, has issues with vomiting currently. I used to feed him raw, but he had significant inflammation of the stomach, and now he's on dry food (and meds), which he handles much better. He mostly cannot tolerate wet food. So in my case, for now dry is the way for him until his stomach clears up, then we'll see about switching him around. 

There are many opinions and many feeding styles on this board, so you'll have plenty of information to digest to make an informed decision. We also have plenty of articles, these should give you a good starting point:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-compare-cat-foods-calculate-carbs-dry-matter-basis

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/choosing-the-right-food-for-your-cat

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/what-makes-the-best-canned-cat-food

Since your cat is not well, work with your vet before making any food switches. Good vets should be willing to work with you, share their knowledge and be open to options (rather than just "take this because I say so"). Your vet wants your cat to be healthy and happy.
 
She is a very hungry cat but also a lazy cat who won't go outside and put on half a kilo since living with us. It's a balance between keeping her satisfied and not letting her get fat. 
I don't recommend cats being outside unsupervised, although there are legitimate reasons for doing so. There are plenty of dangers outside that if left unsupervised, it shortens the average lifespan of the cat. The best weight management program for cats is lots of exercise, playtime and timed feedings. How often are you playing with her every day? Cats need physical and mental exercise every day. Even 10 minutes a day of chasing a wand toy does wonders to your cat's happiness and health.
Do you think not changing her litter tray and her therefore not wanting to use it could contribute to the constipation as well? My hubby and I were out the night before her tummy issues and didn't poop scoop her box. There was day old poo in there on the Thursday and I wonder if she avoided using it because of this (I know they are very clean creatures) and that somehow made her constipation worse? Like I have IBS and get told not to put off going to the loo as it can cause issues?
Cleaning the litter tray does help with pooping outside of the tray, but I don't know if it directly causes constipation. That would be something to ask your veterinarian. When my cat was in constipation mode, he would not go to his clean, just-scooped litter box, but he pooped outside. Once his constipation cleared up, he went back to using the box. 

It certainly wouldn't hurt to be more regular in litter box cleaning. Once a day is the absolute minimum for one cat, twice a day is ideal. Do you have a second litter box? Some cats like having separate places to #1 and #2. It may or may not help with the constipation, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.
 

mservant

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@jennielouises   I think the Whiskas pouches are not the highest in protein so your cat might not feel as full when she has eaten them as she might with a higher protein food.  They are not all super expensive, and I have found some pretty good protein levels in the trays sold in some of the 'smaller' supermarkets like Aldi as well as less well known brands maybe in pet stores and pet supermarkets.  The cans and trays of pate tend to have more protein than the gravy options IF you can get your girl to eat them.   My previous 2 tabby girls wouldn't touch pates and any wet they did eat it would be licking the gravy off Iams snr pouches.  :-(    My current kitty is a kibble cruncher and getting him to eat more than  a teaspoon of wet a day is a serious chore but I persevere and try to give it to him like a 'treat' every couple of weeks.  Heh heh.  He's one for drinking from a dripping tap so no trouble with his fluid intake but I still keep an eye on his tray as his poop is definitly harder than it should be.   

Good luck with getting your girl to transition without further tummy / digestive upsets.
 
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