When to switch to Sr Food

S

scoomoo

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
May 18, 2006
Messages
92
Purraise
1
Is there a good time to switch to senior cat food? What is the difference between senior cat food and regular kitty food? My 2 kitties are 8 and 9 years old. I have them on a light food due to their tendencies to gain weight. I know a lot of packages call a 7 year old cat a "senior", but I am not sure why that designation was made for that age by the pet food companies.

If I do switch to senior food, is there one you would recommend that is light, good for dental health, and good for kitties prone to hairballs? Thanks
 
pat

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
Hi there,
Most sites if you do a google search on "senior cat" use 7 to 10 years. I don't think it's based on a decision by the pet companies, but you'd have to do some research to see if it's studies that are being referred to or what the source for this is.

A senior food will at the least have a lower protein content, and other differences may include ingredients to counter hairballs, aid digestion/stool composition, some varieties may include glucosamine for joint comfort..it really will vary.

The truth is that cats need more moisture than dry food contains, and at any age, but especially as a senior, if you can afford to, a premium canned food diet or homecooked (or many would say, a raw diet) is far preferable to the best dry kibble.

I do use a senior food, finding Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Senior an affordadable and decent choice for "more than one" cat household.

When I can however, I will be deep sixing feeding dry.
 
sharky

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Hi there,
Most sites if you do a google search on "senior cat" use 7 to 10 years. I don't think it's based on a decision by the pet companies, but you'd have to do some research to see if it's studies that are being referred to or what the source for this is.

A senior food will at the least have a lower protein content, and other differences may include ingredients to counter hairballs, aid digestion/stool composition, some varieties may include glucosamine for joint comfort..it really will vary.

The truth is that cats need more moisture than dry food contains, and at any age, but especially as a senior, if you can afford to, a premium canned food diet or homecooked (or many would say, a raw diet) is far preferable to the best dry kibble.

I do use a senior food, finding Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Senior an affordadable and decent choice for "more than one" cat household.

When I can however, I will be deep sixing feeding dry.
Click to expand...
I used Nutro s max with good results(YMMV) .... I agree with Pat on the wet / homecooked /raw over dry ... Just today someone suggested moistening the dry with water to add hydration ...
 
dawnofsierra

dawnofsierra

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 24, 2004
Messages
16,678
Purraise
24
Location
Loving my beautiful baby girl
As Pat said, age 7 is generally when the transition to senior food is recommended, yet, this is not set in stone. It depends on the individual kitty's health requirements. Innova Lite canned has been Sierra's "senior" food for years. I, too, agree that wet is preferred over dry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top