There are many wonderful diets on the market for your ageing feline friends. One of my personal favourites is the Purina Veterinary Diets Essential Care Feline Senior diet. In my experience, cats find this diet very palatable, and they do quite well on it.
It is important to provide ageing animals with the nutrients they require so that they stay in good shape and remain healthy and happy for as long as possible.
This diet provides cats with high protein levels. It helps maintain lean body mass and muscle as the cat ages. We often see older cats who are lacking muscle mass as they age, which makes them look very thin even if they haven’t lost weight.
The dry kibble contains a natural fibre blend that helps to control hairballs. No one likes to clean those up! Fibre also helps with digestion and having healthy bowel movements.
This diet contains omega-6 fatty acids, which help keep your feline friends coat and skin nice and healthy. It also contains taurine, which cats require in their food. It helps support eye and heart health. This diet also contains antioxidants that help support the immune system.
Many cats become finicky with food as they age, I have seen many cats who LOVE this food, especially the canned variety. It is important to feed a food that your cat enjoys eating and remains healthy while eating it.
Your veterinary health care team can recommend the best diet for your individual pet, based on their current health status and needs. Sometimes animals can require prescription or specific diets to help manage their health conditions. If you think your pet may require a diet change, don’t hesitate to ask your vet!
Written by: Mikaila Cariou, RVT
