? Different foods for different life stages???

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Diana&Tom

Diana&Tom

Member Since 2009
I'm wondering what people here think about feeding their cats different diets at different life stages - specifically, well into adulthood. Kittens obviously have "special needs" and then move on to an adult diet, but at what age do our kitties become "seniors" and in need of extra nutrients again? Here in the UK, supermarket cat foods labelled "for seniors" (age 7+ which doesn't seem that old to me) contain additional vitamins etc which are presumably deemed necessary for good health past that age.

I'm always trying to wean my civvie Sapphire (seven years old last month) off supermarket brands and onto better-quality (ie more meat content) without much luck. I did get her to eat some higher-protein brands but they seem to give her a touch of diarrhea - I've had various guesses at what causes this and am thinking that it could either be the small amount of liver which is present in the foods I gave her, or the sunflower oil in one brand might be too oily for her system. I'm planning to try some of the better-quality foods available on line and hope she will eat some of these - but they don't all seem to be marketed directly at "seniors" so I may end up with another dilemma!

So the questions are - at what age does a cat become a "senior" and do you think it's necessary to feed different/special foods after that age? If not, would you add supplements to your cat's regular food and if so which one(s)? Or do you think that as long as your cat is healthy with no obvious issues, the existing diet must be fine so no need to worry?

Very interested to hear your comments please!
 
I think Yum went diabetic because I was feeding her Senior Science Diet foods that were high carb and low phosphorus.
 
Hi. I found this updated 'cat age to human age' chart. It indicates that cats are 'mature' at 7 years old (equal to about 44 for a human).

As far as special foods for older cats, here is how Young Again's site explains, "..lower level of minerals that your cat no longer needs, since they are no longer growing bone. They are also both low in phosphorus to help maintain kidney health as your cat ages. Your cat is considered full grown if they are no longer growing bone: for most cats that will be 2 years of age. However, giant breeds like the Maine Coon are not considered full grown until 5 years of age." That is specific to their mature foods, but the same concept (lower levels of minerals only needed for bone development and lower levels of phosphorous which impacts kidney function) probably applies to other mature/senior food formulas. I think some include supplements to help with things like joint health.

Personally, I have had many 'senior' cats over the years, and I have not normally started feeding them anything special until health issues came up, then what I fed was dependent on the issues. Since I had to change my current cats' food due to Mia's diabetes, I went ahead and got the Zero Mature Young Again, but none of the wet foods I get say anything about mature/senior.
 
I feed Squallie some of the Pro Plan 7+ Adult foods, he likes them and seems to do very well on them. The ones I buy are very low in carbs.
 
I don't put too much stock into different stages pet foods.

Do wild game cats eat different foods as they age?

I think it's more of a marketing gimmick than anything else. Like always, ecid, so some cats will need a diet tailored to their specific needs. As a whole, do I think, at a specific age should an animal be move to a food for their age, because the food bags says so, no. Businesses are trying to think of ways to get more of your money. "Special" usually can command a higher price, what is the real difference in ingredients?

My cat that eats mice is the healthiest one of them all. She needs, to branch out and accept other foods. She likes her food whole and in it's skin. I don't have the heart to buy live birds/other critters and let her kill them....so we are working on her food plan.

Short answer, no, we feed based on individual health needs, not age.

I have friends that swear by age specific diets. Ecid.
 
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To add to my earlier post - I don't know if the "Adult" food really makes any difference or not, I just know he likes some of them and does just as well as with them as with the other foods he eats.
 
Thanks everyone, interesting comments. Think I will keep feeding Sapphire whatever good-quality food that she likes, and address any particular additional needs as and when they arise.
 
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