The kidneys especially begin to lose the ability to handle waste materials that must be removed from the bloodstream and excreted in the urine.

Even older cats that appear to be in perfect health could have kidneys that function much less effectively than they used to.

Guidelines for feeding the older pets include

1. Feed a high-quality pet food specifically designed for the senior pet. A veterinarian can advise you of any special health problems that your pet already has and any other dietary changes that might be necessary. In many cases of “old age” diseases, special foods can be prescribed along with medication to help manage these conditions. For instance, studies have shown that feeding a diet rich in antioxidants can help lessen age-related senility.
2. If you notice your older pet gaining or losing weight, consult with a veterinarian about any changes in diet that can correct the problem. At the same time, the vet will check for any medical problem that might be contributing to the change in weight.
3. Do not supplement your older pet’s diet with anything unless a veterinarian specifically recommends it. Senior digestive systems are even more sensitive than younger ones to the unbalancing effects of frequent snacks, treats, and table food added to the diet.
4. Take your “senior” for regular (at least once a year) medical checkups to catch problems early or prevent them altogether. The right diet throughout life is an important part of a sound preventive medicine program to safeguard the health and long life of your treasured pet.
5. Keep fresh, clean, filtered water available at all times.

Dietary Management of Disease

For years, medical research has been telling us about the benefits of eating a well-balanced diet for good health. In addition, we also know that special modification of the dietary intake in the presence of a disease state can be helpful in the treatment and/or long-term management of the condition. This same nutritional health concept can be applied to cats as well.

Many disease conditions in cats, such as obesity (yes, obesity is a disease!), heart disease, kidney disease, and gastrointestinal disease, can be effectively controlled, and sometimes even cured, through diet modification alone.

For example, obesity, constipation, certain types of colitis, and diabetes mellitus all warrant an increase in the amount of fiber present in the ration.

Cats suffering from certain types of feline lower urinary tract disease benefit from diets that acidify the urine and contain low levels of magnesium and other trace minerals.

Finally, recommended management of cats suffering from kidney disease includes diets low in phosphorus and containing only the highest quality proteins.

These special diets or rations aimed at fighting or counteracting diseases can be purchased through a veterinarian, or can be prepared at home via veterinary-supplied recipes.

In general, the commercially prepared products are preferred over the homemade rations. The cost of these diets is negligible when compared to continuing veterinary bills and the poor quality of life that would result by not feeding them.

Just remember to follow the veterinarian’s directions closely as to amounts and frequency of feeding of these diets if they are indeed used.

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A well-fed and well-nourished cat is a happy cat. Although the occasional  mouse caught outside may supplement your cat’s diet, he will rely on you almost exclusively for his food. And that reliance places great responsibility on you.

Providing your cat with a healthy, balanced diet will help him to grow and develop as he should, and give him the best chance of living a long life, free of illness.

Essential Nutrition

Meat is the natural diet for cats. They  eat meat because they cannot convert  the fats and proteins found in vegetable matter into the amino acids and fatty  acids necessary for their bodies to function properly and stay healthy. Meat protein contains everything they need plus an important amino acid that they cannot make—taurine.

Insufficient taurine in a  cat’s diet can lead to blindness and heart disease. Taurine is added to all processed  cat food. It is impaired by cooking, so if  you cook your cat’s food yourself, you will also need to provide him with a regular taurine supplement.

Regardless of your own food preferences, you cannot turn your cat into a vegetarian without putting his health, and even his life, at risk. A feline digestive system is not designed to process large amounts of vegetable matter, although it is usual for cats to chew a little grass now and then.

Prey caught in the wild supplies not just meat protein but also essential fats, vitamins, minerals—such as calcium from bones—and fiber. Domestic cats are unlikely to have to hunt for their meals, and they are not natural scavengers, so they rely on us  to supply the correct nutrients, whether in ready-made or home-cooked food.

Cats are notoriously picky eaters, so  you may have to experiment with different types, textures, and flavors of food before you hit on the ones that bring your pet hurrying to his feed bowl.

Vitamins and Micronutrients

The vitamins needed for essential cat nutrition include D, K, E, B, and A (cats cannot manufacture vitamin A). They also need vitamin C, but intake of this vitamin should be monitored, as cats can develop bladder stones if they have too much.

Cats also require certain micronutrients—for example, phosphorus, selenium, and sodium. Although these are only needed in tiny quantities,  a lack of them can lead to serious health problems.

A source of calcium is vital, too, as calcium only occurs in small quantities in meat. Most commercial  cat food contains all of these essential vitamins and micronutrients.

Types of Food

Supermarket shelves offer a huge selection of prepared cat food in almost every gourmet flavor imaginable. So which ones should you choose? Most commercial cat foods are complete foods, that is, they provide all necessary nutrients and do not need anything else added.

However, some products may be labeled “complementary,” in which case they need to be combined with other foods to provide balanced nutrition. Check the information on the package to be sure which type you are buying.

Most prepared cat food is described as  “dry” or “wet.” Dry food has been pressure cooked and then dried. In some cases, it is sprayed with fat to make it palatable, but this may require preservatives to be added.

Dry food usually includes antioxidants  such as vitamin C and E, which are natural and beneficial to your cat. Although you should not give your cat dry food all the time, it does have some advantages. It can, for example, be left out during the day without spoiling.

You may want to give  dry food in the morning and reserve the  wet food for the evening. Wet food comes in airtight cans or pouches, so it does not need preservatives to keep  it fresh. Although tasty, wet food is soft in texture, so it provides little resistance to keep teeth and gums healthy. If wet food is not eaten immediately, it will soon become unappealing to your cat.

Home-Cooked Food

For home-cooked meals, use meat and fish that is fit for human consumption. Make sure it is well cooked to kill bacteria or parasites.

Homemade meals are a good way of introducing cooked bones as a calcium source, but remove small, splintery bones and do not offer bones if your cat eats too quickly. The scraping action of bones keeps teeth in good shape; without them, your cat’s teeth will require regular cleaning.

Water

Your cat needs constant access to clean water, both indoors and outdoors, especially if his diet consists mostly of dry food. Water helps dilute the urine and is absorbed by fiber in the intestines.

Keep water bowls apart from the feeding bowls to avoid any contamination from scattered food. You need to change the water daily, and remember in particular  to check that water bowls left in the yard  are not full of debris.

Foods to Avoid

• Milk and cream can cause diarrhea, as most cats do not have the necessary enzymes to digest milk products. Special-formula “cat milk” is available.
• Onions, garlic, and chives cause gastric upsets and may lead to anemia.
• Grapes and raisins are thought to cause kidney damage.
• The alkaloid theobromine in chocolate is highly toxic to cats.
• Raw egg may contain the bacteria that causes food poisoning. Uncooked egg white disrupts vitamin B absorption, leading to skin problems.
• Raw meat and fish may contain harmful enzymes and also cause fatal bacterial poisoning.
• Small, splintery bones in cooked food can become lodged in the throat or farther down the digestive tract, causing blockage and tearing the intestinal lining.

When and How Much to Feed

Generally, your cat should be fed twice  a day at regular times, usually once in the morning and once in the evening. This will allow him to build up an appetite and you  to regulate how much he eats. Once you have established a regular feeding regime,  it will be easy to tell if your cat has lost his appetite and is unwell.

The feeding levels for your cat may need to be increased or decreased depending on your cat showing signs of being under- or overweight. As a guideline, you should be able to feel your cat’s ribs easily but not see them (see panel, right).

Make sure you never feed an adult cat food intended for kittens or dogs—kitten food contains too much protein and will be bad for an adult cat’s kidneys; conversely, dog food does not contain enough protein for a cat. To prevent infections or health problems, make sure your cat’s food and water bowls are always washed thoroughly after use.

The Right Balance

Cats enjoy variety, and it is important that they are fed a mix of different foodstuffs to ensure they get adequate nutrition. Make any changes to your cat’s diet gradually, so that he can build up enough bacteria in his gut to digest the new food.

Once you’ve found a varied and balanced diet that your cat likes, stick to it. Constantly changing his food may encourage him to become a fussy eater. Cats can hold out for days until you give them what they want.

Life Changes

Cats have different nutritional needs at different times of life in terms of both  type and quantity of food. Kittens need  a high-protein diet to sustain their rapid development, and there  are many commercial brands of food specially formulated for them.

In their first few months, kittens should be fed smaller amounts at more frequent intervals than adult cats; four to six tiny meals a day would be the average for a kitten that  has just started on solids. Later, you can increase the portions and reduce the number of meals.

Initiate any new feeding regime  in easy stages, because a rapid change can cause digestive upsets. To introduce a new foodstuff, replace 10 percent of the original food with the new food, increasing the proportion by 10 percent daily until your kitten is eating only the new food by the tenth day—this will prevent diarrhea.

If he does get an upset stomach, revert  to a higher proportion of the old food  and take longer to make the switch. Most adult cats in good health do well  on two meals a day. However, as a cat  ages, his appetite may diminish and you  may need to revert to feeding him little  and often again. The commercial cat  food market caters to seniors just as it  does to kittens.

A pregnant cat needs extra protein and vitamins, and will want to eat more in the final stages of pregnancy. This may mean giving her smaller portions more frequently  if she cannot eat as much as usual in one  meal. She will also have increased nutritional requirements when nursing.

A vet’s advice is essential when controlling a cat’s weight or if a special diet is required for a medical condition. You may also want to consult your vet on your cat’s diet during a pregnancy and while she is nursing.

Food allergies in cats are rare, but when they occur the only way to find the cause is through a food-elimination trial supervised by your vet.

An Ideal Weight

By checking your cat’s weight and girth regularly, you will soon recognize if he  is getting fat or becoming too thin (see panel, opposite). If you have any concerns, take your cat to the vet to be weighed It is hard to refuse a cat who appears to be ready for a second helping, but overfeeding soon leads to obesity.

Being overweight is just as unhealthy for cats as it is for humans. Appetite is not necessarily linked to a high- energy lifestyle; many inactive cats are capable of packing away enormous meals. Indoor cats have the highest risk of obesity—some types are naturally sedentary and need encouragement to climb down from the sofa now and then.

Outdoor cats are more likely to burn up the energy they get from food. Packaged foods give some guidelines  on how much to feed, but the amounts suggested are only approximate. If your pet is becoming rotund, even though you are careful with portion sizes, suspect him of scrounging meals elsewhere.

A conversation with the neighbors may solve the mystery. Weight loss without a change in diet should never be ignored, since it can be an early sign of illness. Very elderly cats do tend to become thinner with age, but you should ensure that there are no underlying problems such as loose teeth. Have your  cat checked by the vet if he is refusing food or has difficulty chewing.

Giving Treats

Whether given as rewards in training or  to aid bonding with your cat, try to ration treats to keep your cat from gaining weight.

Treats are largely unnecessary, but if you  do give them make sure that they make up no more than 10 percent of your cat’s calorie intake and adjust meals accordingly. Some treats may give nutritional benefits, but others contain “filler” ingredients with  little nutritional value and lots of fat.

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Therefore, foods fed to young, growing pets should contain these higher levels in balance with each other and with all other dietary nutrients. Such a pet food will carry a designation such as “kitten food,” to distinguish it from diets that contain levels of nutrients that are right for other stages of life.

Please note that the commonly held belief that if “a little is good, more must be better” is not true when it comes to feeding pets. Diets that contain very high levels of minerals, protein, and some vitamins are not superior to those that contain only the amounts required for growth.

Excesses can actually be harmful to the growing kittens, as can the practice of supplementing a good growth diet with various human foods or vitamin/mineral preparations.

To be sure that your kitten gets all the good nutrition it needs for good growth and development, but never too much, follow these simple guidelines:

1. 1. Feed a high-quality, balanced commercial kitten food for kittens. A veterinarian can recommend an appropriate brand. Remember that your pet’s nutrition will influence its lifelong health and happiness. It is very important that you invest in good nutrition at this crucial life stage.
   2. Do not supplement a quality, balanced food; you will almost certainly create an imbalance in your pet’s diet if you do. Avoid giving table food, table scraps, or treats and snacks to your kitten for the same reason.
   3. Kittens can be fed free-choice; however, follow the daily recommendations given on the food bag or can and don’t offer more than these amounts.
   4. Keep fresh, clean water (preferably filtered) available at all times.

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Continuing to feed your adult pet high levels of minerals (particularly calcium and phosphorus), protein, and energy (calories) could lead to problems later in life.

Just as we are finding that excess intake of certain dietary nutrients (like phosphorus, sodium, and fat) are harmful for humans over long periods, certain excesses might also contribute to diseases such as kidney failure, heart failure, obesity, and diabetes in adult and senior pets.

Also, we know that reducing the level of key nutrients in the adult’s diet to meet but not greatly exceed its needs is never harmful. Good quality, scientifically designed, adult-maintenance diets always contain these reduced and balanced nutrient levels.

Guidelines for feeding adult cats include:

1. Feed a high-quality, complete, and balanced diet specifically designed for adults. Be aware that foods that say they are “complete and balanced for all life stages” are actually designed for kittens, since they have been formulated to meet the needs of the most demanding life stage, namely, growth. They contain excesses of most nutrients for adults and seniors.
2. It is best not to give supplements or treats to your adult cat. If you must give an occasional food snack, use either a small amount of the regular food, or fresh, unsalted vegetables cut up in bite-size pieces.
3. Adult cats can be fed free-choice. Use the manufacturer’s recommended feeding amounts as a starting point only. If your pet gains weight, reduce the portion offered. If your pet starts to lose weight, increase the amount you feed. A veterinarian can help you decide what your pet’s optimum weight should be. Once you know this, weigh your pet periodically to prevent weight loss or gain from becoming a problem.
4. Some pets show a pronounced tendency to gain weight as they grow older, despite eating only moderate amounts of an adult maintenance diet. For these, follow the instructions for overweight pets in this article.
5. Pregnant cats will need extra nutrition during the last few weeks of pregnancy and throughout lactation. Growth diets fulfill this role well. Feed such a food starting in the last trimester of pregnancy and continue it until all kittens are weaned. Also, feed her free-choice, and do not add vitamin/mineral supplements unless your veterinarian recommends it.

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