Cats live over half of their lives in the senior years. Although veterinary care advances and better-educated owners have helped to improve the quality of these years, studies show that senior cats continue to battle weight issues resulting from reduced levels of activity and declines in the senses, absoption of nutrients and digestion of fats. Senior cat nutrition plays an important role in maintaining the quality of life for your pet.

As cats get older, a gradual decline takes place in the body’s ability to repair itself, maintain normal body functions and adapt to environmental stresses. Around the age of 11, weight loss becomes a greater concern than weight gain. Cats sense of smell and taste often diminish at this time, which can affect their interest in eating. The ability to absorb key nutrients and digest fat declines, making eating itself less efficient. The result is that more food passes through as waste leaving less to be used for energy, causing a reduction in lean muscle mass and body fat that can lead to potentially harmful weight loss.

Sustaining a stable weight is very important for senior cats. Owners can help their aging felines maintain an ideal body weight feeding a diet specially formulated for senior cats. Low fat or low protein diets should be avoided unless prescribed by a veterinarian. Meeting your cat’s nutritional needs with a homemade diet could prove to be difficult and should be directed by your vet. Supplementation with vitamins or minerals may be necessary as well. In addition to providing the proper diet, owners of senior cats should pay close attention to activity levels, eating, grooming and elimination habits and report anything new or different to their veterinarian.

By working with your veterinary and feeding foods formulated for senior cats, you will have the best chance of providing appropriate senior cat nutrition for your pet.