Choosing food for cats over 12 years old

Cats, like all living things, are subject to the aging process. Old age in these animals comes several times faster than in humans. Cats begin to age after the full seven years of life, and are considered old after ten. Many scientists argue that a feline ten years of life in humans would be 60-65 years. This difference may be scary, but these amazing animals can live twenty years or more. Life expectancy depends on the quality of the environment. In comfortable conditions, a cat does not have to get food for itself and fight for territory, but, for example, on the street, the animal is exposed to all kinds of risks, hunger and cold. So, in the wild, cats live on average for 8-10 years.

Aging is a process that is a combination of adverse changes in the body, as a result of which the risk of cell death, tissue destruction and, ultimately, death of a living creature increases. This process is individual for each animal, although it has common features. For example, the "transience" of old age depends on many factors, such as genetics, ecology, quality of food and life, and many others. At the micro level, degradation manifests itself as a disruption in the functioning of cells under the influence of free radicals, which leads to suppression of the immune function, aging of genes and changes in chromosomes.

Based on the foregoing, it can be concluded that a cat's diet should be chosen so as to reduce the risk of developing senile diseases.

For this, we have compiled a specific list of recommendations.

• It is necessary to reduce the calorie intake... This will reduce the risk of cancer, kidney stones, and kidney failure.
• Keep track of your water balance, especially in cats over 12 years old, as they often suffer from dehydration. The food must be moist. For example, special broths, wet food, canned food. As you age, you need to switch your pets to more "watery" foods.
• Limit your intake of phosphorus, sodium, and potassiumbecause they put a lot of pressure on the kidneys and the pancreas.
• Also, you should increase the amount of protein, protein and amino acids, which will help your animal's body to recover faster, add energy to it.
• Strictly adhere to all storage regulations feed and canned food.
• Before you give your pet food, bring it to room temperature. Do not serve hot or cold food as the animal will not be able to get the proper amount of nutrients.
• Regular Eating Matters... For older animals, it is better to provide portioned and frequent meals. Servings should be small and should not exceed 100 grams.
• It is best to consult your veterinarian before making any changes to your cat's diet. He will build an optimal diet depending on the personal characteristics and needs of the animal. Also, a visit to the veterinarian will help identify abnormalities in the cat's body and determine possible diseases in the early stages.

If your cat does not have a breed, looks well-groomed, sleek, has excellent health and mood, you can wait a little with special food for elderly animals and regular visits to the veterinarian.

Such feeds are characterized by the presence of many vitamin and microelement compositions, a reduced amount of vegetable proteins. Also, foods for older cats contain easily digestible proteins and amino acids. Below is a selection of foods that offer balanced nutrition for aging cats.

• Trainer... Very high quality feed. If you choose it, then your favorite or favorite will eat really healthy food of Italian quality. The assortment includes food with different products and different tastes. But this company will also delight the owner, since the products are inexpensive and can be found in any store..

• Go! Natural. Complete monoprotein diet for adult medium to large breed cats based on duck, rice and olive oil. The Monoprotein Diet contains functional ingredients that contribute to the animal's well-being. The cost is already slightly higher than the previous option, but your pet's health is really worth it.

• "Stout"... By choosing Stout, you can be sure that with continued use, your cat's risk of cancer will decrease due to the presence of special antioxidants that contribute to this. The only drawback can be considered the presence of plant proteins in the composition, which is not recommended for cats over 12 years old. The price is quite moderate - 460 rubles per 2 kg, but they are enough for about a month.

• Pronature Holistic. Ideal for cats with sensitive digestion, as experts selected exclusively natural products without GMO admixtures or all kinds of flavor and odor enhancers. The peculiarity of this feed is that it contains not only different types of meat, but also berries, fruits and cereals. This composition allows you to provide your pet with tasty and healthy food. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning the rather high price of this product. But we advise you to purchase large packages, it will come out cheaper. So you will give 4,100 rubles for as much as 6 kg of feed.

• Gourmet... Created for true gourmets. The line includes canned food with chicken, duck, rabbit and turkey. These ingredients will give your already middle-aged animal the nutrients it needs and improve the digestive tract. Gourmet is characterized by a rich range of different flavors, as well as a truly French approach to production. The price of one jar varies from 30 to 35 rubles per 85 grams.

• Optimeal... Ukrainian manufacturer, but this does not mean that the feed is inferior in quality to French or Italian brands. This feed is a very good source of protein due to natural meat and a wide range of mineral and vitamin complexes. There are also natural preservatives, which are vitamin E. It is more convenient to buy food in packages starting from 4 kg. The cost of one package is approximately 1300 rubles.

• Petreet... Already managed to establish itself as the best food for cats of all ages. All thanks to exclusively natural meat, the absence of any salts and preservatives, hypoallergenicity, the presence of natural fatty acids. It also contains a small amount of ash, which has a prophylactic effect, saving the cat from diseases of the urinary system. The only drawbacks of this feed are high cost and inaccessibility.

Today, store shelves are overflowing with harmful or even dangerous cat food. They can contain artificial components of secondary quality, and this can lead to serious health problems in the cat. Also, low-quality feed contains a huge amount of fat, which the animal simply cannot process and spend. Hence the problem of obesity in cats. It is also worth noting that poor-quality feed is mostly produced in clandestine factories in violation of sanitary and epidemiological standards. There are often cases when cats are poisoned with such food, and you will have to pay much more for their treatment than you saved on food.

To keep your pet safe, carefully check the expiration dates and composition of the product. They should not contain ethoxyquin E324, butyloxyanisole E320, butylhydroxytoluene E321, sodium nitrate E251, propyl gallate E310. Seeing these supplements, in any case, do not buy products with them.

For an overview of food for older cats, see the following video: