How to feed an old cat: useful tips

Aging does not affect cats' well-being, forcing the metabolism to change from year to year. The teeth are crumbling, there are problems with chewing food. A worn digestive system periodically rejects food. That is why it is so important to take care of choosing the right food for this period so that the pet’s body does not spend extra energy on the assimilation of inappropriate food.

How to make an old cat's diet

By nature, cats are predators, not omnivores. The length of the intestine does not allow them to process a large amount of carbohydrates and fiber, but digestion copes with protein with a bang. But an excess of this nutrient also does not bring benefits, forcing the liver to fight the increased load. In the wild, cats dilute their diet with grass and plants to get vitamins. But pets do not have such an opportunity, because their food is completely controlled by the owner.

And the more time a cat lives, the more difficult it is for it to absorb vitamins and minerals. Feed manufacturers take these features into account. There are many lines of ready-made feed for aging cats, which are created based on the needs of the animal.

Vitamin Supplements: Pros and Cons

Before adding vitamin complexes to the diet of an old cat, it is worth consulting with a veterinarian. Excess of certain substances leads to the appearance of chronic diseases, which are especially susceptible to older individuals. For example, an excess of calcium often causes urolithiasis. But a lack of vitamin A makes aging progress. The veterinarian will help you choose such a set of vitamins and minerals so that they do not harm the animal.

Loss of appetite

In such a situation, the best solution would be a paste, bought in a store or cooked at home in a blender. If there are problems with the digestion of food, you can dilute the diet with fiber: the need for protein is not so strong, and fiber will stimulate the intestines, maintaining it in good shape.

During aging, the risk of obesity increases sharply. If a cat gains weight in old age, then put it on a diet and make losing weight will be almost impossible. Sometimes, after a prolonged loss of appetite, the animal regains a love of food. And in this case, it is important to balance the cat's diet, increasing the number of daily servings of food, but reducing their volume.

Natural nutrition

If the owner prefers natural nutrition to dry food, then he must adhere to several rules.

1. It is necessary to completely exclude fish from the diet of the animal: it contains phosphorus, the accumulation of which in the body leads to kidney disease.
2. Do not force-feed the animal; let it eat as much as necessary. Over time, the cat may become thin, but a slight decrease in body weight is natural when old age.
3. Dilute the diet with cottage cheese.This product is rich in calcium, but not enough to lead to an excess of this substance.
4. To replenish the supply of carbohydrates, it is better to use cereals, not baked goods. Cereals contain a lot of fiber and low fat.
5. Regularly add a little bran to the meat and vegetable feed. They will speed up the digestion of food.

The myth of choosiness or pampering a pet

There is a widespread opinion that as cats age, they become more and more capricious in choosing food. This is partly true, since the perception of taste buds in an elderly animal is deformed. On the other hand, in most cases the refusal of food is not at the request of the cat, but because of the reasons described in one of the previous paragraphs. But even in this situation, you can slightly stimulate the pet's appetite.

First of all, cats love warm food, so it’s better to heat the food in the microwave before serving. Secondly, pleasant aromas also make cats want to eat. Thirdly, animals prefer wet foods, so it is better to pre-soak dry-bought food in water or gravy.

And in order not to bother yourself with questions about how to serve food in a more appetizing form, you can use simple recipes.

Beef meatballs
To prepare them, you will need 2 kg of young beef, 1 cup of rice, 0.5 kg of frozen vegetables, half a glass of meat broth and 2 tbsp. olive oil.

Fresh or frozen vegetables need to be boiled. While they are cooking, beef must be chopped into small cubes. After cooking, vegetables should be cooled. Rice is also boiled and cooled. Further, all products must be twisted in a meat grinder with the addition of oil and broth, and meatballs should be formed from the resulting meat. Once the dish is ready, it should be frozen and cooked in portions as needed. The amount of ingredients indicated in the recipe is enough for a week.

Chicken Pate
This paste is a delicious addition to the rest of the menu, so it will last a long time. So, to cook it, you need to take 1 kg of chicken giblets, 1 carrot, a glass of broth, 100 g of walnuts, 50 g of butter. Carrots and offal must be boiled and cooled. After that, they need to be crushed in a blender to a homogeneous mass. The remaining ingredients are added to the resulting slurry and diluted all with chicken stock, then placed in the refrigerator. After a couple of hours, the paste will thicken, and then it can be served in a bowl.

vanilla ice cream
This treat is perfect for a hot day. Offer it to an animal languishing from heat - and the answer to you will be a happy purr.

In a blender, you need to mix half a kilogram of cottage cheese, half a glass of kefir or fermented baked milk and a pinch of vanillin. After the ingredients turn into a homogeneous mass, they must be packaged in plastic molds for ice cream, inserting a jar in each cup and placing ice cream in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Before serving, it is better to hold the cup in your hands a little, so that the treat is easier to separate from the walls.

When cooking these dishes, it should be remembered that cats, especially old ones, are contraindicated in any spices, including natural ones. Therefore, you can’t add salt and sugar to the cat’s food, hoping to attract his appetite.

Aging cats need our care and attention more than ever. They can sometimes behave aggressively, but often the reason for their dissatisfaction is hidden physical pain, which only a veterinarian can detect. Therefore, do not neglect a visit to a specialist, and then your pet will live a long life.

Video: how to feed cats