Many people like to keep cats, but are you really good at raising cats? Why not come to the pet community to learn. In the eyes of many cat owners, their little cat is still like a child, so they often ignore the fact that as their age increases, cat food must be changed too. Reporters from Southern Television consulted with veterinarians who suggested that after about 7 years old, cats should switch to senior cat food. If they continue to eat adult cat food, it will be difficult for them to metabolize, causing physical stress. Moreover, the nutritional needs of elderly cats and adult cats are different, and their taste preferences also differ. Owners should take more careful care of their physiological and psychological needs at this time.
Cat owners know that kittens eat kitten-specific feed when they are young, and then switch to adult cat food after the age of 1. However, veterinarians have found that many owners never change their food again, continuing to feed them the same cat food until they are old. This leads to poor metabolic function and obesity, which can easily trigger many diseases.
According to veterinarians introducing to TVS editors, the metabolic rate of older cats is slower, so they need less energy. Many people think they can simply reduce the amount of adult cat food, but this is very inappropriate because the nutritional needs of elderly cats are different from those during the adult stage. Nutrients such as vitamins, trace elements, and taurine need to be added. If you only reduce the amount of adult cat food fed to elderly cats, while it may limit protein content, it will also cause deficiencies in other nutrients. Therefore, it is best to choose specially designed senior cat food for older cats.
Veterinarians also mentioned that the sense of smell and taste of older cats gradually become less acute than when they were adults, and their chewing ability will also deteriorate. Therefore, senior cat food must be high-quality, rich in all essential nutrients, extremely tasty, and easy to swallow. Since the digestive absorption function of older cats slows down, the feeding method is best to adopt small meals multiple times a day, and sufficient fresh drinking water is indispensable.
In addition, changing feed is also a science. When switching from adult cat food to senior cat food, it is recommended not to replace it all at once, to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort. It can be gradually replaced over about a week. For example, every 2 to 3 days, reduce the usual cat food by about 25% and increase the replacement cat food by 25%, until it is completely switched to the new cat food. After elderly cats get used to eating it, it is not recommended to suddenly change the food, as this can easily cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Source: http://ipet.hitvs.cn/bbs/BBSTopicRead-acxyyhjl-404265-1.htm