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Contemporary cats live longer than those lived 30 and 40 years ago. At that time cats rarely reached 20 years, and now it's a usual thing. Some factors caused the appearance of these long-livers, and the victory over many cat's disorders and "cat spleen" (depression), in particular, is among of them. Nevertheless cat's lifetime in first turn depends on the quality of food.
In comparison with former bad-balanced food, consisting mainly of leavings nowadays cats get specially prepared food. Cats' needs, depending on age and their ration were carefully studied in last several years. As a result, such events as a lack of calcium in cat's organism have become a thing of the past.
Food necessities of aging cats have become a subject of particular investigations. Aging cats have their own diet like aging people. Though there are few publications on this topic we are able to extrapolate information on feeding of other kinds of animals and our own experience to determine needs of cats of "pension age".
Tree principles.
Let's talk about principles that one should follow to make life of your aging cat happier. First principle is to refrain a cat from obesity. Overeating animals suffer high blood pressure. They are predisposed to different disorders which of cause reduce their life. In general these disorders are: diabetes, arthritis, disorders of heart, liver and respiratory tract, and cancer. And this is a little bit of probable diseases. To feed an aging cat fill is tantamount to a murder, "a murder with kindness".
To avoid obesity one must weigh his cat since mere changes in weight may quickly lead to considerable overweight. While your cat is young and is in "active age" check it's weight regularly and try to keep it invariable. During all the live-cycle, one should mind that if a male of female cat is sterilized the ration of food needed to keep up its normal weight should be reduced.
Second principle: the diet should be well balanced. The lack of such substances as calcium, phosphorus and taurin may cause pathologies difficult or even impossible to cure.
Avoid overfeeding. Both deficiency and excess of necessary substances may banefully influence a cat's health. For instance, the excess in vitamin A or D leads to irreversible changes that shorten animal's life. If your cat's diet is well balanced it doesn't need any artificial additions. And if you give your cat artificial additions along with plentiful food this may lead to serious problems in the future.
And the last principle: from early years one to accustom his cat to eat 2-3 kinds of well-balanced food and should not change this. Don't allow a cat eat too much fish and liver because this food is bad-balanced.
Alterations in a State of Health
Now when we know hoe to feed young cats lets pay attention to certain changes that should be done to a ration of a healthy cat while it grows old. But how to find out when it starts growing old? Like in people it's not that easy to determine the exact moment of becoming old because this depends on many reasons. Some animals in their 10 still stay active, others may become sluggish in more early years. I can't tell you the exact day and hour when your cat will become a "pensioner", but as rule this happens in between 12 and 15 years.
There are some signs showing your cat is in years: unwillingness to play, feeling sleepy, and a trend of putting weight on even under no increase in ration. After all, as for definition if your cat is old or not, your own impressions will prompt this without fail.
At that very moment when your cat begins growing old you should somewhat improve its diet. First, reduce the amount of food because your cat doesn't spend so much energy as earlier. Young cat consumes 40 kilocalories per pound of its weight daily. Energy costs for an old cat are far less: 30-35 kilocalories per pound of weight daily. So then a healthy old cat of 4 kilograms should eat 100 grams fewer than a young cat of the same weight.
Most cats are generally fed with food containing much fat because this improves its gustatory quality, but at the same time this increases the amount of calories. To avoid obesity in an old cat, holder should either reduce the amount of food or give food containing less fat.
If you used to feed your cat as you wanted when it was young, now you should refuse this practice. Irregular feeding is the very way to obesity of a cat that is in years. The decrease of food ration will not bring harm to your cat, besides you may give it understand that this id the best food to assuage its self-esteem.
If you support the idea that a cat should eat as much food as it wants, you should give turn to food less rich in calories. Some different ways are possible. First way is to reduce the amount of fat and to increase the amount of cellulose in food you give to your cat. Second is to reduce the amount of water. The last is ineffective because the energy supply in dry food stays as previous, and cat anyway needs the same amount of dry food as before. A cat should fill its stomach with a definite amount of food and this is an important factor of satiety.
Some kinds of food for cats in years are remarkable for that they contain fats in small and cellulose in large. In particular, remember "Instructions for Cat's Diet" by the Hill Company specialized on sale of goods for animals. While choosing a food for a cat, look for boxes provided with a list indicating that the food is on 95% skimmed.
Both in the case of man and cat food this means that it keeps 5% of fat. Consider if some canned food that contain 75% of water and 5% of fat, then these 95% contain another 20% of dry filler. This food doesn't fits since 40% of calories refer to still to fats. Such diet may fit a young active animal but not an aged cat.
Some Other Recommendations
What about protein? Most kinds of food for aged dogs contain reduced dose of protein. This doesn't mean that a young dog in a good health needs reduced amount of protein. As long as cats require less protein than dogs do, cat's food includes 30% of protein in dried state. Studies haven't confirmed that aging cats need smaller amount of protein then young ones, thus their holders shouldn't reduce protein composition in cat's food.
As to minerals, the skeleton of an aging animal doesn't grow and develop. On the other hand phosphorus and calcium are assimilated worse than in younger animals.
In that way holder should not change phosphorus and calcium composition in cat's food but keep it at the same point as for young animals - about 0,6 - 0,7 % of dry substance.
As well the composition of magnesium should be left the same, about 0,1% of dry substance, or even less - to prevent formation of kidney stones in bladder. As to salts - low level in food is flatly recommended.
Cat's food includes salt as 0,4 - 0,5 % of dry substance. On the other hand, until cat has quite enough water, high amount of salt in food present no hazard.
The amount of minerals and vitamins for aged cat is the same as for a young one. As it was pointed earlier, old cats should have enough nourishing food rich in vitamins and minerals.
The conclusion of everything said above is that quick change in a diet of an adult cat makes no sense, except for a reduction of its quantity, because decrease in activity causes the increase of weight.
Food and Disorders
One is able to control some disorders that accompany the process of aging, by making alterations inn a diet. These disorders include a chronic kidney deficiency, heart deficiency, uremia and cancer.
Kidney deficiency in aged dogs has attracted the attention of researches by the very fact that it can be treated by a certain diet. This treatment includes reduction of protein, phosphorus and salts in food along with increase in calorie content. This method has already prolonged life of many of its dogs- patients.
As for cats suffering kidney deficiency the principles in a diet are the same. Conservation of phosphorus together with reduction of calcium in blood leads to bones destruction. Thus the reduction of phosphorus in a diet is a logically based step. The reduction of consumption of salts to prevent high pressure is recommended as well. Exception of protein can be applied to a cat's diet because of a high cats' necessity in protein. Small amount of protein along with increase in calorie content (food additions) help a cat bear this restrictions. A dietetic food can be obtained through your veterinary.
The signs of kidney disorders are: over-use in water, increased urination, anorexia (food rejection), vomit and depression. If your cat shows this signs you should call a vet as swiftly as possible. A quick change in a diet can considerably prolong life of your cat.
The occlusion of a mitral valve, also called cardiomyopathy, is often caused in cats by a deficiency of a taurin in their diet. Unfortunately some aging cats consume food without taurin and this promotes the disorder. A salt-free diet can be useful in a case of a heart deficiency. Your veterinary may advise this special diet. The disease characteristics are - chronic cough, depression and tendency to get tired easily. Your cat should be taken to a vet quickly if this signs have appeared.
The symptoms of cat's uremia include painful and infrequent urination and blood in urine. Total contamination of ureters represents a serious threat for a cat life. IF you suspect some of these phenomena in your cat you should immediately consult to a vet. After removing of contaminating elements a vet may prescribe a diet that contributes to stones resorption.
Cancer first of all meets aged animals. A new method to treat both people and animals with a certain diet has recently appeared. Such food characteristics as increased fat-content may have a positive effect on an animal health. The results of latest researches allow one to cope this disease both in animals and people.
Supplementary studies are required to understand the method of feeding that will prolong life of many cats. I hope that advices published in this article will help you feed your cat in such a way as to guarantee it's long and happy life.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).
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