Choosing cat food over 12 years old

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

Aging is a process that is a combination of adverse changes in the body, which result in an increased risk of cell death, tissue destruction and, ultimately, the death of a living being. This process is different 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 of the cells under the influence of free radicals, which leads to inhibition of immune function, aging of genes and changes in chromosomes.

Based on the foregoing, it can be concluded that the diet of the cat must be chosen so as to reduce the risk of developing age-related diseases.

For this, we have compiled a list of recommendations.

• It is necessary to reduce caloric intake.. This will reduce the risk of cancer, the appearance of kidney stones and renal failure.
• Watch the water balance, especially in cats older than 12 years, as they often suffer from dehydration. Food should be moist. For example, special broths, wet food, canned food. With age, you need to transfer your pets to more “watery” foods.
• Limit phosphorus, sodium and potassium intake, because they exert strong pressure on the kidneys and pancreas.
• You should also increase the amount of protein, protein and amino acids, that will help your animal's body recover faster, add energy to it.
• Strictly adhere to all storage standards. feed and canned food.
• Before you give your pet food, you need to bring it to room temperature. Do not give cold or hot food, as the animal will not be able to get the proper amount of nutrients.
• Regular meals are important.. For older animals it is better to provide portioned and frequent meals. Portions should be small, and not exceed 100 grams.
• It is best to consult a veterinarian before making changes to the cat's diet. He will build an optimal diet depending on the personal characteristics and needs of the animal. Also, a trip to the veterinarian will help identify violations in the body of a cat and identify possible diseases in the early stages.

If your cat does not have a breed, it looks well-groomed, sleek, has excellent state of health and mood, with a special feed for older animals and regular trips to the vet can be a little wait.

Such feeds are characterized by the presence of a variety of vitamin and microelement formulations, a reduced amount of plant-derived proteins. Also in the feed for age cats there are easily digestible proteins and amino acids. The following is a set of feeds that offer balanced nutrition for aging cats.

• Trainer. Very high quality feed. If you choose it, your pet or pet will eat really good food of Italian quality. The range includes food with different foods and different tastes. But this company will also please the owner, as the products are cheap and can be found in any store..

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

• "Stout". Choosing Stout, you can be sure that with constant use the risk of oncology in a cat will decrease due to the presence of special antioxidants that contribute to this. The only disadvantage is the presence in the composition of vegetable proteins that are not recommended for cats over 12 years old. The price is quite reasonable - 460 rubles for 2 kg, but they are enough for about a month.

• Pronature Holistic. It is ideal for cats with sensitive digestion, as the experts selected only natural products without GMO impurities or various taste and smell enhancers. The peculiarity of this feed is that it contains not only different types of meat, but also berries, fruit and cereals. This composition allows your pet to provide tasty and healthy food. And yet it is worth mentioning about the rather high price of this product. But we advise you to purchase large packages, it will be cheaper. So you for the whole 6 kg of feed will give 4100 rubles.

• Gourmet. Created for real gourmets. The line includes canned food with chicken, duck, rabbit and turkey. These ingredients will give your already elderly animal the necessary substances and improve the work of the gastrointestinal tract. Gourmet is characterized by a rich line of different tastes, 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 producer, but this does not mean that the feed is inferior in quality to the French or Italian brands. This feed is a very good source of protein due to natural meat and a wide composition of mineral and vitamin complexes. There are also natural preservatives, which are vitamin E. It is more convenient to buy food in packages ranging from 4 kg. The cost of one package is about 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, hypoallergenic, the presence of natural fatty acids. And also it contains a small amount of ash, which has a preventive effect, saving the cat from diseases of the urinary system. The only downsides of this feed are the high cost and inaccessibility.

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

To protect your pet, carefully check the expiration date and composition of the product. They should not be Ethoxychine E324, butyloxyanisole E320, butylhydroxytoluene E321, sodium nitrate E251, propylgallate E310. Seeing these supplements, in no case do not buy products with them.

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