Updated: February 24, 2023 by CanCat Eat
As cat get older their dietary requirement also changes. So, switching to senior cat food is important and effective for your cat’s health. There are many cat foods for senior cats. With our research and knowledge, we have listed the best cat food for older cats, which recommends food for your cat’s dietary needs, and the best over “Royal Canin”.
Older can have different dietary and nutritional requirements than their younger counterparts. It is a growing concern nowadays for cat owners. As cats are living longer lives than before. Many cat owners are looking for the best cat foods for older cats.
An older cat needs a high protein diet with high quality ingredients. We recommend cat foods that contain real meat (like chicken, turkey, and fish), taurine, omega fatty oil, and antioxidants. Fewer calories and less fat are important in an older cat’s diet. There is a weight control diet for older cats for a more balanced diet. We have listed all the food by category. So, it will be easy for you to choose the best option for your older cat.
For example, a cat reaches the age of 10. But, their actual age is 60th years in human terms.
As they become older, you need to consider their diet. They will need a specific diet to get all the important nutrients for an aging body.
To keep your cat healthy and happy in older age. You should look for senior cat food. We recommend Royal Canin to be the best cat food for older cats. We will discuss it soon.
Contents
- Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult 11+ Classic Salmon & Tuna
- Adult Cat
There are different cat food available for senior cats. Older cats become less active, and they tend to struggle to digest food. The best solution is to get food that has a little more fiber to ease digestion. Balanced calorie and fat content are important for less active older cats.
Best Cat Food for Older Cats
We have listed top rated senior cat food below. Each food is picked through our research and reviewed to help you to make the correct decision while shopping for senior cats.
Note: There are many factors to figuring out the best cat food for senior cats. Protein and Calorie content is important.
We will talk about each cat’s food more in detail. So, you will get to know which food is most suitable for your cats. You got will ideas for different type’s elderly cat food. Let’s look at our top 10 best cat food for older cats.
Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Adult Instinctive
Royal Canin Feline Health is an adult formula. We like this food because it provides all the important nutrients your cat need. This wonderful canned food is also one of our favorite food.
It contains a minimum of 1.9% fat content which is good for older cat food. High protein and low-fat content cat food are effective for older cats. Undoubtedly, it is a good cat food for senior cats.
This food is made with optimal balance between protein, fat, and carbohydrate to support health. It is also good for weight management food in older cats. Their formula is made to maintain your older adult cats maintain ideal health.
A high quality senior cat food contains all the important ingredients like vitamins, minerals, and real meal protein for older cats.
We heard some elderly cats avoid drinking water. So, wet food is a good option for older cats as it provides enough moisture for your cat.
It is a good cat brand, we can trust. Royal has many cat food throughout the department. They have proven their ground here and also provide a healthy formula for older cats.
Hill’s Science Diet Adult 11+ Healthy Cuisine Seared Tuna & Carrot
This is one of the best cat food for senior cats. Hill Science is a trusted brand that earned its reputation in cat food.
This senior cat food is made especially for cats over 11 years of old. It contains all the important ingredients an elderly cat needs for a healthy life.
This food provides all the essential vitamins and minerals required in your cat’s diet.
As this food is from a trusted brand like Hill Science, it contains no artificial flavor or preservations. This food is made with a perfect balance of taste and nutrition. So, your elderly will love to eat this food.
A delicious tasty and healthy food is important for older cats with other requirements.
We have seen many success stories from the reviewer, so we are not the only one who likes this food. Overall, this is the best wet cat food for senior cats.
Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult 11+ Classic Salmon & Tuna
Purina Pro Plan Adult 11+ is excellent cat food for older cats. This is also our favorite food. One of our older cats loves to eat this food.
This food contains no grain and is made with digestible formula good for sensitive tummies. It is made with exceptional taste and balanced nutrition for older cats. So, your elder cat will enjoy the taste of this food.
It is made with 25 essential vitamins and minerals and also contains taurine. Your older cat gets totally overall health benefits from this food.
This wet cat food contains high protein (minimum 10%) content. Without a doubt is a good formula for senior cats.
This food contains a little higher fat than the other wet cat food we mentioned above. But, still, it contains health-balanced nutrients and calories.
Purina Pro Plan Adult 11+ is good cat food for senior cats. If your elder cat is very picky, you can transition her diet to this food. It provides the taste that your senior cat will love and enjoy at the same time getting a fresh healthy meal.
We recommend t this food after Royal Canin. If you are looking for a healthy high protein cat food for older cats, this is a good option for you. You learn more about this food from the button above.
Royal Canin Aging 12+ Thin Slices Wet Canned Food
This is another Royal Canin wet food on our list. It is specifically made for older cats above 12 years old.
Royal Canin 12+ formula is designed to provide balanced nutrition to older cats. They made this food to keeping mind the instinctive preference of senior cats.
This food has an optimal balance between protein, fat, and carbohydrate for long-term palatability. And, contains all the important nutrition for elderly cats.
We recommend this food as it has a proven macronutrient profile preferred by adult cats.
This contains essential fatty acids EPA, and DHA to help to support joint function in older cats. Also contains phosphorus, Which provides benefits to your cat’s kidney health.
This food is made with thin slices of gravy. It gets easier for older cats to chew on it. If your cat has sensitive teeth and gum. Then, it is recommended food for your cat.
Reviewers also noted this food is also good for picky cats, they get crazy over the taste of this food.
This is a good soft cat food for older cats.
Blue Buffalo Freedom Indoor Mature Chicken Recipe Grain-Free
Next, we have Blue Buffalo Freedom Indoor mature cat food. This is a grain free wet cat food for older cats.
This canned food is made with real chicken and contains no grain, no wheat, or soy. It is packed with high quality protein sources and has no meat by-product in this food.
Most blue buffalo foods are made with essential vitamins and minerals to support overall health and well-being.
It also provides taurine in your cat’s diet for healthy eye and heart health. Also contains omega fatty oils for healthy skin and a shiny coat.
The real broth is good for cats, it provides hydration to support digestive and urinary health. Overall, it is a delicious food. You can also use this food as a topper.
It is not just only us that love this food. This a top rated food and is loved and recommended by many cat owners. You can read the reviews from the button above.
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Mature Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Canned Cat Food
We have another food from Blue Buffalo. This is a high protein grain free formula. It is made with real chicken and contains no by-product meat.
The high quality protein contains help to improve muscle and satisfy your cat’s need.
Blue wilderness mature contains important vitamin, mineral, and taurine that helps to support overall health. This food also contains a natural source of omega fatty acids to nourish healthy skin and coat.
This food is made with real broth to keep your kitty hydrated. Like the other food from blue buffalo, we have mentioned before. You can also serve this food as a full meal or a delicious kibble topper.
This food contains enough fiber for healthy digestion. We recommend fiber rich, protein rich food for older cats. And, a balanced fat contains is also an important factor. This food contains a little bit more fat contains than the other wet food, we have discussed above.
This a premium quality wet food, contains no grain or by-product, and provides high quality protein and balanced fiber in it. Overall, it is healthy cat food for senior cats.
We have seen many reviewers are satisfied after transitioning to this senior diet cat food.
Hill’s Science Diet Adult 11+ Indoor Chicken Dry
Now, we going to mention some dry cat food for older cats. Above, we only cover wet cat food over dry cat food for senior cats.
We talk about wet cat food for senior cats, as it contains a good amount of hydration. It helps eliminate the hydration problem. Also, wet cat food is softer than dry food. Soft cat food is good for older cats with teeth problems.
But, if you and your cat prefer dry cat food. Then, you should go for dry food. Hill’s Science Senior cat food is good for older cats.
We like this food as the kibble is softer and contains enough moisture (8%) for dry food. You can add warm water on top of the food to take care of hydration.
Why do we like this food? What else makes this food special for an older cat?
This food makes with a multivitamin blend to keep your older cat alert and interactive. Hill’s Senior food formula is easy to digest and provide important nutrient to maintain healthy eye, heart, kidney, and joint health.
Your older cat gets a natural antioxidant blend with balanced vitamins from this food for a healthy immune system.
As it is made from brands like Hill’s Science, it contains no artificial color, flavoring, or preservatives.
This is a good soft dry food for older cats. As cats get older you need to take of them and maintain portion size for healthy weight.
We are pretty sure, your cat will love this food. Reviewers noted their elderly cat loves this food and got a very high rating. This is a very effective and top rated dry cat food for a senior cats.
Iams ProActive Health Healthy Senior Dry Cat Food
This is another dry cat food for senior cats. Iams ProActive Senior cat is designed to fight aging in older cats. It contains essential nutrients and antioxidants to revitalize the immune system in senior cats. Overall, it is a great food formula for your senior cats.
This is a well-balanced cat food for senior cats (over 11 years old) to help to fight signs of aging.
This formula is made with imported ingredients and nutrients to keep healthy bones and joints healthy. It also contains taurine for healthy eyes and heart.
Iams ProActive has fat-burning L-carnitine in this food to maintain a healthy weight in senior cats. It also contains a good fiber blend, prebiotics, and beet plump to boost digestive system health.
This food has a high positive rate and is loved by cat owners. From our experience, this is good dry food for senior cats. The crunchy kibble is specially made to reduce plaque build up in senior cats.
Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Chicken & Brown Rice
This is another formula from Blue Buffalo for older cats. Blue Buffalo Aging food is made with deboned chicken to develop lean muscle and maintain ideal weight in senior cats.
Featured with LifeSource bit formula with 7 antioxidant blends with vitamins and minerals to support a healthy immune system.
It contains omega 3 and omega 6 fatty and is good for older cats for healthy skin and coat. This formula contains all the important nutrients an older cat needs in their diet. It also provides taurine to maintain heart and eye health.
It has a good blend of high-quality protein in this food. A good fiber blend food is good for senior cats for nutrient absorption and healthy digestion.
This food contains no by-products, no artificial preservatives, and no corn, wheat, or soy. So, you don’t have to worry about the filler ingredient.
It is a weight control formula. This formula provides a balanced level of nutrition for your older cat to stay in ideal health.
Overall, it is a very healthy dry cat food for older cats. It also provides a healthy weight control recipe as it only provides ingredients that are important in your cat’s diet. There are no unnecessary filler ingredients in this food.
Nutro Wholesome Senior Cat Dry Food
Last but not least, we have Nutro Wholesome Senior cat food. This food is made with chicken and brown rice.
As it is made with chicken as the first ingredient. It is a high protein cat food, best for your cat’s muscle development. This food is made with a natural flavor that your senior cat will enjoy.
This food contains all the nutrients like taurine, and omega-6 fatty oil to maintain a healthy heart and skin and cat.
This special diet is made with no grain, soy, wheat, or chicken by-product or any kind of artificial ingredients.
Overall, it is a good quality cat food for seniors. This food has a good level of fiber to support healthy digestion in senior cats. Also, provide a reasonable calorie content.
Choosing a diclinous tasty, high protein, balanced calorie, and fat content food is important for senior cats.
Best Cat Food for Older Cats Buying Guide
Choosing healthy food for your important task for your older cat’s longevity. There are many cat food for older cats available in the market. But, how to tell which one is most suitable for your cat? Don’t worry. We did our research and made this detailed guide to help you to get your answer.
As cats get older, their sense of smell and taste can fade a little, along with their ability to chew.
There are some factors to follow when choosing a high-protein cat food for older cats. Let’s look at them now.
You may read: Best High Protein Cat Food
What to Consider When Choosing a Cat Food for Senior Cats?
There are many factors when considering healthy cat food for your older cat. Good tasty should be another consideration. To keep your cat healthy in older age, you need to provide them with a specific nutrition diet to senior cats. There are some other important factors, we should look at while shopping for cat food for senior cats.
High Protein Content
Cats are carnivorous animals. They need a protein-rich diet to stay healthy and maintain body muscle. Inspire of age, older cats require more high-quality protein in their diet than their younger counterparts. We need to look for protein (lean protein) source that is easy to digest and high quality. There are many foods in the market that contain easily digestible high-quality protein. We have mentioned them above in our list of senior cat food. If you did not check them yet, you can go through them to get a clear idea about each food.
Animal Protein
Proteins source is also an important factor for cats. They need a protein rich diet and that protein should come from real animal sources. You will find real chicken, turkey, and fish in high quality cat foods.
We recommend feeding them animal based protein over any plant based protein. Cats are biologically adapt to get nutrition from animal based protein. So, high-quality animal based protein is required in your cat food.
How to know your food contains good quality animal based protein? You will find chicken, turkey, and fish in your cat food in the first few ingredients rather than a meat meal or by-product meal.
Digestible Carbohydrates
Protein should the main source of energy and calorie. But, your cat needs some carbohydrates for fiber and nutrients. These carbohydrates should be easy to digest. There are grain free carbs that benefit your cat’s health.
Slightly More Fiber
The fiber content in cat food is good. It is very good for digestion. Often, older cat faces digestive system problem to process protein. So, it gets hard for them to absorb nutrients from the food. Here, fibers play an important role to ease the problem.
Dietary fibers help the healthy digestive system and maintain a healthy weight. It is an important ingredient for older cat food. Normally, Dry cat food contains more fiber than wet food.
Lower Fat Content
As cats get older, their capability to digest fat becomes slow. It is best to choose with low content. Older cats are less active and lack exercise. So, it leads them to obesity. So, taking care of fat content will help to manage the situation.
Soft Wet Foods
A wet cat food is good for older cats. It not only keep older cats hydrated but also make it easy for cats with teeth problem. Often, senior cats get teeth problems. So, dry food or kibble can be a painful experience.
So, softer wet food can be a good solution for older cats. The wettest food for older cat food is a very delicious taste and is also easy to chew for your senior cats.
Antioxidant
Cat food often contains antioxidants. Natural antioxidant sources are fresh fruit and vegetable. Antioxidant helps to reduce aging in older cats and support health.
Grain Free / Grain
Many cat owners like to feed their cats a grain free diet. Grains are not a natural part of a cat’s diet. Cat’s digestive system is not designed for grains. It’s by no means grains are bad. But, for older cats, you should avoid gluten-rich grains in your food. A grain free diet is good for older cats.
There are many foods available in the market that contains a perfect balance of protein, fiber, calorie, and fat for older cats. You can check our recommended list of senior cat food above.
Artificial Ingredients
It is best to go for food that contains no color, flavor, or preservatives. The natural flavor makes the food tastier and makes it smell better.
Avoiding all artificial ingredients from the food, you are making it safer and healthier for your older cats. Many cat owners and professionals believe artificial ingredients are harmful to cats.
So, it is best to choose cat food that contains no artificial color, flavor, or preservatives in them. This way, you are taking care of your older cat’s overall health.
Moisture
Older cats need adequate Hydration. As cats get older. They tend to have a lower energy level and get dehydrated more. As their energy level drops, they become less active to seek out freshwater sources. Dehydration in older cats is not a good thing. It can cause illnesses in cats like liver failure. It is important to provide enough water to your older cat to keep them hydrated.
We recommend wet food for older cats. But, if you prefer to feed dry cat food to your older cats. Then, you should consider investing in a cat fountain. It will entertain and make it fun for them to drink water.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
Animal based protein should be the main ingredient in your cat food. Fresh fruits and vegetables provide natural vitamins and minerals. Natural sources of vitamins and minerals are valuable in your cat’s diet.
Beneficial Supplements
A natural supplement like omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acid is good for your cat’s health. Cat food generally contains vitamins and minerals as well as other supplements. Vitamins and minerals help to maintain overall cat health. And, Probiotics in cat food help to maintain healthy digestion.
With all these factors, you need to keep in mind your cat’s weight and activity level. So, you can provide your older cat portion size according to her need.
If your cat needs to lose a few pounds, there are weight loss cat foods for older cats. They are specifically made to help your cat to lose unhealthy weight.
Same way, if your cat is lacking appetite and losing weight. You can shift her diet to a high calorie food. These food are specifically designed to gain weight and maintain a healthy weight.
You will find all special health formulas for the above in their category.
Special Dietary Requirements for Senior Cats
Senior cats have a specific dietary requirements. There are many illnesses like a digestive problem, and kidney and dental problem that affects your older cat’s health. As cats get older, their every level and activity level decrease also.
We need to choose a high protein cat food that could fight against these health issues in older cats. Common dietary consideration in senior cats is listed below.
Ultra Palatable
As cats get older, they lack taste in their food. So, it is important to find tasty food for them. Some tasty food, natural flavor, or a delicious topping will bring their attention to the food. You can make the food more fun for your old to help them to get proper nutrition.
Kidney Support
It is a common problem in older cats. So, it is important we provide a healthy diet that can benefit your cat to improve kidney health.
Water is important for a healthy kidney. If a cat does not drink a lot of their own. You can provide wet cat food to ensure that she is getting adequate moisture. A cat water fountain will also help your cat to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Feed food that is easy to digest and easily assimilated by the cat’s body. Avoid an excessive amount of grains, carbohydrates, and vegetables in cat food for older cats.
Dental Problem
We have many older cats having periodontal disease or gum disease. It became hard for them to chew, especially on hard foods. So, it is a good idea to food that is so soft, moist, and easy to chew for your cat.
Change in Digestion
As cats get older, we need to change their diet. The fat and protein get a little difficult to digest. So, your cat can’t absorb the right amount of nutrition from the food. You need to look for suitable senior cat food. These foods are easy to digest, help to develop a healthy immune system, and improve the quality of life of an older cat.
Easy To Digest
It is important to provide your cat an easy digestive food. Older cats often face sensitive digestive issues. As cats become older, their digestive system gets weaker. Food specially made for older cats are normally easy to digest.
Sensitive Problem
Older cats may get effected by sensitive digestive problems and other sensitive problems. If your cat is facing a sensitive problem. It is best to check your cat with a vet. There is some senior cat food for sensitive stomachs available. You can look at the review section above.
Lower Vitamin Level
Older cats tend to eat less than younger cats. As they get older stress and illness affect their system. They lack vitamins in their body. There is a risk of vitamin deficiencies in older cats. Normally older cats provide all the important vitamin your cats need.
Dehydration
Dehydration is an important factor in older cats. Often, we have seen older cats drink less water. There is a potential health problem for dehydration. Kidney problems and constipation are a few of them. You can add a small amount of warm water to dry food or encourage them to drink water. In our view feeding them wet food is the best option.
Age related illness
As cats become old, they are prone to various diseases. Healthy nutritious food is recommended to slow such illness effects on your loving cat.
Slightly increase dietary fiber in their diet to improve digestion, and avoid constipation or diabetes.
Easy-to-digest sources of meat, fat, and carbohydrate are important in an older cat’s diet. It will help to reduce inflammatory bowel disease and kidney problems.
A good level of taurine in cat food helps to improve heart and healthy vision.
Omega fatty is important in an older cat’s diet for overall health and healthy skin.
So soft food, especially wet canned food is helpful for dental health. We have a very thin slice of gravy in wet cat food, we recommend.
There are more things to consider for older cats.
Changes in Metabolism
Metabolism in older cats tends to become slower. Plus, their activity level is not the same as younger cats. Less-activity cats require a weight-control diet to avoid unhealthy weight gain. If you are on a high-calorie food, then a smaller portion size is also going to help to maintain a healthy weight. You need to calculate the portion size accordingly. To find the proper portion size, you can look for the official manufacture’s website.
Healthy Skin and Coat
As we have mentioned before, Omega fatty is required cat’s diet for healthy skin and coat and overall health.
Joints and Bone
Often older cat gets weak joints and bones. This is the reason, we have listed the cat foods that are specifically formulated to provide healthy joints and bone support to older cats. The essential fatty acid EPA, DHA to help to support joint function in older cats.
How Much Should I Feed My Senior Cat?
With good senior cat food, it is important to maintain the proper portion size. You need to consider your cat’s activity level, indoor cats, and healthy condition.
Outdoor cats are more active than indoor cats. So, if your cat is an outdoor cat, she will need more calories in her food. And for indoor cats, there is a specific formula specially designed for them.
If your cat food is caloric-dense, then you can lower the portion size to maintain a healthy weight and avoid losing weight.
If you face a problem managing portion size for your cats. Then, you can get an automatic feeder, which will help to manage portion size automatically.
It is recommended a gradual transition when shifting your cat’s diet to senior cat food.
Too much treatment is bad for older cats. Treats contain too much calorie. You should follow the guideline before choosing specific food for your older cats.
Feed your senior cat high-quality food for longevity and overall health.
Feeding Frequency for Senior Cats
Feed a Little amount and often to your older cats. As long as your cat is medically okay, you can occasionally give them treatment.
Keep a similar feeding routine for your senior cats. It will encourage them to eat properly.
How Much to Feed Senior Cats
You can follow the feeding guide from the back of the pack. This is just an idea to start with. Every cat has different requirements and needs.
So, adjust the feeding portion according to your cat’s activity level, health condition, body weight, etc. For, senior cats it is important to maintain a lean and healthy body weight.
You can choose a weight control or weight management formula for losing weight and gaining weight.
How to Introduce New Food to Your Senior Cat?
If you are moving a new food for your senior cats. You should follow a gradual transition to avoid any sensitive problems or stomach upset.
Start slowly adding the new food (15%) to your cat’s old food (85%). Slowly increase the amount of new food in your cat’s diet over 1 week to 10 days time.
For example,
- after 2-3 days increase the amount to 25% of new food and 75% of old cat food.
- 4-5 days increase the amount to 50% of new food and 50% of old cat food.
- 5-7 days 75% of new food and 25% of the old food.
- After, 7-9 days 85% of new food to 15% of the old food.
- And Finally 100% of new food after 10 day time.
Sometimes, older cat avoids eating new foods, you can consult your vet. They are the right person to guide you and help you to the best alternative.
Best cat food for older cats with bad teeth
When it comes to choosing the best cat food for older cats with bad teeth, there are a few things to keep in mind. Older cats may have difficulty chewing due to dental issues, which can make it challenging for them to eat their regular food. Here are some factors to consider when selecting cat food for older cats with bad teeth:
- Soft texture: Look for soft or moist cat food that is easier to chew and swallow. Wet or canned food can be a good option for cats with dental issues.
- Smaller kibble size: If you prefer to feed your cat dry food, choose a brand with a smaller kibble size. Smaller kibbles are easier for cats to chew and can help prevent choking.
- High-quality protein: Older cats need plenty of high-quality protein to maintain muscle mass and stay healthy. Look for cat food with animal-based protein sources like chicken, turkey, or fish.
- Low-carbohydrate content: Cats are obligate carnivores and don’t need a lot of carbohydrates in their diet. Choose a cat food with a low carbohydrate content to promote good health.
- Added moisture: Older cats may not drink enough water on their own, so look for cat food with added moisture to help keep them hydrated.
Some popular cat food brands for older cats with dental issues include Royal Canin, Hill’s Science Diet, and Purina Pro Plan. However, it’s always a good idea to consult with your veterinarian before making any changes to your cat’s diet. They can help you select the best cat food for your cat’s specific needs and recommend any necessary supplements or dental care.
FAQs
How Should I feed my senior Cats?
It is important to provide healthy food in a clear, clear bowl. Don’t leave wet food out for a while or let it dry out. It is important to feed your senior cat fresh food.
Are there supplement to help older cats?
You can. But, you have to take extra caution for senior cats. It can affect your cat’s digestive system.
If the supplement contains certain components that your cat can’t break down. Then, that supplement can affect your cat’s liver and other organs. We normally wouldn’t recommend you to go for it before doing any proper research. Always take expert advice before giving your cat any supplement.
There are many supplements available for seniors in offline and online stores.
Is There a Soft Dry Cat Food For Older Cats?
Senior cats need more love and attention. There are many soft dry cat food for senior cats available in the market. But, it takes a bit of time until your cat likes it. The best cat food is easy to eat and easy to digest. Soft dry food means, it is softer a bit and not difficult to chew. There is dozen of soft kibble. We recommend Blue Buffalo Wilderness Adult Dry Cat Food for older cats. This food provides every single nutrition your senior cat needs in their diet.
This food comes with LifeSource Bits and high protein in the first ingredient. Your cat will be happy as every kibble is softer and easy to eat. This food also supports the joint and immune systems in older cats.
Is High Protein Cat Food Good For Older Cats?
High protein, high quality ingredients are good for older cats. Cats are carnivorous, they need a high protein diet to stay a healthy weight. For seniors, it is good to feed them natural high-protein cat food. A good amount of moisture is also important in their diet.
Kristen is a cat parent. Love to keep my cats happy always and playful. Also, It became my passion to help another cat owner with caring tips for their cats and kittens. Stay tuned with my personal blog to know more caring tips, review of cat food and feeding guides. I’d love to know about your cat. If you something to share with about your cat. I will be happy to read.