Do cats want more food as they age?

[mommytobuck]

My cat is 14. He was recently checked out (april) and had good health. He has been more hungry than usual lately. I wrote it off to my being home for the pandemic. He hasn't gained or lost any weight.

Do older cats want more food as they age? I am not going to say he wants a ton of food... just slightly more.

For instance I usually give him 2 - 3 oz wet cans per day and now he seems to want 3 off them.

 

[daftcat75]

There are a lot of diseases that can show up in old age that cause an increase in appetite: diabetes, hyperthyroid, and cancer, to name a few. But old cats also have old guts that don’t digest food like they used to. Often an older cat, even a healthy one, will need more protein as they age to avoid becoming a “skinny old cat.”

April is six months ago. Senior cats should really be seen every six months. I’d take him in again and mention the increased appetite. If he checks out clear again and his weight is remaining stable, then maybe he’s just pandemic eating like everyone else.

 

[daftcat75]

None of us can (or should) tell you that a change in appetite is normal without having his bloodwork re-checked. April results are April results. Things can change quickly with senior cats. That's why twice a year check-ups are recommended.

But I understand that vets are stressful for both animals and caretakers.

So how about this?

Monitor his weight. Weigh him no more than once a week. If his weight is stable, you can weigh him once a month until it's not stable. If he begins to lose weight while eating the same or more, take him into a vet. If his appetite changes and he wants to eat significantly more or significantly less, take him to a vet.

 

[gilmargl]

Your question was - do cats want more food as they age? My ageing cats ate less as they grew older which meant they were losing weight which is not good. However, they were 16 or 17 years old or in the third case only 15, but with chronic kidney disease.

Up until that age, their appetites varied quite a lot, probably depending on how much exercise they got and whether the food I provided was what they wanted. i honestly didn't take much notice. I've never had a fat cat (though one of my foster cats is determined to change that). I don't honestly believe that an increase in appetite is a reason for another visit to the vet. Reduced appetite and poor condition is more serious.
I was at the vet with my 13 year-old cat in April - poor condition, reduced appetite. Blood work was good apart from the SDMA. I am now weighing her regularly. If she starts to lose weight I will go back for more tests - otherwise we'll wait till next April.
But, so far, her weight is a constant 3.5 kg (occasionally 3.4, when she creeps on the scales on only 3 legs or hasn't eaten enough, and even 3.6 when she leaps on them). Her condition has improved considerably without any medication which leads me to believe that her general health deteriorated over the past year when I was often away from home owing to my mother´s death and my 5 week stay in hospital. Unless your cat shows other symptoms, I wouldn't worry about his increased appetite - enjoy him enjoying his food!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Give me a break you would have me in the vets office for any stupid thing. I guess i just have to expect hat on this board.

Sorry, but at 14, there is no 'any stupid thing'. A check up 6 months ago does NOT clear the possibility of a new problem developing in the meantime. Do you realize that a 14 yo cat is the equivalent of an 80+ yo person? So, assuming you have ever had to deal with a family member anywhere near that age, would you apply the same 'any stupid thing' to them?

 

[Rini]

At his age I would not take anything for granted. Any major changes and I’d take him to a vet.

That being said with kittens and older cats, they should generally be allowed to eat as much as they want. If the cat is hungry, let him eat.

My boy is nearly 3, and I have to limit him because he’d eat all day and become a chunkster if I let him.

 

[furdoctor]

daily energy req mostly decreases by old age on animals however in cats it increase. after 12 years of age protein and fat absorbsition decreases like %20-30 percent. that is why cats need more energy when they get old. alternatively there is not much activity change between 5 and 15 year old cat. also after certain age food pick is done by your cats chronic diseases also. (ie ckd limiting protein or weight loss without any disease you can give kitten food)
also senior diets aim to minimize weight gain, so not every senior food is the right choice for your old cat.
also for old cats you gotta support nutrition with vitamin e, vitamin a, omega 3-6 fatty acids and prebiotics.

 

[mommytobuck]

daily energy req mostly decreases by old age on animals however in cats it increase. after 12 years of age protein and fat absorbsition decreases like %20-30 percent. that is why cats need more energy when they get old. alternatively there is not much activity change between 5 and 15 year old cat. also after certain age food pick is done by your cats chronic diseases also. (ie ckd limiting protein or weight loss without any disease you can give kitten food)

Thanks to the people who answered my question. My cat has been begging for food lately so I have decided to give him more of wet food. At the same time I have noticed that he seems to be using the litter box for number 1 more often. But I feel like it isn't that much and could be a result of more wet food.

(typically he goes three times per day and now he is going four).

In april per blood and urine tests his renal condition was perfect and though he did have increased blood sugar the vet feels it is due to stress at the vet. He had no sugar in his urine and the vet said that there is no diabetes without it.

Thanks for reminding me that my cat needs some nutrition. I typically give him multivitamins and an omega three fatty acid but I ran out and have forgotten to give him more.

I explain every time I am here but my cat is horrific at the vet and I have decided to stop taking him. He hurt himself last time and the vets are either unwilling or unable to treat him without severe damage to my cat. And yes, we have tried every option including drugs which does nothing. So I am basically on my own. The vet even suggested and gave me permission to put him down last time. As he is too old to be fighting like that at the vet. However, I couldn't bring myself to do it when he is mostly in good shape.

 

[cataholic07]

Have you looked into at home vets? My first cat wasnt happy at the vets but could still get through it. But when she got super sick and had to be hospitalized it changed her. She would be so stressed in the car and at the vet so we had used an at home vet and that helped lessen her stress level.

I do know cats can eat more when its cold.

 

[mommytobuck]

YES> GOD YES. I can't explain it one more time, when I say everything I mean everything.

 

[Norachan]

Unless your cat is over weight then feeding him a little bit more wet food isn't going to hurt him. I think the reason that everyone is suggesting you get more bloodwork done is that typically cats have a decrease in appetite as they age.

If you Google Feline Hypothyroidism you'll see that weight gain, increased appetite and increased water intake are all signs that a cat could be suffering from this condition.

Lots of us on TCS care for feral cats who cannot be handled at all. If these cats need medical attention they need to be trapped, sedated in the trap by a vet who is used to treating feral animals and then examined and treated that way.

If you can handle your cat a safe way to get him to the vet is to zip him up inside a laundry net, put him inside the carrier and have your vet weigh and sedate him through the net before attempting to handle him.

Several of mine can only be taken to the vet this way.

If your vet refuses to treat him then find one who deals with feral cats. I'd personally be very wary of any vet who suggested I put a cat down myself, without any assistance from a vet, just because he was difficult to handle.

 

[mommytobuck]

Lots of us on TCS care for feral cats who cannot be handled at all. If these cats need medical attention they need to be trapped, sedated in the trap by a vet who is used to treating feral animals and then examined and treated that way.

There are just no good options for my cat. He does not respond to sedation. In fact, last time, just to examine him they had to give him Kettimine just to get him out. The sedation didn't work.

This was horrible for him. He also ended up hurting himself. This was at a cat ER so I presume... they know what they are doing with feral.

I find that at home vets to be useless. Even sedated (with mass doses of gabapentin) they refuse to do much at all. Last time I had them out they only gave him a shot and then when he ran away they gave up. Seems obvious to me they were obsessed with the shot (and billing for a visit) and not caring for the cat. Please don't tell me to get another vet... they are all like that. IMHO they should know what they are doing but they don't really.

Far more than I would like I have needlessly taken my cat to the vet. I can't and won't do that again. The next trip to the vet will be to put him down. I am hoping that good advice on her could avoid that but I have never seen a board so obsessed with "take him to the vet". What are you talking about -- I never said the vet told me to put my cat down by myself. They will do it. But the vet has rightly determined that any examination will likely hurt the cat far more than help it -- that would be a necessary evil at 5 years old but at 14 and 1/2 it does not make sense.

 

[di and bob]

I understand what you are saying, I quit taking my 15-year-old to the vet because of the extreme stress and behaviors. It just wasn't worth it. I would ask for some kind of pain reliever, or what they recommend because he did need some of it at his end when of course the vet could not take him because of an emergency that called him out. At-home euthanasia might be looked into. When existing replaces living it is time. Your little one may have several years left yet, let him enjoy his peace and just let him live till he can't anymore. Enjoy him while you can.......