How should I feed my senior cats ?

life_with_weathers

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I have 2 senior cats both 8 and 9 years old. I feed them Iams proactive health Indoor weight and hairball care and fancy feast wet food.
I am not sure if there are any better foods that I can feed them.
The white one is Misty and the brown one is Stormy.
I did do a little research but I don't really know who to listen to.
they need better food that can help in their long hair and weight and Stormy is also facing so hair loss
How can I improve? I am willing to spend money as long as it's worth it and it's not too much ( like a hundred dollars for one small bag or something )
 

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Maurey

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You’d be best off fully transitioning them to any decent-quality wet food, over anything else. I’d suggest looking into brands like Smalls, Tiki Cat, and Ziwi Peak. For more budget options, there’s American Journey and Fancy Feast.
 

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Hi. Pretty kitties! I don't know anything about Iams dry food, but the Fancy Feast you are feeding them - especially if it is the pates - are a fairly decent food. When you say you are looking for food that "that can help in their long hair and weight and Stormy is also facing so hair loss" - other than the hair loss, what else are you referring to? Hairballs? Weight - as in loss or gain? Are there any other issues going on - eating/drinking/litter box/activity level/itchiness/etc?

Have they been seen by the vet for a senior health check up? They are barely seniors, but now is a good time to start having semi-annual check ups with the vet - full scale blood work, urinalysis, and thorough look over.

In the meantime, without knowing more details - an Omega-3 supplement might be a place to start regarding healthier hair/skin. If hairballs are an issue, regular brushings and a dab of butter/margarine from your finger or placed on their paw for them to lick off a couple times a week will help them to pass hair more easily.

Please let us know more!!
 
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life_with_weathers

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Hi. Pretty kitties! I don't know anything about Iams dry food, but the Fancy Feast you are feeding them - especially if it is the pates - are a fairly decent food. When you say you are looking for food that "that can help in their long hair and weight and Stormy is also facing so hair loss" - other than the hair loss, what else are you referring to? Hairballs? Weight - as in loss or gain? Are there any other issues going on - eating/drinking/litter box/activity level/itchiness/etc?

Have they been seen by the vet for a senior health check up? They are barely seniors, but now is a good time to start having semi-annual check ups with the vet - full scale blood work, urinalysis, and thorough look over.

In the meantime, without knowing more details - an Omega-3 supplement might be a place to start regarding healthier hair/skin. If hairballs are an issue, regular brushings and a dab of butter/margarine from your finger or placed on their paw for them to lick off a couple times a week will help them to pass hair more easily.

Please let us know more!!
I found that his hair is kind of "less" than before. it's not as fluffy and he is not really shedding as much as before, I was thinking is it because of age ? or is it because he is missing something like vitamins.
I think I will try to get them health checks, they usually only get shots at Petco, but ya, just in case they have a health problem or something. ( should I get pet insurance? would it help with bills ?)
At first, I gave them hairball control gel, but I stopped after getting them the hairball control food thinking the food and gel added together is too much.
Stormy is getting a little skinny
and Misty on the other hand is getting a little "fat" and heavy
 
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life_with_weathers

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You’d be best off fully transitioning them to any decent-quality wet food, over anything else. I’d suggest looking into brands like Smalls, Tiki Cat, and Ziwi Peak. For more budget options, there’s American Journey and Fancy Feast.
Does that mean they are good with eating only wet food? I always gave it to them as a topping kind of thing, Would it be ok to give them wet food for every meal? they have 3 meals per day, but only a little bit of food at a time.
I think I can get them the tiki cat ones!! I have seen them in my local pet store and they always have a bunch!!
 
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life_with_weathers

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You’d be best off fully transitioning them to any decent-quality wet food, over anything else. I’d suggest looking into brands like Smalls, Tiki Cat, and Ziwi Peak. For more budget options, there’s American Journey and Fancy Feast.
if I were to give them a tiki cat, how much do I give them per meal? would 2 packets per cat be good ?
 

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Complete wet food is fine to feed alone — dry has no benefit over wet other than cost, and, to a point, convenience. For how much to feed you should reference calories — you need 20 calories per lbs of ideal weight. Definitely get them a wellness check first, have the vet run blood, and they should be able to suggest an ideal weight for both your cats.

Pet insurance can help with bills if you get it in advance in case they have a condition that needs treatment in future, though rates for older cats tend to be higher.
 

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The hair and weight loss with Stormy is definitely a vet check up kind of thing to be sure. And, if you feed them together, you might pay attention to whether Misty might be stealing some of Stormy's food.

Before you make food changes, try and figure how much you are feeding them now. It will helpful in determining how much you should feed them with new foods. So, start tracking what they eat at present so you have an idea how much food they are getting. You should also know what they weigh, but a vet visit will help with that. Or, you can weigh yourself on your own scales, and then stand on the scales a second time while holding them. It won't be entirely accurate, but it will give you an idea.

Canned food is generally thought of as more healthy than dry - for one it has more moisture in it which is a good thing for overall health, as well as things like skin and hair. Dry tends to have a lot more calories, but mainly from carbohydrates rather than protein, which should be the primary food in a cat's diet generally speaking.

It is hard to tell you how much to feed them of any new food you give them until you have an idea of how much they are currently eating.
 
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life_with_weathers

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Oh god !! thank you !! I found out about so much new info !! I definitely will book an appointment and get them checked out and then get them pet insurance , and then I get them the new food!! thank you !!
 
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life_with_weathers

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The hair and weight loss with Stormy is definitely a vet check up kind of thing to be sure. And, if you feed them together, you might pay attention to whether Misty might be stealing some of Stormy's food.

Before you make food changes, try and figure how much you are feeding them now. It will helpful in determining how much you should feed them with new foods. So, start tracking what they eat at present so you have an idea how much food they are getting. You should also know what they weigh, but a vet visit will help with that. Or, you can weigh yourself on your own scales, and then stand on the scales a second time while holding them. It won't be entirely accurate, but it will give you an idea.

Canned food is generally thought of as more healthy than dry - for one it has more moisture in it which is a good thing for overall health, as well as things like skin and hair. Dry tends to have a lot more calories, but mainly from carbohydrates rather than protein, which should be the primary food in a cat's diet generally speaking.

It is hard to tell you how much to feed them of any new food you give them until you have an idea of how much they are currently eating.
Yes, I was thinking about it too, I think Stormy may have been eating the leftovers from stormy, which stormy likes to save for later.
I definitely will take them to the vet for a check-up, and I get to know what I will need to feed them and everything
and maybe I think it time for me to get them a microchip feeder for Stormy, so they can have different foods.
 

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I found that his hair is kind of "less" than before. it's not as fluffy and he is not really shedding as much as before, I was thinking is it because of age ? or is it because he is missing something like vitamins.
I think I will try to get them health checks, they usually only get shots at Petco, but ya, just in case they have a health problem or something. ( should I get pet insurance? would it help with bills ?)
At first, I gave them hairball control gel, but I stopped after getting them the hairball control food thinking the food and gel added together is too much.
Stormy is getting a little skinny
and Misty on the other hand is getting a little "fat" and heavy
If it's any consolation, my 11 year old domestic long hair cat is definitely not as fluffy as when he was younger. He used to be so puffy and dense but now his hair is more soft and silky and drapes down his body. He is as healthy as can be though eating Purevita and Rawz canned wet food (both I recommended!). They're nice options if your cats are picky about shreds or chunks like mine. I also feed Dr Elsey chicken dry food to save some money as it's the best dry food in my opinion and my boy loves it that I use it as treats. It looks expensive on paper but the dry food is more calorie dense and high animal protein than most kibble so you don't have to feed as much quantity.
 
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life_with_weathers

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If it's any consolation, my 11 year old domestic long hair cat is definitely not as fluffy as when he was younger. He used to be so puffy and dense but now his hair is more soft and silky and drapes down his body. He is as healthy as can be though eating Purevita and Rawz canned wet food (both I recommended!). They're nice options if your cats are picky about shreds or chunks like mine. I also feed Dr Elsey chicken dry food to save some money as it's the best dry food in my opinion and my boy loves it that I use it as treats. It looks expensive on paper but the dry food is more calorie dense and high animal protein than most kibble so you don't have to feed as much quantity.
Thank you, I definitely give it a try !!
 
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