Is Senior Food Important?

[Kwik]

Thanks all. I stopped by the pet store to get some things and ended up buying him a bit of a variety of brands/flavors, just single cans, to see if anything caught his interest. He does seem to go more for pate style food than the shreds, and there were a couple that he did eat more than just a spoonful. I picked up some lamb Weruva and he ate about 1/3 of a can, which is impressive for him.

So I'll keep testing and see if I can figure out what he enjoys.

Hi KittyFriday-I was wondering if your Vet has suggested any particular foods? When my beloved Hemingway was 18(though diabetic)after trying countless brands & flavors of wet foods-he loved dry food,he'd turn his little pink nose up at anything wet,even tuna,sardines,mackerel,you name it!Finally my Vet suggested the Rx formula Science Diet ,he loved it....worth a try,right?
Any update on your boy?

 

[KittyFriday]

Hi KittyFriday-I was wondering if your Vet has suggested any particular foods? When my beloved Hemingway was 18(though diabetic)after trying countless brands & flavors of wet foods-he loved dry food,he'd turn his little pink nose up at anything wet,even tuna,sardines,mackerel,you name it!Finally my Vet suggested the Rx formula Science Diet ,he loved it....worth a try,right?
Any update on your boy?

No recommendations from them, they just generally say he looks good and is healthy and that's the end of that. I'm still testing out some new foods for him and think when I'm out of the cans he currently has I'll get him a variety of pate foods (currently he's got shreds). I think that he just prefers the pate texture and with shreds he really just wants to lick the gravy off where with the pate he will actually eat it. Somehow I ended up with the two finickiest pets on the planet

 

[Kwik]

No recommendations from them, they just generally say he looks good and is healthy and that's the end of that. I'm still testing out some new foods for him and think when I'm out of the cans he currently has I'll get him a variety of pate foods (currently he's got shreds). I think that he just prefers the pate texture and with shreds he really just wants to lick the gravy off where with the pate he will actually eat it. Somehow I ended up with the two finickiest pets on the planet

Lol-yeah ,I have a torty that's a finicky little thing,she just eats to live-not a foody in the least but loves gravies-she too will pick the gravy and leave every single shred of meat or fish..Delectable bisque is her favorite...At least they get the moisture that's needed,that's a plus
Can you return the cans you bought and exchange them for pate? Someone gave me a 12 can case of pate( which none of mine will eat)so I went to the store and they traded it for me.... maybe you can try

 

[zoes]

Bless your heart,it's so difficult watching the decline of age and not being able to do a thing about it,isn't it? But you are doing a thing about it,you are under veterinarian supervision and sticking to what's best for kitty-I'd say give those treats at this stage though,why not?
The worst part of being a pet parent is their life expectancy is far too short.......to answer your question"yes,proper medication should help to keep weight on"

Well the reticence with the treats is she eats too many of them, she's not going to be hungry for dinner, and then won't get the water from her sloppy wet food It's a balancing act eh!

On the plus side, she just had bloodwork done and everything is perfect. My vet is proposing we try Solensia, a new arthritis medication. It might be helpful in reducing her pain, leading to more activity perhaps and preserving her muscle mass. I hope so - I'm sure her OA discomfort is reducing her activity and there is so little out there to really treat it. Even if just reducing discomfort would be great.

Apologies to OP for derailing your thread

 

[Alldara]

I think senior food is important if it's good senior food. But I prefer if the senior food has glucosamine in it. Short of that, I just add it myself.

I think if you're switching between Purina the recipe is close enough that it should be okay if your cat is used to both proteins already.