Senior formula

[Crazy8catlady]

So we have been feeding the lunatics Purina one urinary tract formula for YEARS! Since we have more boys than girls, and boys tend to have urinary issues (plugging) more than girls most of the time, we bought the urinary tract formula in bulk.

But after we took Rocket to the vet, (she's still with us surprisingly) the vet said we should start feeding the old bittys senior formula. So we went to Walmart and they had Iams senior formula big bags for... $3!!!!!!! Yeah we bought the lot lmao

It's been about a week since we put them on this new food. I can ALREADY SEE a difference in our elders. Mr. Toes especially. Mr. Toes is 12 years old he weighed about 6-7 lbs. Skin and bones kinda boy. He had left his prime years in the dust. But after one week of eating that Iams senior formula he's gained over 5 lbs AT LEAST! His face has filled in and his coat is fuller. I mean it's a miracle. I had Mr. T pegged as next in line to go. Not anymore. I can see him staying with us MUCH longer now. He's got his prime years look back.

The moral of this story is- if you own cats 7+ years you NEED to switch them to senior formula! If your senior seems scrawny.... Switch to senior formula! In one week you will SEE the difference. It doesn't need to be Iams. I only got it because it was on super sale lol

 

[Furballsmom]

Thanks for posting this!

 

[Azazel]

Sorry to say, but your cat is probably gaining weight because the senior formula is high in carbs and low in protein. Cats don’t need any special senior food. They need high animal protein, low carbs, and high moisture at all stages of their life.

 

[MissClouseau]

Some senior cat food formulas have higher calcium levels to support bone health. I don't know anything like calcium causing weight gain or anything. Also higher calcium level might be just compare to the calcium of the same brand's other food and not compare to another non-senior food formula from another brand. Just to say there is more difference than one about senior and kitten formulas vs the others. And it changes between different brands.

Some also have lower carbs. And/or softer in texture to make chewing easier which I bet helps cats who had trouble and help them put on weight by making chewing easier. And/or lower phosphorus levels for kidney health. And/or some additional ingredients like prebiotics. The label "senior cat" alone doesn't mean much though.

I'm glad the one you tried seemed to be working well

 

[mizzely]

Senior cats do tend to do better with a diet change... They get bad at digesting and absorbing nutrients which can lead to skinny old kitties as the body still needs protein, fat and calories, so it borrows from itself

http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.co...hat-s-going-sponsored-purina-veterinary-diets

I had the same results as you for my senior kitty by giving her kitten foods Higher protein, fat and more calories.

 

[Azazel]

Some senior cat food formulas have higher calcium levels to support bone health. I don't know anything like calcium causing weight gain or anything. Also higher calcium level might be just compare to the calcium of the same brand's other food and not compare to another non-senior food formula from another brand. Just to say there is more difference than one about senior and kitten formulas vs the others. And it changes between different brands.

Some also have lower carbs. And/or softer in texture to make chewing easier which I bet helps cats who had trouble and help them put on weight by making chewing easier. And/or lower phosphorus levels for kidney health. And/or some additional ingredients like prebiotics. The label "senior cat" alone doesn't mean much though.

I'm glad the one you tried seemed to be working well

You can’t increase calcium without increasing phosphorus.

Why not just feed wet food if chewing is the problem? Probiotics, prebiotics, and enzymes are naturally existing in a cat’s natural diet and should be included in all foods anyway.

Still sounds like a marketing scam to me.

 

[LTS3]

The high calories and carbs in senior dry food is what caused the weight gain.

I can see him staying with us MUCH longer now. He's got his prime years look back.

A cat can live on dry food for years but won't necessarily be healthy. Kind of like a person eating nothing but cheap junk fast food and highly processed foods and still somehow living well into their 90s. You might not see any obvious health issues now but most likely they will show up as the cat ages. Dry food is known to be one factor resulting in diabetes. You may want to take a look at Catinfo.org for why dry food is a poor diet choice for cats.

The moral of this story is- if you own cats 7+ years you NEED to switch them to senior formula! If your senior seems scrawny.... Switch to senior formula! In one week you will SEE the difference. It doesn't need to be Iams. I only got it because it was on super sale lol

Cats don't need "senior" food. The age range on pet food labels is a marketing gimmick.

My cats are 9 years old. They have only eaten raw their entire lives. Both are mostly healthy. One has IBD and asthma and the other one has a heart murmur and luxating patellas

Skinniness and un-thriftiness can be caused by low B12 levels and other health conditions that may only be diagnosed with blood work. A poorly digestible food can also cause poor fur coat and digestion issues. Full blood work should be done yearly for senior cats. Some vets don't bother with it or discouarge it so you need to advocate on your cat's behalf and insist on having it done.[/QUOTE]

 

[Crazy8catlady]

You can’t increase calcium without increasing phosphorus.

Why not just feed wet food if chewing is the problem? Probiotics, prebiotics, and enzymes are naturally existing in a cat’s natural diet and should be included in all foods anyway.

Still sounds like a marketing scam to me.

Wet food gives them the runs BAD. Chewing isn't an issue.

 

[Azazel]

Wet food gives them the runs BAD. Chewing isn't an issue.

There isn’t anything inherent about wet food that should give them the runs. It’s probably just some ingredient in the wet food that you tried. A quick transition between foods would also cause the runs. Wet food is healthier for cats than dry and I’d imagine that with seniors who are at greater risk for things like kidney disease it would be essential.

 

[Crazy8catlady]

The high calories and carbs in senior dry food is what caused the weight gain.



A cat can live on dry food for years but won't necessarily be healthy. Kind of like a person eating nothing but cheap junk fast food and highly processed foods and still somehow living well into their 90s. You might not see any obvious health issues now but most likely they will show up as the cat ages. Dry food is known to be one factor resulting in diabetes. You may want to take a look at Catinfo.org for why dry food is a poor diet choice for cats.





Cats don't need "senior" food. The age range on pet food labels is a marketing gimmick.

My cats are 9 years old. They have only eaten raw their entire lives. Both are mostly healthy. One has IBD and asthma and the other one has a heart murmur and luxating patellas

Skinniness and un-thriftiness can be caused by low B12 levels and other health conditions that may only be diagnosed with blood work. A poorly digestible food can also cause poor fur coat and digestion issues. Full blood work should be done yearly for senior cats. Some vets don't bother with it or discouarge it so you need to advocate on your cat's behalf and insist on having it done.

[/QUOTE]
I didn't read the age labels lol I'm just following doctors orders. We decided to try the IAMS so far everyone has been liking it and I've seen changes in our ultra elders.

 

[Azazel]

I didn't read the age labels lol I'm just following doctors orders. We decided to try the IAMS so far everyone has been liking it and I've seen changes in our ultra elders.

Unfortunately most vets are not experts in feline nutrition.

 

[Crazy8catlady]

All I know is when they eat too much wet food it gives them the runs.. bad. And the boys can't handle it. I've had cats for 30 years. Our oldest live to about 18-20 years. Dry affordable urinary tract formula food. This is the first time we decided to use a senior formula. But only because our doctor said it would benefit them. He said to use Hills, science diet, and some other brand I can't remember the name of but with 8 cats I can't afford that.

 

[Azazel]

All I know is when they eat too much wet food it gives them the runs.. bad. And the boys can't handle it. I've had cats for 30 years. Our oldest live to about 18-20 years. Dry affordable urinary tract formula food. This is the first time we decided to use a senior formula. But only because our doctor said it would benefit them. He said to use Hills, science diet, and some other brand I can't remember the name of but with 8 cats I can't afford that.

The UTI food is also unnecessary. Cats need wet food. They are made to obtain moisture from their food. They have low thirst drives and won’t drink enough water on their own unless they are dehydrated. Often people think that their cats on dry food are fine because they drink a lot of water, but that’s just an indication of dehydration. Cats are different from dogs in that they are meant to obtain most of their water intake from food. The best protection from urinary issues is water.

It’s awesome that you’ve had cats live a really long time but unfortunatley that’s not an indication that their food was optimal. Some people who smoke cigarettes can live a long time. We still wouldn’t call cigarettes healthy. I’d just call it lucky.

 

[Crazy8catlady]

Unfortunately most vets are not experts in feline nutrition.

Dr. Hill is the best of the best. Just saying I trust his judgement. I thought I'd share my experience with senior formula for those who use dry food.

 

[Azazel]

Dr. Hill is the best of the best. Just saying I trust his judgement. I thought I'd share my experience with senior formula for those who use dry food.

We appreciate you sharing your experiences. Unfortunatley I will have to disagree with your vet on this. Just adding my 2 cents... take it or leave it.

 

[LTS3]

I didn't read the age labels lol I'm just following doctors orders. We decided to try the IAMS so far everyone has been liking it and I've seen changes in our ultra elders.

It's ok to not follow the vet's suggestion / recommendation on food Vets can't force a pet owner to feed Brand X instead of Brand ABC.

Your vet may be great in general but not very knowledgeable about nutrition. Many vets aren't because nutrition isn't taught in depth in vet school. Even board certified veterinary nutritionists may still be on the mindset that dry food is great and prescription food is a cure all for every medical issue

I have an awesome vet but we disagree about food. The vet would like me to feed prescription junk to my IBD cat. I disagreed and continued to feed raw food with a different protein.