Senior cats have fundamentally different nutritional needs from younger adults. Understanding age-related metabolic changes — reduced digestive efficiency, altered protein requirements, and chronic disease management — guides appropriate feeding strategies.
Senior cat nutrition is frequently mismanaged because blanket recommendations — reduce protein for all seniors, restrict phosphorus prophylactically — are based on outdated research or extrapolation from human or canine data. The welfare consequence of incorrect senior nutrition is significant: muscle wasting from insufficient protein, inadequate hydration from dry-food-only diets, and weight loss from reduced absorption reduce quality of life measurably. Regular body condition scoring, veterinary nutritional guidance tailored to each cat's health status, and appropriate food selection — high-quality protein, increased moisture — provide the foundation for healthy aging in cats.