Choosing the Best Food for Your Senior Cat with Royal Canin

This post is brought to you by Royal Canin. All opinions are my own.

best-food-for-your-senior-cat

Last week, I told you all about my experience transitioning my cats to a healthy Royal Canin diet. To recap, Mally is a 17-year-old white cat that I’ve had almost my entire adult life, and Prue is a 10-year-old cat with some dental issues. This week, I’m going to tell you more about Mally, her new diet and how to choose the best dry cat food for senior catswith the help of Royal Canin.

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Mally, age 17

For a while, Mal was sleeping in a box in my room. Then she moved into our coat closet. Lately, she’s been hanging out on a bin in my dining room, right behind my computer desk. I like to think that she’s hanging out there to be closer to me!

Did I tell you that Mally is actually short for Malkav? Weird name, right? My first husband named her. She was supposed to be his cat, but she never really took to him. She was always my girl, just like her mama was.  When we split up way back when I was 21 and she was barely a year old, she came with me. At 17, Mal has slowed down quite a bit. She doesn’t really play anymore. I’ve tried to engage her in some string chasing. She tries to appease me by making half-hearted attempts to grab it. Then she meows and demands I repay the favor with snuggles. I’m happy to oblige.

When I think about her age, I start to get really worried. I do random “are you alive” checks! I’ll suddenly get anxious and wake her up just to make sure she’s still breathing. I’ve known cats that lived into their 20s, but Mal’s mom only made it to 8! With Mal’s run-in with diabetes a few years ago, I worry about her a lot. Having the best cat food for senior cats is more important than ever for her!

Benefits of the Royal Canin Aging 12+ diet for senior cats

Mally is on the Royal Canin Aging 12+ diet. She eats about 1/3 cup of dry food plus 1 can of wet food each day. We’ve actually started feeding her the wet food in her favorite hanging-out spot because she’s either too old or too lazy to walk up to the cat room (our laundry room). She does go up there to use the litter box still but at feeding time she either waits for us to bring the food to her or her to the food.

A few key benefits of the Royal Canin Aging 12+ diet for senior cats include:

  • Skin & Coat Support: With a blend of all the right vitamins as well as Omegas, the Royal Canin Aging 12+ diet for senior cats helps keep your kitty’s fur smooth and glossy. I’ve noticed Mal’s fur has changed a lot as she ages. When she was younger and her mom was still alive, I could always tell them apart in the dark by the texture of their fur. Mal always has smooth almost flat fur, while Gypsy had thicker somewhat clumpier fur. As Mal gets older, her fur is thicker and more like her mom’s. After two weeks ( a transitioning week and a full week) on the Royal Canin Aging 12+ diet, I notice that her fur is starting to get softer again.
  • Dual-texture kibble – The Royal Canin Aging 12+ dry food has a dual texture. Basically, it’s easier for cats with dental issues to chew. Mal is missing a fang, so I’m sure she appreciates this!
  • Highly digestible– This is one area that I’ve really noticed a difference! The Royal Canin Aging 12+ food breaks down easier, so it causes less digestive upset. Mal used to throw up on a fairly regular basis. I can’t imagine that was good for her. It definitely wasn’t good for me because I either ended up stepping in it or gagging while cleaning it up. It’s funny, I went to nursing school and I can handle all sorts of gross things coming out of humans. Yet the same thing coming from a cat or dog makes me yak! I am so happy to report that since starting the Aging 12+ diet, Mal’s upchucking has cut way back. I’d like to say that it’s completely gone, but I don’t follow her around 24/7, so I can’t say that with 100% certainty.
  • Aging support– The Aging 12+ diet contains antioxidants, glucosamine and other good ingredients to help with protect all the things that typically break down in a senior cat. The most important one to me is the reduced phosphorous to support kidney function. Since Mal had diabetes in the past, I worry about her little kidneys!

Overall, I’ve noticed positive changes in Mal since she started the Royal Canin Aging 12+ diet for senior cats. While her energy levels are still pretty low, I think it was a little unrealistic of me to expect my senior cat to jump up and start running around like a kitten again! She’s an old lady, she’s earned her peaceful resting years! I can tell you, she devours the wet food! That’s definitely her favorite. She actually finishes it now instead of leaving half behind!

Next week, I’ll tell you more about Prue and how she is doing on the Indoor Mature food from Royal Canin. In the mean time, head over to Royal Canin to learn more about their healthy foods for cats. Connect with Royal Canin on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with news and offers!

10 thoughts on “Choosing the Best Food for Your Senior Cat with Royal Canin”

  1. I may have to check this out for my cat. I’m actually very concerned about making sure he gets the right nutrients in his diet, so this looks really helpful.

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