IIPTF PET FESTIVAL PUNE Vol 12 Issue No 10 October 2019 | 页面 24

Feline Nutrition
NUTRITION
TIPS FOR AGEING
FELINES
By Dr. Dhananjay Pandit*
C
ats are not as big as us or as
dogs, but they undergo the
same aging process. Your
senior cat may still look and act young,
but that doesn't mean you should fi ll
its feeding bowl with the same food
it has always eaten. Depending on
its health, your aging  cat's diet may
require a change.
Your cat may still be a kitten at heart,
but from a  nutritional  standpoint,
the commonly accepted correlation
between human age and feline age is
- one year in cat age is equal to seven
human years.
During the fi rst year of life, felines age
to the equivalent of a human teenager.
By the time most cats are two years
old, they are like a 24-year-old adult
human being. After two, they age at
the rate of about four human years
per cat year. Cats show middle age
and retirement age at approximately
7 years and 11 years respectively. By
the time a cat reaches his twelfth
birthday, he is the equivalent of a
64-year-old human.
In their senior years, felines start to
fall prey to many of the same ailments
as we do. Some older cats experience
a decreased immune response,
altered glucose tolerance, decreased
kidney function and several other
changes like disorientation, reduced
interaction, change in sleep patterns,
24
house soiling, and reduced activity. So
cats entering old age may benefi t from
eating food that is modifi ed to meet
some of their  changing nutritional
requirements.
Although some elderly  cats may
need to watch their waistlines, cats
who are even older may have a hard
time keeping weight on. Some aged
cats, mostly those over the age of 12,
stop gaining weight and start  losing
weight, actually requiring more
calories. Studies show that most cats
over the age of 12 have a decreased
ability to digest fat, and about 20
percent of cats over the age of 12 have
a decreased ability to digest protein.
Older cats, especially if underweight,
can benefi t from a diet with increased
Creature Companion | October 2019 • Vol. XII • Issue 10 • Noida
levels of high-quality protein and fat.
Although some age-related problems
respond favourably to increased fi bre
intake, feeding high-fi bre foods is not
recommended across the board for
all senior cats, in part because fi bre
may decrease the absorption of some
essential nutrients.
Older cats often don't  drink enough
water, especially if the cat has
impaired kidney function, and this
can lead to dehydration. Offering wet
food and placing additional bowls of
fresh water around the house may
help increase your cat's water intake.
One has to look at accessibility and
increase the number of litter boxes
to avoid accidental elimination as the
cat is not energetic enough to travel to
the litter box.