This post is sponsored by Hill’s. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Science Diet for Cats, but Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
Sixteen-year-old Emily sunning amongst the azaleas in 2006 Typist: Bethany
When I adopted Emily, my very first cat, I never imagined her living into her late teens. At the time, cat life expectancy was rarely into the low teens. Now I have also been lucky enough to share my life with Gryphon for over nineteen years. And I am not alone. America's senior cat population is up by 6%. As we increase our knowledge of how to best care for our older feline friends, we see cat life expectancy increasing. A major part of caring for our aging cats is being knowledgeable of their special nutritional needs
During a routine veterinary check-up with Emily years ago, the doctor suggested Emily have a senior pet exam. I was shocked. She was not an old cat! I now know cats age 7-10 are considered mature adult cats (likely a polite way of saying "old cat") and cats eleven and up are seniors (a polite way of saying "really old cat.") Although Emily was not an old cat on the outside, the blood panel included in her senior pet exam showed that she was aging on the inside. I firmly believe that my veterinarians subsequent suggestions to change Emily's diet extended her life and I have always been grateful.
When I adopted Emily, my very first cat, I never imagined her living into her late teens. At the time, cat life expectancy was rarely into the low teens. Now I have also been lucky enough to share my life with Gryphon for over nineteen years. And I am not alone. America's senior cat population is up by 6%. As we increase our knowledge of how to best care for our older feline friends, we see cat life expectancy increasing. A major part of caring for our aging cats is being knowledgeable of their special nutritional needs
During a routine veterinary check-up with Emily years ago, the doctor suggested Emily have a senior pet exam. I was shocked. She was not an old cat! I now know cats age 7-10 are considered mature adult cats (likely a polite way of saying "old cat") and cats eleven and up are seniors (a polite way of saying "really old cat.") Although Emily was not an old cat on the outside, the blood panel included in her senior pet exam showed that she was aging on the inside. I firmly believe that my veterinarians subsequent suggestions to change Emily's diet extended her life and I have always been grateful.
| Well over a decade ago, though, my search for proper senior food was difficult and exhausting. Pet food store clerks stared at me as if I was speaking in meows when I relayed the nutritional values my veterinarian had sent me searching for. I read label, after label, after label and the print seemed to get smaller on each consecutive one I read. Nowadays most of my local pet food stores have either entire senior cat food sections or special labels on the shelves for foods that are nutritionally suitable for aging cats. Even widely available brand Hill's Science Diet has several "Mature Adult" and "Senior 11+" foods to choose from including formulas for hairball control and indoor cats. |  Photo Courtesy of Hill's, Inc. |
There is so much responsibility involved in understanding our beloved aging cats changing needs and it isn't all about what they eat. Examining what you are feeding your older cat is always a great place to start. Changing the diet of a senior cat can make a huge difference not just in their quality of life but, like Emily, in how much longer of a life they have. Although I didn't originally plan to have cats that lived into their late teens, I am eternally grateful for each moment with them. And as my knowledge and the knowledge of veterinarians and the pet food industry increase on how to care for our "old cats," I definitely plan on Amelia living a very long, continuously bouncy life.
Nineteen-year-old Gryphon with three-year-old Amelia, 2013.
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