# Best low calorie wet and dry cat food for senoir boy?



## Pippinpie (Oct 30, 2010)

Hello all

I've just joined this fabulous forum after finding it searching cat food. My 12 year old Olly is a big framed cat and has always weighed between 6 -7 kg. He has just been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and the vet has advised me to put him on a light/low calorie diet to help his joints.

I currently feed him 2 pouches of Felix Senior a day (junk I know but he likes it) and 20g Applaws Dry. I'd really like to find a suitable better quality wet food that is both light and ok for seniors. Also, the same for dry as he does like the crunch of his dry food. I didn't ask the vet as they tend to sell Royal Canin and Science plan and I think they contain a lot of maize which isn't good for cats. Any advice welcomed.

Thanks x


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Hiya Pippingpie, welcome to the pf! Sorry to hear that your cat has got osteoarthritis. Has your vet talked to you about supplements to help your little mite in addition to the weight reduction? Three things spring to mind but I am sure that other poster have other solutions too. 

The three things I am thinking of are salmon oil (fatty acids that also help build the immune system etc), glucosamine and gelatine hydrolysate, which a friend of mine uses with success with her cat with osteoarthritis. 

Right, food. Let;s do dry food first. All dry foods are more calorific than wet food. Since he likes to have a little crunch and you are already feeding applaws, which doesn't contain any grains, could you get a treat ball and limit his access to dry food even more and making him work for it a little? 

Re the wet, the high quality ones don't really make senior cat food (and those that do only do so halfheartedly by providing one flavour). 

Would you be willing to buy online? Zooplus offers some good quality food for not a lot of money, such as Grau, Animonda, Bozita, Smilla. Don't be put off by Grau, though it contains some grains. It is a really good quality food, with a high meat content (all declared unlike other brands) and you only need to feed a little. But all these foods are pate, which I am not sure would suit your cat that has been used to Felix.

Another great food to get your cat to lose some weight is to feed raw food that is balanced in terms of meat, offal and bone. It requires a little more time and research on your part but you could always use it as an occasional meal during a couple of times during the week. 

Don't forget though that weigh loss needs to be slllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooow; so no crash diets.

Does that help?


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## Pippinpie (Oct 30, 2010)

Hi Hobbs2004

Thank you so much for your ideas. My vet hasn't mentioned supplements yet and I have been thinking about them. So far Olly has had 3 cartrophen injections, the 4th next week completes the course although I haven't seem much improvement yet.

The treat ball is a great idea, as I have to try and encourage him to play..brilliant!

I used Zooplus before for scratch posts but haven't ordered food. I like the website though so will take a look at some of those foods. I know they are all high in protein, is that ok for weight loss and for seniors? His kidney function is fine as I've had him tested but as I lost my beautiful 17 year old girl to kidney disease last year, it has made me very careful what I give him.

Thanks for your help x


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

High protein isn't a bad thing, even for seniors imo. Cats need a high protein diet. But it depends on the type of protein. For a cat, the best source of protein is meat/egg based, not grain based. So if you go for foods that contain a high amount of meat, and only a little or no grain, then imo your cat should be just fine.

When you have time take a look at senior foods compared to normal adult food. They tend to contain slightly fewer calories, true. But they also tend to contain a lot more grains, bringing up the carb level. Now it is carbs that have been implicated in cat's weight gain. So yes, with senior food you are feeding a food that is "lighter" in terms of calories but "heavier" in terms of carb content at the expense of protein content. A bad thing in my books. 

If your cat is becoming less active with age or while you are trying to tackle the arthritis it might pay off to reduce the food content SLIGHTLY (just a few grams less) no matter what food you get.


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## Pippinpie (Oct 30, 2010)

Thank you. That sounds great advice. I'd be much happier feeding him a high quality food rather than something called 'light' or 'senior'. I'll place an order from Zooplus and let you know how he gets on. Thanks again for your help


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## Pippinpie (Oct 30, 2010)

Hello

I thought I'd let you know I ordered the Bozita in jelly Rich in Chicken for Olly. He is still having part Felix and a bit of Bozita mixed in to change him over gradually, but is loving the Bozita. He'll pick it out of the bowl, and while he still has Felix left will ask me for more. I live the tetra packs, very happy with the order.

I've cut his Applaws down to 10g a day and only give it when he has eaten his wet food. I haven't quite worked out how much Bozita to give him, but I seem to be getting 3 good meals out of a pack, and he weights 6.3kg needing to lose some weight. Once he is getting more mobile and his joints aren't sore I'll buy him a treat ball for his Applaws. 

I am so pleased with the Bozita and hope he likes the next flavour I order just as much. One question I have is does the Bozita include Omega 3? I was going to buy some salmon oil to supplement his diet but don't want to go over board if he is already getting the right amount in his diet.

Thanks All
E x


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Bozita don't declare any omegas in their analysis. Typically, wet food contains less than dry food, where it is more often added in during the process.

I personally would buy some capsules and add one or two a week. You could also buy some tinned oily fish, such as sardines in spring water, and feed that once a week.

There was a thread a few moons ago that compared the omega 3 and 6 content of salmon oil and tinned oily fish. I will see whether I can find the thread.

Here ya go:



> Cats are strange! Some cats absolutely lap it up, others would rather starve then have any of it.
> 
> I have 500mg capsules and the guideline i am following is 1g per 1kg of meat. Since you have 1000mg capsules you should only use one of your capsules a week. Can you add it when you make up a big batch of their food or are you worried that they then will not eat it?
> 
> ...


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## Pippinpie (Oct 30, 2010)

Thank you! He's a funny cat and doesn't always eat sardines as I have tried to feed him this before and also tried mackeral.

Hobbs your fantastic knowledge astounds me. You have obviously spent along time looking into cat nutrition and I thank you for it, as everything I look up just confuses me.

Capsules it is!

:thumbup:


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