The Way of Cats

Cats start entering their senior years faster than we might think. Here’s a chart to indicate how old our cat really is:

Surprised? According to this, Mr. Bond is already sixty human years old! No wonder he’s been taking it a little easier around the house, and letting his sidekick, RJ, take over a lot of his supervising duties.

Cats face physical aging challenges just as humans do, but we might not know that they face a mental challenge as well. According to this study, one vet estimates feline dementia could affect 28% of pet cats aged 11 to 14, and 50% of older cats. We need to be alert to cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS), which can lead to dementia.

This is when the cat becomes easily confused, and can start wailing at night and missing the litter box. Their problems are more easily seen when they are tired or not feeling well. They also have a lowered ability to cope with stress. Diet seems to be one way to treat this condition.

Hill’s did one study of 75 cats, all older than 12, and later questioned their owners about the j/d [Hill's Science Diet for arthritis] food’s impact on their dementia, Gunn-Moore says. “Over 70 percent said their cats had improved cognitive function,” she said. “It’s great. I think it’s a fabulous brain diet. I’ve got a lot of little old cats on that brain diet. It’s really nice.”

Well, okay, that sounds good, even though it was the makers of the pet food doing the study, that’s nice improvement rates. What about prevention?

The j/d food should not, however, be given to younger cats as a dementia preventative, Gunn-Moore says, because it contains far too much fat and protein.

Now, we’re talking about cats. An animal who eats other animals. An animal who does not have the enzymes needed to digest carbohydrates, such as found in grain. How can such a animal get too much fat and protein?

In fact, as I’ve written before on cats and their proper diet, the best way to feed cats is with lots of fat and protein, and very little carbohydrate.

I think if feeding a high fat & protein diet helps older cats regain their cognitive function, then it is definitely indicated to feed them that kind of diet all through their lives.

Especially since there isn’t a single reason not to.

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There’s more ways to care for our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on CAT CARE.