And what are the worst ones?
When I say health, I am including things like cancer, obesity and any other major ailment.
My three cats have all made it to 17 but they’re getting fat and old. It would be nice if they gold reasonably thin and very old.
Specifically, how is Whiskas?
Got nothing about cats but for dogs, avoid anything sold in a supermarket or by a vet. There are some brands (Nutro comes to mind) which were once good but were bought out and now are no better than supermarket just pricier. There are several websites that review dog foods, there are probably similar for cats. Google ‘cat food comparison chart’ or some such. It is an ever-shifting landscape. Also there are lots of local brands, some good some bad. Teach yourself how to read a label and what to look for.
There’s no simple answer.
Hurray for you for having cats that old. Good job!!!
If your 17 year old cats are thriving on it, I wouldn’t change a thing.
The weight problem is probably because you are feeding them flavored grain and cats don’t process carbs very well, but at their age changing their familiar kibble will just make them stop eating or other bad things.
I would suggest that you might consider giving them some canned food to increase water in their diet. All cats need more water than they drink because they evolved to mostly depend on their prey for that.
If they would adjust to something different, and at this stage of their lives I don’t think it would be a good idea…maybe read the labels on the bags and buy something that has named meat in the first 3 ingredients.
My fuzzbutts love Wellness kibble. My beloved Fred lived for many years eating whatever I could manage to afford, but when he was failing, I read up on it and changed his diet. The improvement in his coat and health when he wasn’t eating so much grain was amazing.
He still died at 18 years old.
I forgot to include pics.
The black & white one is about 15 or 16 lbs. The black one is about 10 lbs and the calico one is 9 pounds.
Watching his weight: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
The two brothers: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
The two brothers when the black one gets shaved for hygiene reasons: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
The girl: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
Everykitty: Imgur: The magic of the Internet
Flat,
“and at this stage of their lives I don’t think it would be a good idea”
Is this only because you think they would stop eating or throw it up? Because they wouldn’t stop eating and the throwing up could be taken care of by switching.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I wouldn’t say they’re thriving on it. I have started free feeding them because the black one gets acid reflux and keeps throwing up when he doesn’t have regular access to food. His weight has gone up a bit but I’m not worried. I’m worried about the black & white one and the calico one who have gotten fatter since I started free feeding.
Whiskas is not very good cat food. It has a lot of junk in it. Check out catinfo.org for some good info and guidelines on what to feed your pets.
Free feeding has been implicated in some diseases, and it seems to be better to feed your cats meals at appointed times. That’s not always practical or doable for everyone, I know.
Additionally, because cats typically don’t drink enough water, canned cat food is better for them than dry. Canned also has less junk in it than dry.
I switched my cats over to Wellness canned food when the youngest one started to develop kidney problems at a young age, but I can’t say it’s responsible for their (relative) health. It does seem to be a pretty good food, but I have to feed them twice a day so they don’t just scarf it all down at once and then either start complaining at an ungodly hour that they’re hungry or else puke all over.
I can say that I switched our big dog (who is still hanging in there at 14 1/2, despite some neuropathy and kidney and possibly liver problems) from a dry food to a dehydrated food from The Honest Kitchen (you mix the powder with twice the volume of warm water) and his mobility and general demeanor improved dramatically.
This is all completely anecdotal and not at all scientific, of course.
After a bunch of research several years ago, we started using Orijen dry food and Weruva and Tiki Cat canned food. I’m not going to claim to be an expert and say they are the best, but when I did my research they seemed to be some of the better options that were also readily available in our area.