Best dry cat food for senior cats: what to look for

The best dry food for a senior cat is a complete and balanced kibble with plenty of animal protein, a calorie density that matches your cat's weight, moderate phosphorus, and pieces small and brittle enough for an older mouth to manage. Kibble is a reasonable choice for many older cats, as long as they hold their weight and take in enough water. If your vet has prescribed a diet for kidney disease, a thyroid problem or diabetes, that diet comes first.

This article does not name or rank brands. The right food depends on the cat. What follows is what to check on the bag and how to work around the weak points of dry food, with your vet.

Is dry food a good choice for an older cat?

It can be. Wet and dry foods can both be complete and balanced. Dry food tends to work well when:

• Your cat strongly prefers it and eats it every day without fuss.
• Weight and muscle are steady from one weigh-in to the next.
• Your cat drinks well and the vet has not asked you to get more water in.
• Your cat is thin with a small appetite. Kibble packs more calories into each mouthful than wet food.

It is a weaker choice for a cat with kidney disease, a history of urinary problems or constipation, where vets usually want more water in the diet, and for an overweight cat with a bowl that is always full. Many vets like older cats to have at least some wet food. Feeding both is fine, and the companion article covers wet food for older cats.

What to check on the bag

A thin fifteen-year-old needs a dense food. A heavy ten-year-old needs a lighter one. More on reading labels is in how to choose a senior cat food.

Small kibble and soft dry food for worn teeth

Dental disease is very common in old cats, and many have worn, loose or missing teeth. A cat with a sore mouth may drop kibble, chew on one side, tilt its head while eating, or walk up to the bowl and leave.

• Small kibble. Smaller pieces need less chewing and are easier to pick up.
• Thin or brittle kibble. Flat discs and airy pieces break with less force than dense pellets.
• Soaked kibble. A little warm water softens most kibble in a few minutes. Treat it as wet food after that and throw out what is not eaten within an hour or so.
• Semi-moist food. Soft, chewy pieces sold as soft dry food. Check that it is complete and balanced, because many soft products are treats.

Small kibble has one drawback. Some cats swallow it whole and too fast, then bring it back up within minutes. If that happens, spread the meal on a flat tray or use a puzzle feeder to slow your cat down, and read about why an old cat throws up food.

Plenty of cats with few teeth eat kibble happily once their mouth no longer hurts. Softer food works around pain. It does not treat it. A cat who has started to struggle with kibble needs its mouth examined. See dental care for senior pets.

Does dry food clean a cat's teeth?

Ordinary kibble does not. Most cats swallow pieces whole or crack them once with the tip of a tooth, so there is little rubbing at the gum line, where dental disease starts.

The exception is a dental diet. These have larger, specially textured kibble made so the tooth sinks in before the piece breaks. Some carry the seal of the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC), which means the product has met that body's standard for reducing plaque or tartar. They can help. They do not replace exams and professional cleaning, and large kibble can be hard going for a cat whose mouth already hurts, so ask your vet first.

Getting enough water into a dry-fed cat

Cats on dry food drink more than cats on wet food, but they commonly still end up taking in less water overall. That matters more in old age, when kidneys concentrate urine less well and constipation is more common.

• Put out several water bowls, in different rooms, away from the litter box.
• Use wide, shallow bowls and refill them with fresh water every day.
• Try a fountain. Some cats drink more from moving water.
• Add one wet meal a day, or stir warm water into the kibble.
• Do not flavor water with stock or broth made for people. It often contains onion or garlic, which are toxic to cats, and a lot of salt.

An older cat who suddenly drinks or urinates much more is not just thirsty from kibble. That can point to kidney disease, diabetes or an overactive thyroid and needs a vet visit. See why an old cat drinks so much water.

Best dry cat food for indoor senior cats

"Indoor", like "senior", is the maker's description. Indoor formulas are usually lower in calories and higher in fiber, to suit a less active cat and to help with hairballs.

That suits a plump, sedentary cat. It is the wrong food for a thin elderly cat, who needs more calories in each mouthful rather than fewer. Choose by your cat's body condition, not by the word on the bag. If your cat is carrying extra weight, see weight management for senior pets.

How much to feed and how to store it

Dry food is easy to overfeed because a small volume holds a lot of calories. The feeding guide on the bag is a starting point, and your vet sets the real amount from your cat's weight, body condition and muscle. Measure the day's allowance once, ideally on a kitchen scale, and feed from that, whether as meals or left out for grazing.

The fats in kibble go stale once the bag is open, and an old cat with a fading sense of smell may refuse food that smells off to it. Keep the food in its original bag, rolled shut, in a cool dry place. Buy a bag your cat will finish within a few weeks.

When to call the vet today

• Your cat has not eaten for 24 hours. A cat who stops eating can develop a serious liver condition quickly. See why an old cat stops eating.
• Weight loss, with or without a good appetite.
• Drinking or urinating far more than usual.
• Dropping food, drooling, pawing at the mouth or crying while eating.
• Repeated vomiting, or bringing food back up after most meals.
• No stool for more than two days, or hard, dry stools with straining.
• Straining to urinate, frequent trips to the litter box with little result, or no urine. Go to an emergency clinic at once.

For the wider picture, the senior pet nutrition guide covers feeding older dogs and cats in general.

This article is general educational information about choosing dry food for older cats, not veterinary or nutritional advice for your cat. It does not recommend any brand or product, and no kibble suits every cat. The right food, the amount to feed and whether your cat should have wet food or a prescription diet instead should be decided with your veterinarian. Trouble chewing, weight loss or a change in thirst needs an exam rather than a change of food.