What food is best for my 10-year-old outdoor cat with stiff joints?

Cats are very sensitive to pain medication so only use it if it’s been prescribed by your veterinarian. Giving omega 3 supplementation wiill help reduce the pain and inflammation from arthritis. Switching to Hills J/D diet, a prescription cat diet formulated for cats with arthritis helps also. In addition I find massage, laser and acupuncture to be effective for pain relief without medication. Also CBD oil can reduce arthritis pain. Please use a veterinary brand that has been tested and is correctly dosed for cats. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Anabel.

Jasper looks like he has fairly normal weight, however I would indeed feed him a better food that he may like better. Try feeding him Hill's or Purina Proplan or Iams biscuits or feed him tinned food twice daily. At 10 or 11 years old is not very old yet. Cats often can live to 17-20 years and I once had a kitty that made it to 26 years old. He will likely have arthritis, which may be a reason why his hind legs may be losing muscle. He is also at the age where cats can get hyperthyroidism or kidney disease. With hyperthyroidism cats tend to lose weight, their heart rate is high, and they often have bouts of vomiting or being very vocal. This is a disease that can be diagnosed or ruled out via a blood test. Kidney disease should be ruled out also. I suggest you make an appointment with your veterinarian for a geriatric wellness exam with some blood work. There is no rush, however make the appointment now for shortly after you return from your trip.

I typically recommend a senior food when a cat is around 10 years of age, but that depends on the health status of the cat. This is because their nutritional requirements change as they age. Aging is typically associated with lower energy requirements, and the tendency to lose muscle and gain fat. Immune function and kidney function also decline with age. Because senior cats can be susceptible to gaining weight, and being overweight leads to health problems, senior cat foods are lower in calories to meet their lower energy requirements. With all of this being said, if Boomie is a normal weight (not obese), in good body condition, and is overall healthy, you can give him an adult cat food. Should you notice he starts gaining weight on it, however, I would speak with your vet about switching him to an appropriate senior cat food. I hope this helps!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. 80% of cats over the age of 8 and 95% of cats over the age of 12 will have arthritis. Cats are just very good at hiding their pain. It is likely that Lychee just has arthritis which is normal. There are treats that have medications in them that help the body produce more fluid in the joints, these can help. If the arthritis becomes severe (you are noticing Lychee slow or sore at home), then you can use stronger drugs, but these do have side effects. If Lychee is overweight then getting her on a diet and increasing the muscle mass is the BEST treatment for arthritis. Best of luck with Lychee!

At his age, he likely has some arthritis. I suggest you get him started on a joint supplement. https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=120626 Give it a good 4-6 weeks to see if it helps him. If not, then please post again and we'll see if we can give you some more suggestions.

It's great that you want to be proactive about Tiger's health! Feeding an all canned food diet can help a lot with weight loss in cats. There are also several prescription food options for weight loss like Hill's Metabolic that you may want to discuss with your veterinarian. Getting Tiger more active will also help him lose weight. I'd recommend setting aside 10-15 minutes a day to play with him with a laser pointer or other toy to get him moving. Because most cats are most active around feeding time varying the times of day he is fed will help stimulate more activity as well. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck with Tiger!

Hi and thanks for posting on PetCoach! The first thing I'd make sure Willow is eating is enough calcium. Be sure Willow is eating a kitten food until she is about 9 months to a year of age as kitten food has more calcium and other minerals in it that is required for healthy bone growth. A great supplement you may want to consider is DHA and EPA. Both are types of omega 3 fatty acid that are excellent for healthy development for multiple organ systems such as the heart, brain, skin, and bone/joint health. I have a product I'd recommend below: # I hope this helps!