My senior cat likes Royal Canin rabbit. What senior diets are similar?

This food is not necessarily considered to be a senior diet, however it is appropriate for adult cats and in this case I would not recommend switching to another diet. Senior diets tend to have fewer calories and sometimes have different nutrients and supplements than adult foods. If Trixie is overweight you can try cutting back on the amount of food offered during the day. Royal Canin select protein foods already have increased levels of fatty acids, and you could ask your vet if Trixie might benefit from a dietary supplement for joint health or a probiotic that would be okay with her IBD.

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. To tell you the truth, at almost 18 years of age, I would feed Tony anything he wants. If he enjoys your other kitty's food, then let him have it. It is much more stressful for you & for Tony to insist he eat something he does not like. Prescription diets are great, but only if the pet will eat them, & it is far more important to keep good calories & nutrition going into Tony. The rabbit & pea diet is nutritionally complete & fine for Tony. Take care.

Royal Canin carries a diet called Senior Consult which has restricted Phos but not as low as the renal diets so it is not appropriate to feed instead of the renal diets. I recommend to discuss this option with your vet before making any diet changes since they are the most familiar with Tony's history. You may ask your vet about an appetite stimulant such as mirtazapine. Many renal cats want variety. Many owners will keep several renal food options and will switch the kibble every week to keep it interesting. Most cats will go back to eating a diet that they had previously stopped eating so you may try circling back. You should also ask about the return policy when purchasing the food in case Tony won't eat the food. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Senior cats can certainly be a challenge. You didn't mention if Tony eats canned or dry food. Since you are having to change every few days, I would suspect that it is canned. One thing that will entice my older cat to eat is if a grind up dry food and sprinkle it over the canned food. Dry foods have a number of flavor additives in them and grinding them up (in a coffee grinder) seems to make them smell better to an older cat. (You can also do this if Tony has a favorite dry treat.) Adding small amounts of the water that canned tuna, salmon or chicken are packed in can also be a good way to get them to eat if he likes those flavors. There are a number of companies that make food "toppers" that are ment to be extra flavorful. Some cats really love liver, so dehydrated liver treats or toppers are a great idea for senior cats. Finally, sometimes we rotate foods on a regular basis instead of just feeding him a food for as long as he will eat it. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, & thank you using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The most important thing for you to consider is the palatability of food for Tony. The best food for the kidneys will do him no good if he will not eat it. That being said, I think the Sci. Diet Adult 7+ is an excellent choice. The phosphorous level is actually a bit lower or about the same than in some of the Royal Canin renal diets. He should do quite well on this. Take care.

Hello, and thank you for your question. The most important thing to look for in a pet food is an AAFCO label, which tells you that the diet went through either a clinical trial or met a certain minimum standard when formulating the diet. This will ensure that the diet is complete and balanced. As far as specific brands, I like Royal Canin and Science Diet as reliable, high quality pet store brands. They do have specific wet diets for senior cats. I hope this helps, and that Lilly is happy and healthy!

Yes, it is ok to eat renal food, but only as a treat or supplement to the main diet of Hills Rx Senior. Renal food is lower in protein than normal cat food since the kidneys can't handle excess protein when they are failing. So it would be best for long-term health if Tony gets plenty of protein, which is in the senior diet!