Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [53]
One of the biggest changes in the past three or four years in understanding senior needs is new thinking on protein requirements. “Dietary protein has absolutely no role in causing kidney disease, so there’s no benefit to reducing protein,” says Dr. Carey. “It wasn’t as big an issue in cats, because you can’t reduce protein in cats very much because of their high requirements.” Studies by many nutrition scientists indicate our older animals are at risk for developing other problems if they don’t eat enough protein.
“Cats tend to break down protein at a steady rate whether you feed it to them or not,” says Grace Long, DVM, a veterinarian at Nestle Purina Pet Care Company. If they don’t get enough protein, they burn their own muscles for fuel. For this reason, DM Diabetes Management Feline Formula, introduced in July 2000, combines very high protein with low carbohydrate content to allow some diabetic cats to live normal lives without insulin injections.
Dental health also benefits from nutritional research, says Bill Gengler, DVM, a dentist at University of Wisconsin. Plaque is a scummy material that collects on teeth and eventually crystallizes into calculus or tartar. Once calculus mineralizes, it cannot be brushed way—it must be scaled away with dental instruments by the veterinarian. “If we can prevent or at least delay this biofilm from crystallizing, we have more opportunity for it to be brushed away or worn away by chewing,” says Dr. Gengler.
Sodium hexametaphosphate (sodium HMP) helps fight crystal formation and is now added to some cat foods and treats. Another dental innovation in food incorporates a woven edible fiber that makes up the kibble. “It doesn’t break apart as quickly so the tooth goes in and out of it several times. That has a mechanical abrading or scrubbing activity,” says Dr. Gengler.
The most important nutrient of all is water. Cats tend to drink less water than they need for their health, and many are drawn to running water. Rather than leaving the faucet running, a commercial "water fountain" such as one from Veterinary Ventures pictured here, often stimulates the aging cat to drink.
Food Restriction
No long-term feline longevity studies have been conducted, but research from the dog side has implications for cats. A canine longevity study, conducted by Nestle Purina PetCare Company, followed Labrador Retrievers over fourteen years as they matured. Basically, the research looked at the effect food restriction has on dogs over their natural lifetime. “Food restriction is the only nutritional manipulation that is known to extend life,” says Dr. LaFlamme. The study involved two groups of 24 six-week-old puppies, each fed identical diets. One group was fed 25 percent less of the food for their entire life, says Dr. LaFlamme. This resulted in a significant reduction in orthopedic problems in the group fed less food, and these dogs also lived longer.
The dog results appear to parallel the results of an earlier study in rodents, and researchers believe that staying thin throughout life also would improve longevity in cats. “One would expect that, because obesity is linked to a large number of problems,” says Dr. LaFlamme.
Antioxidants—Vitamin Age Protection
In the past few years, antioxidants have been found to offer great benefits. Influencing the immune system using diet is a new frontier. “As cats age, the immune function declines,” says Dr. Carey. “However, if you use the correct blend of antioxidants, you can actually reverse some of that.”
Antioxidants are vitamins that protect the body against oxidation. “Oxidation is the metabolic version of rust,” he says. “For example, sun exposure is the result of ultraviolet radiation causing oxidation and damage.”
Our bodies use oxygen to help release energy. By breathing, we constantly bath all of our tissues in oxygen. Yet oxidation byproducts are responsible for damage to the tissues. The youthful body is able to keep oxidation and its byproducts