Feeding guide for senior cats

Feeding guide for senior cats

With CompleteMe Feline

Make delicious, high protein, high fat, balanced cat food at home quickly and easily.

Choose the meat and other ingredients you would like to use with our simple, flexible guide. Options to add extra fibre, omega-3 and antioxidants for joint and cognitive health.

Makes 1 kilogram of food, which can be portioned and frozen.

Ingredients

1 kilogram of lean raw muscle meat (2-10% fat)
Please see the FAQs below for options for meat types and cuts.

50-100 mL of water, goats milk, or bone broth

25 grams CompleteMe Feline
You can use either:
CompleteMe Feline - Chicken & rabbit
CompleteMe Feline - Venison & kangaroo

Recommended:

4 mL of omega-3-rich oil
(Choose from: fish oil, salmon oil, krill oil, or marine algae oil.
Krill oil is a good option because it contains astaxanthin, an antioxidant that may have positive effects on the brain, and because the fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are bound to phospholipids and better able to cross into the brain.)

2 to 4 teaspoons of prebiotic fibre
(choose from: chia seeds, oat or barley bran, psyllium husk, inulin, FOS (fructooligosaccharides), hydrolyzed collagen or gelatine)

10-20 grams of antioxidant-rich foods
(choose from: raw egg yolk, sardine, salmon or mackerel fillets, cooked mussels or prawns, fresh leafy greens like dandelion leaves or rocket, and finely grated raw carrot.

Directions

Batch prep with raw meat:

Dice or grind the raw meat, as desired.
Combine with 25 grams CompleteMe Feline, 50-100 mL water, and any recommended ingredients, and mix again.
Portion and refrigerate, or freeze.

Batch prep with cooked meat:

Gently cook the diced or ground meat in a pot or slow cooker with 50-150 mL water, until cooked (20-30 minutes).
Allow to cool, then combine the cooked meat (including liquid from pot), 25 grams of CompleteMe Feline, and any recommended ingredients, and mix well.
Portion and refrigerate, or freeze.

How to make individual meals:

Combine 50 grams of raw boneless meat (2-10% fat) with 1/4 (one quarter) packed teaspoon (1 gram) of CompleteMe Feline, and 1 teaspoon of water or bone broth. Mix and serve.

Storage and safety

For homemade diets only

Do not add to any commercial cat food, or use with any other nutritional supplements (containing vitamins and/or minerals).

Raw feeding safety

For raw meat, freeze for 10 days before use to destroy parasites like Toxoplasma. In areas with Trichinella, please freeze pork for 3 weeks before use. In areas with highly pathogenic avian influenza, we recommend avoiding raw poultry.

Storage and feeding

Larger batches can be made and frozen for convenience. Keep refrigerated food for 3 days, and frozen food for 3-4 months. Defrost in the fridge or a warm water bath. Please discard any uneaten food after 30 minutes.

Feeding guidelines

Ageing in cats is associated with a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in body fat. This means that energy requirements should decrease with age, but this is not true in all cats, especially those older than 12 years of age.

Many older cats have a decreased ability to digest food, especially fat and protein, meaning they may need more calories per day. Please consult with your cat's veterinarian to work out your cat's caloric requirement and how much to feed per day. A good starting point for many senior cats is 200 grams per day, or about 4% of bodyweight. We recommend feeding at least 3-5 meals per day. Older cats may be more able to maintain their body weight if fed small, frequent meals.

Learn how to quickly body condition score your cat here.

Nutritional information

Food made as per the instructions above is complete and balanced, and meets the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profile for maintenance in adult cats.
It is not suitable for growth and should not be fed to kittens or reproducing females, or cats with medical conditions.

The average kcal/gram for the diet is: 1.4 kcal/gram

The average protein for the diet is:
71.5% on a dry matter basis
57.5% on a caloric basis

The average fat for the diet is:
23.2% on a dry matter basis
42.4% on a caloric basis

Average phosphorus for the diet is:
0.3% as fed basis
0.7% dry matter basis
1.35 g per 1000 kcal ME

All possible combinations of the ingredients listed above have been checked to ensure that the diet contains high protein, high fat, controlled phosphorus, calcium and sodium, and is enriched with omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fibre.

Antioxidants are provided by CompleteMe Feline and the food ingredients. For example, egg yolk contains lutein, leafy greens contain quercetin, meat contains taurine and carnosine, carrot contains beta-carotene and lycopene, and salmon contains astaxanthin. Considerable evidence in humans and animals suggests that antioxidants may offer some protection against oxidative stress and ageing.

Omega-3 is provided by the green-lipped mussel in CompleteMe Feline, and the added omega-3-rich oil. It may help to reduce joint inflammation associated with arthritis, and improve cognitive function.

Senior cats are at higher risk of constipation, so adding fibre to the diet is recommended. Psyllium can work well; so can barley bran or chia seeds. These gel-forming fibres help to soften stools and make also decrease hairball formation.

FAQs

What meats can I use?

A large number of meats and cuts can be used with CompleteMe Feline. Variety is important; we strongly recommend feeding a range of different meat types and cuts. Don't exclusively feed very lean meats. 5-8% fat is a good everyday choice; this equates to about 55-65% calories from protein, similar to the diet of a feral cat or small wild cat. Feed occasional higher and lower fat meals as well. Try to include different textures as well, for example, chunks, small strips, mince, etc. Mince will be easier for senior cats with fewer teeth.

Poultry:
Skinless and boneless chicken thigh, drumstick or breast, mince (2-3% fat), gizzards, hearts (fat trimmed off)
Skinless and boneless turkey or duck breast
Skinless and boneless quail, pigeon, pheasant or goose meat.
Pork:
Lean pork mince or diced pork loin with 5-10% fat, rump steak (untrimmed)
Lamb, beef, goat, or venison:
Extra-lean diced lamb or goat meat (including heart or tongue) with 5-10% fat
Lean venison fillet or steak (e.g. shoulder, backstrap, rump eye, leg steak)
Extra-lean (5 star) beef mince, gravy or chuck beef with 5-10% fat, blade, round or rump steak (fat trimmed off), eye fillet or topside roast or steak (fat trimmed off)
Game meat:
Lean kangaroo mince or steak with 2-3% fat
Wild or farmed boneless rabbit or hare meat
Emu fan fillet, full rump or flat fillet (1-3% fat)
Wild boar mince, backstrap, boneless leg, or loin chops

Can I add offal to the diet?

Please do not add any additional liver, kidney, pancreas or spleen to the diet. This could result in an excess of some nutrients. Heart, gizzards and tongue can be used as muscle meats; please trim off visible white fat around the base of the heart before using.

How can I encourage my cat to eat?

Senior cats may have a reduced appetite and sometimes need a little encouragement. Some things you can try:

Using toppers or treats on meals. Crumbled freeze-dried treats work well; so do Churu-style treats.
Warming the food and offering it on a flat plate.
Offering food in different locations.
Adding warm broth, the spring water from a tuna can, a pinch of nutritional yeast, or some grated cheese.

If your cat is really not keen to eat for more than a day or two, please visit your local vet as soon as possible. We recommend monitoring your cat's body weight at home, every 3-4 days, using a digital baby scale. Preventing weight loss is a lot easier than trying to reverse it.

Can I use raw meat?

You can include the meat raw or cooked, depending on preference. For raw human-grade meat, be sure to freeze the meat for 10 days prior to use. For wild-caught meats or pork (in areas with Trichinella, freezing for 3 weeks prior to use is sensible. Please discuss raw-feeding with your cat's veterinarian; raw feeding is not suitable for all cats or households.

My cat needs a low phosphorus diet; can I feed this?

For cats with chronic kidney disease needing a low phosphorus diet, we recommend using CompleteMe Renal Feline.

We are very mindful of phosphorus in all our feline products, though. CompleteMe Feline contains no added water-soluble phosphates, like dipotassium phosphate or sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP). High dietary water-soluble phosphates may contribute to the development of chronic kidney disease in cats. Total phosphorus in the product is controlled and all formulations for adult cats just meet the AAFCO minimum requirement for adult maintenance.

My cat has allergies, can I use novel proteins like emu or crocodile?

Yes, using novel proteins is fine. Please select proteins with 2-10% fat only. Some options could include:
Emu fan or flat fillet, or full rump
Crocodile tail or leg meat
Venison mince, fillet or steak
Wild boar shoulder (deboned) or mince
Lean diced boneless goat (visible fat trimmed off)