Senior Cat Supplements: What to Look For
As our cats get older, their physical health and lifestyle changes. Ageing leads to dietary changes, reduced energy levels and significant changes to their nutritional requirements, just like we humans do!
So - to make sure their well-being isn’t being compromised, you may need to consider supplements to keep them healthy. We've put together our guide of what to look for, but of course the most important thing you can do is have a chat to your pet care professional to find out what's right for your situation.
What to look for in a Senior Cat Supplement
The nutritional requirements of felines change as they age, so look for supplements that promote the overall health and well-being of your cat.
Consider supplements that contain these key ingredients:
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil are great for promoting healthy skin and coats. Additionally, they support heart and brain health and reduce inflammation, which benefits older cats.
- Probiotics: Probiotic supplements support a healthy gut microbiome, help in nutrient absorption, and favour better digestion - all great stuff for older cats that suffer from digestive problems!
- Chondroitin, MSM, and glucosamine: Ageing leads to mobility issues, discomfort, and conditions like arthritis. Supplements containing chondroitin, MSM, and glucosamine are effective in keeping joints healthy and help with mobility.
- L-Lysine: This essential amino acid supports a healthy immune system and benefits cats prone to respiratory issues and viral conditions.
- Antioxidants: Supplements with antioxidants, particularly those containing vitamins E and C, help to balance the damaging effects of free radicals. They also support the healthy immune system in older cats.
- Multivitamins: Multivitamins provide essential nutrients that aren't necessarily in their diet and help to promote good health.
Our Top Picks for the Best Supplements for Your Senior Cat
We took the list, did some research and found a couple of options that have many of the essential ingredients! While it's always hard to find the purr-fect supplement for your senior cat, these could be a good place to start!
Licks Pill-Free Senior Cat Supplements
Best for: Mobility, Digestion and Immunity Support
https://www.lickspillfree.com/shop/cat-senior
Licks Pill-Free Senor Cat Supplements are designed for older cats (it's right there in the name!) to aid their digestion and support joints - but they also have all the necessary nutrients for joint health and support, boosted immunity, regular digestion function, healthy heart and optimum skin and coat health!
Why we love them? They're available in gel packets so are super easy to consume!
Nutramax Cosequin Joint Health Supplement for Cats
Best for: Joint Health Support
https://www.amazon.com.au/Nutramax-Count-Cosequin-Capsules-Chews/dp/B074VBZWF4
Nutramax Cosequin Joint Health Cat Supplements promotes healthy joints in felines, but also contains omega-3 fatty acids which help support skin and coat health, and overall wellness! Nutramax Laboratories Veterinary Sciences produced this supplement after a lot of scientific research and has been a leader in pet health for over 30 years - so they've got the credibility to be something worth trying!
Why it's on the list? Apart from themselves telling the world how good they are, they're also the #1 veterinarian recommended retail joint health supplement brand!NaturVet VitaPet Senior Daily Vitamins for Cats
Best for: Covering all Bases!
https://naturvet.com/products/vitapet%E2%84%A2-senior-daily-vitamins-cat-soft-chews
NaturVet VitaPet Senior Daily Vitamins really do give a little bit of everything - designed to provide the vitamins and minerals that may be missing from a senior cat's daily diet. Not only that, but they're veterinarian-formulated and can actually be used for cats of all ages - so if you're the owner of multiple, you can share them around!
Why it's got our tick of approval? The daily vitamins come in soft chew form (which feel just like a tasty little treat to our cats - and they taste like it too!) - so it's ultra-easy to administer!
VETRISCIENCE Nu Cat Senior Multivitamins for Cats
Best for: Keeping your Cat Balanced
https://www.vetriscience.com/nu-cat-153-senior-multivitamin-for-cats.html
VETRISCIENCE Nu Cat Senior Multivitamins are vet-recommended for senior cats with a mix of 25+ key vitamins, minerals & fatty acids not often found in cat foods (we won't share the entire ingredient list here, it's massive!). If you're not sure what your cat needs, these work best for most common health changes in cats related to ageing, so can be a good place to start.
Why it's a favourite? Because the addition of fish meal and fish oil give these chews a great smell (to cats, maybe not to us!) and flavour that your cat will absolutely love.
Dr. Bill's Feline Cognitive Support Cat Supplements
Best for: Feline Brain Function
https://drbillspetnutrition.com/product/feline-cognitive-support/
Bill's Feline Cognitive Support Supplements promote healthy brain function, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve the mood of our furry friends - things that we never want to neglect! Thias is made with natural ingredients like Gingko Biloba, vitamin B-12, and L-carnosine and is proven in maintaining slowing the progress of and potentially even reversing the signs of cognitive dysfunction.
Why we think it's a must-have? Because a lot of what we recognise in senior cats is the physical changes - but we often forget about the mental changes that are happening too!
Pet Kelp Feline Well-Being Powder Formula
Best for: The Natural Superfood Lovers!
https://missinglinkproducts.com/products/pet-kelp-feline-6-oz
The Pet Kelp Feline Well-Being powder formula is an organic supplement specifically for cats in their senior years. It's unique offering? Kelp: One of the most powerful natural superfoods on the planet, full of key vitamins and minerals! This formula takes kelp and mixes it with flaxseed, cranberry and probiotics to support digestion and maintain overall health and and well-being.
Why it's got a tick in our book? While we're used to organic superfoods being on the pricier end, this product is actually considered a budget-friendly formula!
ULTIMATE PET NUTRITION Nutra Thrive Cat 40 in 1 Nutritional Supplements for Cats
Best for: Never having to look anywhere else again!
https://ultimatepetnutrition.com/product/nutra-thrive-cat/
The name says it all - 40 ingredients in 1! We love a product that can cover so many bases, and this one has a 3-in-1 formula - Superfoods Blend, Super Feline Blend, and Probiotic-Enzyme Blend. If you're looking for something that does it all - Nutra Thrive is worth checking out!
Why else do we love it? Apart from covering so many important areas, it comes in chicken flavour (which by the reviews, cats seem to absolutely love!).
These are only a few of the brands of supplements on the market - but there's a lot out there to explore! On top of supplements - feeding them a balanced diet, providing proper care and sharing our love with them will help our senior cats enjoy all of their nine lives!
Find what your cat loves and requires, and remember to always consult your vet before introducing any supplement to your felines' diet.