Why is the cat getting thinner and thinner if he doesn’t eat?

If you’re a cat lover, you’ve probably noticed that many cats seem to lose weight as they age. It’s not your imagination—in fact, research shows that weight loss is common in cats over the age of 11.
There are many reasons why older cats may lose weight. Today I’m going to talk about dietary factors, but it’s important to note that other factors, such as stress and certain diseases, may also cause weight loss in older cats.
Research shows that cats’ ability to digest protein and fat declines after the age of 10. Fat contains more calories per gram in a cat’s diet than protein or carbohydrates, so if an older cat has a limited ability to digest fat, it will have a significant impact on his ability to extract calories from his food.
Research also shows that approximately 20% of cats 14 years and older cannot digest protein efficiently. An impaired ability to digest fat and protein may be a major cause of loss of fat and muscle mass in older cats.
The cause of this has not yet been identified, but in my opinion long-term consumption (often a lifetime) of ultra-processed cat food containing low-quality, indigestible ingredients is a major factor.

Reducing your older cat’s protein intake is not the solution

For many years, the veterinary community’s solution to the problem of reduced protein digestibility in older cats has been to reduce protein in the diet to lessen impaired kidney and liver function. However, reducing protein in cat food can be a recipe for disaster, as we now know that aging cats actually need more protein than younger cats.
In the 1990s, researchers discovered that pet cats’ protein needs actually increase with age. Even in cats with kidney failure, protein restriction does not improve their health or longevity. In fact, cats eating a low-protein diet can develop hypoalbuminemia, a condition in which the amount of protein in the blood is abnormally low. These cats lose muscle mass, begin to catabolize their own tissues (loss of fat and muscle mass), and lose weight. The more protein is lost, the more severe the condition becomes in these kittens. Therefore, I recommend not limiting protein in food, but other non-essential substances such as salt.
If your cat is in the advanced stages of kidney failure, it is recommended to reduce the protein content but still provide high-quality, kidney-friendly fresh food, such as steamed chicken breasts, steamed mackerel, and steamed mackerel. Steamed tuna, etc. .
We now know that cats, as true carnivores, require large amounts of high-quality, human food-grade animal protein not only to maintain good organ and immune function, but also to maintain healthy muscle tissue throughout their lives and as they age. .

So what kind of food is more suitable for old cats?

Some foods can stress your cat’s metabolism. For example, grains and potatoes cause a large amount of insulin to be released, causing metabolic disorders in the body. For most cats, regardless of age or nutritional needs, it is best to feed them healthy, infection-free, minimally processed animal meats, which should be the basis of the cat’s diet and continue throughout their life. . Here I recommend Yingzhao Biotech’s Mo Lai Feed steamed series of pet snacks, which are only chicken, duck and fish meat that has been steamed and sterilized at high temperatures.
Foods that are not highly processed are easiest for your cat’s body to absorb. All the moisture in the food remains within the food, whereas the moisture content of freeze-dried, extruded foods (most dry foods) is drastically reduced, as low as 12%.
If you can’t feed fresh food (raw or cooked), the second best option is to buy processed and packaged natural meat pet food directly.
Moisture is an old cat’s best friend. In addition to minimizing (or preferably eliminating) dry food, encourage your cat to drink water from a variety of glass, metal, ceramic water bowls, or even water dispensers.
However, if your kitten is addicted to cat food or freeze-dried meat, adding bone broth to the dry food is also a good way to increase moisture and fluid balance. Using mola chicken liver powder mixed with water and soaked in dry cat food is very effective.
Slowly introduce the eating habits of the old cat back to their traditional meat diet, and the weight loss will be alleviated. If you are accompanied by an old cat, then give it more meat food to keep its majesty. Bar.