Nutrition and life stage
A kitten needs different nutrients than a senior. Match your cat's food to its life stage to keep it fit and healthy.
What life stages does a cat go through?
Cats go through different life stages:
| * Kitten: | 0-6 months |
| * Junior: | 6 months - 2 years |
| * Adult: | 3-6 years |
| * Middle age: | 7-10 years |
| * Senior: | 11-14 years |
| * Elderly: | 15 years and older |
Cat food is often categorised as kitten, adult (junior and adult) and senior (middle age, senior and elderly).
Why do different life stages require different nutrition?
In every life stage, your cat needs different proportions of nutrients in its food. This is due to changing energy consumption, body growth or a decrease in strength and activity. Just like in humans, each life stage is marked by different events. A kitten is developing rapidly, both physically and mentally. An adult cat has well-developed and trained muscles that require food that strengthens its body. Older cats are more susceptible to illness due to a less effective immune system and organs that no longer function at 100%. By matching the nutrition to your cat's life stage, you ensure it receives the right nutrients. This stimulates its development and keeps it healthy longer.
Nutrition for kittens
Kittens grow very fast. This requires a lot of energy, which your kitten gets partly from extra fats and proteins. Kitten food takes this into account and, moreover, the small bites are easy to digest. The fact that your small cat needs a lot of energy to grow does not mean it needs more food than an adult counterpart. Kitten food is tailored to its energy needs and is more concentrated. To determine how much food to give, follow the feeding guidelines on the packaging.
Nutrition for adults
During and after puberty, in the adult phase, differences in size, weight and energy consumption between cats increase. This directly influences their daily nutritional needs. You can find these in the feeding recommendations on the cat food packaging. However, this advice is not specifically tailored to your cat, but more general. Your cat's weight also depends on its predisposition, the exercise it gets and whether it has been neutered. For questions or uncertainties, you can turn to one of the staff members in your store. They are happy to help.
Nutrition for seniors
Old cats have a slower metabolism, brittle bones and often a weaker immune system. They also move considerably less than their younger counterparts. Protect and support your elderly cat by feeding it senior cat food. This takes into account its reduced energy consumption and provides extra calcium, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids. Because older cats more often have dental problems, the kibble in most dry foods for seniors is softer. If your cat also has difficulty eating senior dry food, consult your vet and consider wet food.