Glossary

Senior diet

Food marketed for older cats, which varies widely, so the right choice depends on the individual cat's weight, teeth and health.

Also called: senior cat food, food for older cats, mature cat food, ageing cat diet

A senior diet is a cat food sold for older cats, usually from seven or ten years of age. The term has no fixed legal meaning in most places, and in the United States there is no separate nutrient profile for seniors, so products differ a lot. Some are lower in calories for less active cats. Others are richer, with highly digestible protein, to help cats that are losing muscle.

Older cats do not all need the same thing. Some become overweight. Others, especially the very old, lose weight and muscle, digest food less well and eat less because of dental pain or a weaker sense of smell. Kidney disease, an overactive thyroid and diabetes, which are common in older cats, each call for different handling, see prescription diet.

Do not change to a senior food just because of a birthday. Ask your vet to check weight, teeth, blood and urine and recommend a plan. Warm wet food is often easier to eat and gives extra water, see hydration and wet food. Weigh the cat regularly. Weight loss and a poor appetite are reasons to see your vet promptly.

Last reviewed November 7, 2026

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Related terms

Senior cat A cat from about 10 or 11 years old, when joint, kidney, thyroid and dental disease become more common and check-ups should be more frequent. Mature cat A cat of about seven to ten years old, equivalent to a person in their mid-forties to fifties, when screening for age-related disease begins. Prescription diet A food made to help manage a medical condition such as kidney disease or urinary crystals, fed only on a vet's advice. Hydration Keeping a cat's body supplied with enough water, which matters because cats drink little and are prone to urinary and kidney problems. Wet food Cat food sold in cans, pouches or trays, containing roughly 70 to 80 percent water, which helps a cat get more fluid.

Related guides

Why a senior cat can be the right cat What adopting an older cat offers, what to ask the shelter, the health costs to plan for, and how to help a senior settle in.