Best food for active 8-year-old Turkish Van cat

Turkish Vans are genuinely unusual cats — athletic, water-curious, and they burn through calories at a rate that surprises most owners. Cats are obligate carnivores with specific nutritional requirements many commercial foods don't fully meet, and wet food is almost always the better choice, especially as cats hit their senior-adjacent years, because hydration is critical for long-term kidney health. To point you toward the right food: is your Van fully healthy at the moment, any kidney, thyroid, or digestive issues flagged by your vet? And what are you currently feeding him or her?

That tracks perfectly. Supermarket pouches tend to be heavy on gravy and light on actual protein and fat — fine for a sedentary cat, not enough for a Van like Mavi who's genuinely burning calories. The dry kibble is helping plug the gap calorically, but long-term, relying on dry food for the bulk of intake puts quiet pressure on the kidneys. At 8, she's entering the window where that starts to matter more. What percentage of her diet would you say is currently dry versus wet, roughly?

It's really common — dry food is calorie-dense and cats find the crunch satisfying. The goal with an active cat like Mavi is to flip that ratio over time, while making sure the wet food you're offering is actually worth eating and calorie-substantial. For a cat with her activity level, I'd recommend Animonda Carny Adult. It's a proper chunk-in-jelly format — not gravy-diluted — with high meat content, good fat levels for sustained energy, and no filler cereals. The calorie density is noticeably higher than standard supermarket pouches, which is exactly what Mavi needs. It comes in mixed variety packs on Amazon UK, which helps if she's at all picky about flavours. I'd start by replacing your current pouches with Carny and keeping the dry as a smaller top-up, then gradually reduce the dry portion over a few weeks.

For an active, healthy 8-year-old with no current metabolic or pancreatic issues, higher fat is absolutely fine — it's the appropriate fuel source for a cat that moves a lot. Where fat becomes a concern is in sedentary cats, or cats with pancreatitis or liver disease, none of which apply to Mavi. Protein and fat from named meat sources is exactly what her physiology is built to process. If she ever slows down significantly or a vet flags any organ function changes, you'd reassess then — but right now, feeding her to her actual activity level is the right call.

Good plan. The variety pack is the smart way to start — you'll quickly learn which proteins she favours. Given her age and the kidney point, it's also worth making sure her water intake stays high; a small fountain near her food station can help a lot if she doesn't drink freely from a bowl. Enjoy Mavi's swimming phase while it lasts.