Best mid-range cat food for a 7-year-old Birman

Cats are obligate carnivores with very specific nutritional requirements — and honestly, a lot of commercial cat foods cut corners in ways that matter, especially as cats get older. Wet food is generally the better choice over dry, since cats have a low thirst drive and kidney disease is one of the leading causes of decline in older cats — hydration through food makes a real difference. To point you in the right direction: what type and age is your cat, are there any health issues or dietary restrictions I should know about, and what are you currently feeding them?

Good that she's healthy at seven — Birmans are generally robust but they do start entering the life stage where kidney support becomes worth thinking about proactively. A few quick things: is she a healthy weight at the moment, and does she eat the wet food enthusiastically or does she tend to go for the dry kibble more?

That's a good sign — she's already telling you wet food is the way to go. The issue with Felix is that it's mostly cereals and derivatives, with fairly low actual meat content. For a 7-year-old cat, you really want something with a high named-meat percentage and no unnecessary fillers. My recommendation would be Encore Cat Food — the 100% natural tuna or chicken in broth varieties. It's made with around 75% real fish or meat, no added sugar, no cereals, and no artificial anything. It sits firmly in the mid-range price bracket, especially if you buy the multipack tins on Amazon, but the ingredients list reads closer to something twice the price. The broth format also means she's getting good hydration with every meal, which is exactly what you want for her kidneys over the long term. I'd phase out the dry kibble entirely if you can — or at minimum make the wet food her primary meal.

Yes — transition gradually over about a week. Start by mixing a small amount of the Encore in with her current Felix, and increase the ratio each day. Some cats get a loose stomach if you switch too fast, not because the new food is wrong for them, but just because their gut bacteria need time to adjust. If she takes to it well, which most cats do with Encore because the smell and texture are genuinely appealing, you can be fully switched by day seven or eight. Keep an eye on her stool consistency and appetite in the first fortnight — both should be normal or improved. If she's thriving on it, you can revisit in six months whether a senior-specific formulation makes sense, but at seven with no health issues, a high-quality adult wet food is absolutely the right call for now.

Great choice. The tuna in broth tends to be the most popular flavour to start with — most cats find it hard to resist. You're doing right by her making this switch at seven rather than waiting until there's a problem. Good luck with the transition.