Senior cat food for a Pixie-Bob switching from kitten food

A 10-year-old Pixie-Bob who's been on kitten food all this time — that's actually more common than you'd think, and the good news is it's very fixable. Kitten food is high in both protein and phosphorus, which is fine for a growing kitten but can put strain on ageing kidneys over time. Senior cats generally do need good protein levels, but the phosphorus needs to come down, and the overall formula should support joint health, digestion, and hydration. To point you in the right direction: does your cat have any diagnosed health conditions — kidney issues, weight concerns, anything like that? And is she indoor-only or does she go outside?

That's genuinely reassuring — catching it before there's any kidney damage means you're in a great position to make a smooth switch. Because she's on dry food now and doing okay weight-wise, my main suggestion would be to move her to a wet senior food. Dry food is fine, but at 10 years old, getting more moisture into her diet is one of the best things you can do for her kidneys and urinary tract going forward. What I'd recommend is Royal Canin Ageing 12+ in Jelly — it's formulated specifically for cats over 12, but it's appropriate to start now given how long she's been on kitten food. It has controlled phosphorus, highly digestible protein, and supports kidney function proactively. The jelly format also helps with hydration. She may not take to wet food immediately if she's never had it, so the switch needs to be gradual.

Good question. The reason I'd go 12+ is that her kidneys have been processing higher phosphorus than they should have for a decade, so giving them a bit more support now makes sense — even if blood work looks clean today. The 12+ formula has more targeted kidney and urinary support than a standard 10+ product. As for the switch: start by adding a tiny amount of the wet food alongside her usual dry food, maybe a teaspoon, for the first three or four days. Then gradually increase the wet and reduce the dry over two to three weeks. Pixie-Bobs can be stubborn about texture changes, so don't rush it. If she flatly refuses the jelly, the same range comes in a gravy version — some cats have strong preferences between the two.

You don't have to go fully wet if she's resistant, but the ideal for a senior cat is primarily wet food — aim for at least 80% of her diet being wet if you can get there. If she really won't give up dry entirely, you could keep a small amount of a senior dry food as a topper or for free-feeding, but make sure it's a senior formula rather than kitten. Royal Canin Indoor 7+ dry is a reasonable complement if you need one — it's designed for older indoor cats and has lower phosphorus than the kitten version she's been on. The main goal is just getting that phosphorus load down and the hydration up.