High-protein wet food for Manx cats with spinal issues

A 9-year-old Manx with spinal concerns — that's a genuinely important thing to get right. Manx cats are predisposed to spinal issues due to the gene that causes their taillessness, and as they age, keeping the muscles around the spine strong really does matter. High-quality protein in wet food can support lean muscle maintenance, which in turn takes pressure off the spine — so your instinct is sound. To give you a specific recommendation: is your cat currently showing any symptoms like hind leg weakness or changes in gait, or is this more about prevention at this stage? And is he on any vet-prescribed diet already?

Good — catching it at the preventative stage gives you real room to make a difference. The cheap pouches are usually high in fillers and moisture but low in actual usable protein, which isn't doing much for muscle support. What you want is a wet food with a high named-meat content, minimal carbohydrate, and good quality protein that his body can actually put to work. How is he with fish versus poultry? And roughly how much are you spending on food per month at the moment — just so I can point you somewhere realistic?

Perfect — that budget gives you genuine options. My recommendation for your Manx is Applaws Tuna Fillet in Broth. It's a simple, clean wet food: tuna is the first and essentially only ingredient, it's around 67% protein on a dry matter basis, and there are virtually no carbohydrates or fillers. That high bioavailable protein is exactly what supports lean muscle mass in an ageing cat, which is what you want working in favour of his spine. It's sold in 70g tins and you can get a 24-pack on Amazon UK for around £18–20, so it fits your budget comfortably if you're mixing it with some dry food rather than going wet-only. I'd suggest moving to primarily wet with a small amount of a quality dry like Orijen as a topper — but Applaws as the daily base is a solid, honest choice.

That's a fair concern and worth taking seriously. A pure tuna diet every single day long-term can cause thiamine deficiency and, yes, mercury accumulation is a real risk. The practical fix is rotation — use the Applaws Tuna as the primary food but mix in chicken-based wet food a few times a week. Applaws also do a Chicken Breast version with the same clean ingredient profile, so you could alternate tins easily. That way you get the high-protein benefit without the risk of over-reliance on one fish source. For a 9-year-old Manx in a preventative phase, variety plus quality protein is the right approach.

That's exactly the right call. Keep an eye on his weight too — older cats sometimes lose muscle mass quietly before owners notice, and if you see him getting lighter around the hindquarters, it's worth flagging to your vet sooner rather than later. But what you're doing — high-quality protein, staying ahead of the problem — is genuinely the best thing you can do for him right now.