You may not often think about your cat’s teeth, but your pet can develop oral disease just like you can.1 In fact, diseases such as gingivitis can often begin when your cat is still a young adult. In addition to caring for your cat’s teeth, you can help mitigate dental problems by giving your cat food formulated to remove plaque and improve dental health. As your cat ages, it’s even more important to care for its dental health. Older cats with chronic dental problems may have bad or even missing teeth, which can make eating difficult.
In this article, we have compiled some of the very best cat foods for older cats that have dental problems. We hope that our reviews will help you learn about the options available and ultimately choose the cat food that works best for you and your senior cat.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023
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Best Overall
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Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Bird Cat Food |
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Best Value
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Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Cat Food |
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Now Fresh Grain-Free Cat Food |
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Hill’s Science Diet Oral Care Cat Food |
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Purina Pro Plan Senior Wet Cat Food |
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The 6 Best Cat Foods for Older Cats With Bad Teeth
1. Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Bird Cat Food – Best Overall
| Food Form: | Wet food |
| Life Stage: | All life stages |
| Primary Ingredients: | Chicken thigh, chicken breast, chicken liver, green beans, peas |
The Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Bird recipe is our pick as the best overall cat food for older cats with bad teeth. The soft food won’t be difficult for your cat to chew, and it has chicken listed as the first ingredient, so your pet will get plenty of protein. It’s fortified with taurine, which is an essential nutrient for cats, and it also contains real fruits and vegetables like page kale and green beans that provide important vitamins and minerals. These ingredients also help boost the immune system and provide fiber and prebiotics that strengthen and balance your cat’s sensitive digestive system, which is often troublesome for older cats.
The downside to Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Bird is that it’s not available in stores, so you have to purchase it directly from the company, and it’s more expensive than most other options
2. Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Cat Food – Best Value
| Food Form: | Dry food |
| Life Stage: | Mature adults |
| Primary Ingredients: | Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oatmeal |
While our number one choice is the best all-around cat food for adult and senior cats, we think the Blue Buffalo Healthy Aging Cat Food is the best senior cat food for the money. Unlike the Science Diet formula, this cat food was made specifically with senior cats in mind. This food also provides high-quality ingredients such as real deboned chicken for an affordable price. Cats that have trouble chewing due to dental issues should have no problems chewing this food; the kibble comes in small pieces. Something to keep in mind is that some cat owners say the formula and quality of this cat food changed after Blue Buffalo was purchased by General Mills.
3. Now Fresh Grain-Free Cat Food
| Food Form: | Dry food |
| Life Stage: | Mature adults |
| Primary Ingredients: | Deboned turkey, potatoes, peas, pea fiber, potato flour |
If money were no object, you would buy your cat the highest-quality cat food available, right? Now Fresh Grain-Free cat food for mature cats is a grain-free recipe that packs fresh ingredients like real deboned turkey into one food your cat is sure to enjoy.
This cat food is specifically formulated for senior cats with a focus on weight management, but it still contains a high percentage of protein and a moderate amount of fat, which your senior kitty needs to maintain muscle mass. While this cat food is not specifically formulated for cats with oral health problems, the dry kibble will help keep your cat’s teeth clean.
4. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Oral Care Dry Cat Food
| Food Form: | Dry food |
| Life Stage: | Adult, mature adult |
| Primary Ingredients: | Chicken, brown rice, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, powdered cellulose |
We think the Hill’s Science Diet Adult Oral Care dry food is another great cat food for older cats with bad teeth. For one thing, this food is formulated specifically to help reduce plaque in your cat’s mouth and keep its teeth clean. Another positive aspect of this cat food is that it is made with real ingredients, including real chicken.
The one thing about this particular cat food is that it is not actually formulated for senior cats, but for adult cats of all ages. If you have multiple cats of different ages, that could actually be a positive for you; after all, it is sometimes difficult to keep pets from eating one another’s food. This cat food can not only help cats that have poor oral hygiene, but it can actually help prevent your younger pets from developing oral health issues down the road.
5. Purina Pro Plan Senior Chicken & Beef Wet Cat Food
| Food Form: | Wet food |
| Life Stage: | Mature cats |
| Primary Ingredients: | Chicken, water, liver, meat by-products, beef |
Purina’s Pro Plan Senior wet food is specifically made for senior cats. This brand offers many different options to suit your kitty’s needs; not only does it come in several different flavors, but the Pro Plan series actually includes two different formulas for cats seven years and older and 11 years and older, respectively.
Keep in mind that this is wet food and not kibble. Despite what you may think, senior cats with very poor dental hygiene probably should not eat wet food; it can be difficult for your cat to eat and could even get stuck in its gums.
6. Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Dental Dry Cat Food
| Food Form: | Dry food |
| Life Stage: | Adult, mature adult |
| Primary Ingredients: | Chicken by-product meal, brewers rice, corn, brown rice, corn gluten meal |
If you are looking for a cat food specifically recommended by veterinarians to help keep your cat’s teeth clean, you should consider asking your vet about Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Dental. This cat food is not just for seniors but can be given to cats of all ages. That’s a plus; it’s never too early to start paying attention to your cat’s oral health.
However, the drawback to this food is that it does require a prescription from your vet. Something else to consider is that the kibble is too large for some cats to eat. Seniors in particular may have a difficult time eating large pieces of kibble.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Select the Best Cat Food for Older Cats With Bad Teeth
Are you wondering how to select cat food for older cats with bad teeth? In this buyer’s guide, we will discuss some things you should look out for when comparing cat foods.
Protein
All cats need to eat a well-balanced, high-quality diet that includes protein, fat, and nutrients in order to stay healthy. In fact, senior cats actually need a higher percentage of protein than other adult cats to help them maintain muscle mass. Aim for 26% protein in your senior cat’s diet.
Digestibility
Older cats can’t always handle additives such as artificial colors and flavors. Stick to all-natural ingredients that are easier for your kitty’s stomach to handle. Also, consider chewability when selecting a type of cat food. Smaller pieces of kibble are more likely to be easily chewed, swallowed, and digested than larger pieces, especially for cats with dental problems.
Nutrients
Finally, make sure to choose foods with added nutrients to support your senior cat’s overall well-being.
High-quality cat food is an important part of fostering a long and healthy life for your cat but the right cat food and water dish will promote good posture, offer whisker relief, and aid in good digestion. The Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl is our favorite bowl since it offers all of the above and is beautifully crafted to meet modern home stylings. The wide tray design catches any food and water spills and the entire setup is dishwasher safe. Learn more about the Hepper NomNom Cat Bowl here.
At Pet Keen, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Conclusion
We know how important it is to find a type of cat food that is suitable for your senior cat, especially if your cat also has bad teeth. The Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Bird recipe is our overall favorite cat food for older cats with bad teeth for its soft texture and healthy, human-grade ingredients. We hope that our reviews have helped you familiarize yourself with the options so that you can choose the best food for your kitty.
- Next on your reading list: Elderly Cat Won’t Eat? Here’s What to Do! (Vet Answer)
Featured Image Credit: Sergey Fatin, Shutterstock
