As your cats get older they will not need as much protein or calories. Generally, cats become less active and have less of an appetite because their digestive and absorptive processes become less and less efficient over time. Many senior cat diets or "geriatric" diets have been formulated to work with a cats aging body organs and deliver the right amount of nutrition they need.
   As part of feeding your cat it becomes more and more important to check for dental health as your cat ages. Dental disease is common in older cats and this may affect your cat's eating habits. Generally, softer food that requires less chewing can be better and if your cat has little or no appetite its best to choose foods that re plentiful in nutrition. The goal is to get your senior cat eating enough to maintain its body weight.