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My young cat eats senior food. Why is he hungry and should I stop?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 5 months old | 3 lbs

Hello, I have a question regarding food for cats. At home, we have found a full bag of dry food (Royal Canin) for cats of 7+ years of age. We didn't want to throw it away, therefore we've been feeding our 2,5-year-old cat with it. It seems the cat is more hungry than before and also puked last night (which happened from time to time before too). Should we stop using this dry food? Additionally, wouldn't be better to switch to wet food only? Thank you for your answer!

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on March 15th, 2021

Yes, I would stop using this dry food. Because it's for older cats, it's has fewer calories to meet the reduced caloric needs of older cats. That would be why Tim is so hungry all the time. I would donate the remaining food to your local animal shelter, I know they would very much appreciate it. Then you can put him on another Royal Canis diet more suited for his age. It can be wet, dry, or both. I only feed my cats dry without issue. I hope this helps!

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  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Yes, I would stop using this dry food. Because it's for older cats, it's has fewer calories to meet the reduced caloric needs of older cats. That would be why Tim is so hungry all the time. I would donate the remaining food to your local animal shelter, I know they would very much appreciate it. Then you can put him on another Royal Canis diet more suited for his age. It can be wet, dry, or both. I only feed my cats dry without issue. I hope this helps!

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    0Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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