As cat ownership rises globally, cat owners are becoming more interested in understanding how flavor preferences change throughout a cat’s life, making this an important factor in developing successful pet food products.
Research presented by Ana Rita Monforte, Ph.D., flavor and data manager at AFB International, at Petfood Forum 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S., reveals that age-specific nutrition stands out as the leading factor influencing pet owner purchasing decisions. According to Monforte, 22% of dog and cat owners are influenced by products customized for their pet’s age, and half of respondents reported purchasing pet food tailored to their pet’s age within the past year.
“This strong focus on age indicates a shift forward the more personalized needs for specific diets,” Monforte said.
This creates opportunities for manufacturers that can effectively address these changing needs.
Understanding palatability fundamentals
Palatability, a key driver in pet food acceptance, depends on two main factors: kibble characteristics and animal specificities.
Kibble characteristics include sensory elements such as aroma and taste, as well as physical properties such as moisture content and shape. Animal specificities encompass feeding behavior, individual preferences and age-related factors that affect consumption patterns.
“So, when we talk about improving palatability, it’s really about aligning these two dimensions to have the best for our animals,” Monforte said.
For cats specifically, smell dominates preference. Cats have a comparable number of olfactory receptors to dogs, making aroma a critical factor in food selection. Data demonstrates a strong correlation between first choice – driven primarily by smell – and overall consumption across all feline life stages.
Life stage palatability challenges
Palatability requirements evolve significantly as cats age:
- Kittens: Transitioning from milk to solid food, kittens need highly palatable options to encourage proper nutrition during this critical growth phase. Young cats show a slight preference for palatants focused on basic taste elements.
- Adult cats: This is when the most “picky” behaviors emerge, requiring flavor diversity and customization to maintain interest in food. Adult cats begin showing a shift toward more complex flavor profiles.
- Senior cats: As cats age, appetite often decreases while sensory perception weakens. This creates a unique challenge where palatants must compensate for diminished olfactory function to maintain adequate food intake. Senior cats demonstrate a significant preference for palatants with enhanced taste intensity and aromatic complexity.
Research demonstrates a clear relationship between age-related olfactory decline and reduced food consumption in cats. As olfactory function gradually decreases from young to senior cats, there is a corresponding decline in food intake, highlighting the importance of enhanced palatability for senior felines.
“The initial sensory impression, particularly the aroma, is a powerful trigger for the consumption,” Monforte said. “So if the smell is appealing, they will engage into the consumption.”
Flavor development methodology
AFB International uses a structured approach to palatant development, visualized as a pyramid with three key components:
- Base layer: Foundational basic taste elements including amino acids, yeasts and fats that provide the essential palatability platform.
- Middle layer: Aroma and taste components that create the “body” of the flavor, often developed through protein hydrolysis to enhance richness and mouthfeel.
- Top layer: Aroma-dominant elements crucial for cats, yielded in smaller quantities but with significantly higher impact on palatability.
The flavor impact increases as you move up the pyramid.
“As we move upward, the ingredients are yielded in smaller quantities, because their impact on palatability increases significantly,” Monforte said. “So the goal of this is to build a layered flavor experience that aligns with the pet sensory preferences.”
This approach integrates analytical chemistry, data science and sensory language to create optimal palatants. The process begins with volatile analysis using gas chromatography and liquid chromatography, followed by modeling techniques to uncover relationships between chemical composition and palatability.
When comparing aroma bases with top notes, which provide higher intensity aromatic elements, research showed that aroma intensity and complexity become increasingly important with age. Top notes with roasted flavor characteristics proved particularly effective at stimulating interest in aging cats.
The pyramid integration approach
The most successful approach combined elements from all layers of the flavor pyramid, creating palatants that performed well across all life stages while providing particular benefits for senior cats.
“The key takeaway here is that aroma intensity and complexity, especially from top notes, becomes more much more important with the age, and they are a powerful tool to stimulate the interest of aging cats,” Monforte said.
Validation trials confirmed this approach, showing no significant differences in palatability between standard and pyramid-integrated palatants for young and adult cats, but a consistent preference for the integrated approach among seniors.
This research demonstrates that effective palatants aren’t simply about peak intensity, but rather about sensory layering and balanced flavor profiles tailored to life stage needs.
For pet food manufacturers, understanding how flavor preferences evolve throughout a cat’s life represents a significant opportunity for product differentiation and market growth. As aging pets require more flavor support due to declining sensory capabilities, developing scientifically validated palatants can ensure continued food acceptance and proper nutrition across the feline lifespan.
