| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
DRY CAT FOOD, INGREDIENTS AND WHAT IT ALL MEANS……
I’m posting this because we all need to know what foods contain what ingredients and what problems some ingredients can cause. This way if anyone needs to switch foods, it gives you an idea what to avoid the next time around to see if the problem disappears.
A lot of foods safe for humans are poisonous to cats. Onions, garlic, tomatoes, raw potatoes, chocolate, grapes, raisins, avocadoes, and several other foods are toxic to cats. ….sure makes me wonder why they would even add some of these ingredients to cat food….
AAFCO
Association of American Feed Control Officials; an organization which sets standards for pet food ingredients and minimum daily requirements.
AAFCO standards state that the first ingredient listed on a bag of food has to be the ingredient that there is the most of in the food. The second ingredient listed has to be the second largest constituent of the diet, and so on down the list. The first 5 ingredients tell you what the bulk of the food is.
What you want listed in the 1st five ingredients: Chicken and one grain only.
AAFCO STATES: Chicken Meal: chicken which has been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
Examples: Chicken meal is often used in dry cat food. The quality of the protein will depend on the type and amount of chicken meat in the mixture, as well as the amount of bone and connective tissue processed with the meat. Although better than chicken by-product meal, chicken meal is generally a lesser quality of protein source than chicken meat.
Chicken meal and chicken by-products should not be listed as a first ingredient.
QUOTES FROM: Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
Stick with poultry (chicken and turkey) and rabbit as the bulk of your cat’s diet. Fish and beef are common food allergens in the cat and can cause inflammatory bowel disease and skin allergies. Think feathers and long ears, not horns and fins.
Look for a muscle meat as the first ingredient - not a by-product or liver. This will be listed as “chicken” or “turkey” - not “chicken by-products” or “meat by-products”.
Cats have no dietary need for vegetables yet companies like Hill’s Science Diet - clearly without your cat’s best interest in mind - play on the fact that the average person really does not understand the obligate carnivore status of the cat. Note that on their Nature’s Best dry food there are 5 pictures: 1) rice 2) peas 3) wheat 4) carrots 5) fish or chicken.
Do you see that the above ingredients (1-4) are simply catering to what many humans perceive as healthy items to be included in their own diet? These first 4 ingredients add to the carbohydrate load of the diet and also please note that wheat is a very hyper allergenic ingredient that does not belong in cat food. These ingredients simply increase the profit margin of the companies and are marketing ploys to get unsuspecting consumers to purchase their species-inappropriate diets.
Chicken - the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken or a combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails.
Chicken By-Product Meal - consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.
.
Chicken Liver Meal - chicken livers which have been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
Chicken Meal - chicken which has been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
What you don’t want in the 1st five ingredients: chicken fat, animal fat, beef tallow, glutens , more than one grain, fish, wheat, soy, or cellulose.
Wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, wild rice, sorghum, corn and even sugar cane are all related . They are all from the plant kingdom,
Avoid foods that have rice and corn together because if there is an allergic reaction to one of these grains, you can switch to another.
With regard to dry foods specifically, one basic rule to remember is that if the food comes in multiple colors (i.e. Deli Cat), you don’t want it. All that food dye is completely unnecessary, does nothing to make the food more appealing to Kitty, and means Kitty is ingesting excess chemicals she doesn’t need or want.
Also, don’t be fooled by dry foods claiming to be lower in ash content and thus aid in the reduction of urinary tract problems. Ash content and urinary tract problems are completely unrelated; it’s the amount of magnesium in the food that affects the urinary tract.
WELLNESS Complete Health
Deboned chicken
Chicken meal
RICE
GROUND BARLEY
GROUND RICE
Also TOMATO POMACE & CRANBERRIES
The energy content for barley is slightly lower than the energy value for corn.
Caution also should be used for cats with food allergies as rice is a known allergen.
Blueberries and cranberries are added to help acidify the food to maintain proper urinary tract health. Unfortunately, acidified dry cat food can lead to formation of calcium oxalate crystals. cranberries are added to help acidify the food to maintain proper urinary tract health. Unfortunately, acidified dry cat food can lead to formation of calcium oxalate crystals.
Tomato pomace is an inexpensive by-product with the potential for pesticide residues in discarded tomato skins, which are the largest component of tomato pomace.
Tomatoes and tomato products, and raw or green potatoes come from members of the Solanaceae family of plants, which have been shown to wreak havoc on the lower gastrointestinal tract of cats.
WELLNESS CORE
Deboned Turkey
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
WHITEFISH MEAL
POTATOES
The latest trend in pet foods is the addition of potatoes. We love potatoes so why would we deny them to our pets? Because they contain a carcinogen(cancer-causing substance or agent)—acryl amide (solid used to make polymers): a poisonous colorless crystalline solid) and as a daily maintenance food, potatoes are not a health food. They are a cheap carb filler. Some use corn, some rice and some potatoes.
The August 14, 2002, issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reported that researchers at Stockholm University had evidence of the presence of high levels of acrylamide in carbohydrate rich foods like potatoes.
Many cats are sensitive or even allergic to fish; it is one of the top 3 most common food allergens.
Fish may not be safe to feed to cats. Predatory fish at the top of the food chain, such as tuna and salmon, may contain very elevated levels of heavy metals (including mercury) as well as PCBs, pesticides, and other toxins.
Tilefish (listed on pet food labels as “ocean whitefish”) are among the worst contaminated, along with king mackerel, shark, and swordfish. These fish are so toxic that the FDA advises that women of child-bearing age and children should avoid them entirely’; and they recommend only 1 serving of albacore tuna per week due to its high mercury levels. If these fish are dangerous to children, cats are at even more risk!
Cats can develop urinary tract infections and blockages if they eat much fish–even boneless fish.
FLINT RIVER RANCH ADULT AND KITTEN
Chicken meal
GROUND YELLOW CORN
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
CHICKEN FAT
GROUND WHOLE WHEAT
FLINT RIVER
Chicken meal
GROUND YELLOW CORN
Lamb meal
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
POULTRY FAT
INNOVA EVO Cat & Kitten Dry Cat Food
Turkey
chicken meal
chicken
HERRING MEAL
CHICKEN FAT
Also -potatoes, carrots, cranberries, alfalfa sprouts, cottage cheese…
Fiber is only 0.8% and there have been reports cats suffering from constipation on this food.
Chicken fat is in the top 5 ingredients. Chicken Fat and Herring Oil are used to encourage cats to eat what they normally would not eat. It’s okay when it’s further down the list but not as a top 5 ingredient.
Dairy products should not be given to a pet past weaning age. Adult Cats and Dogs do not produce enough of the enzyme to break down milk products, therefore dairy products and adult pets don’t make good friends.
AUTHORITY CHICKEN AND RICE
Chicken
Chicken Meal
BREWERS RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
GROUND CORN
ANIMAL FAT
Brewer’s rice is an inexpensive form of carbohydrate, and does not contain the full nutritional benefits of whole grain brown rice. Since cats are obligate carnivores they do not require a large amount of grain in their diets, so this ingredient should be listed way down on any cat food label.
Corn meal gluten, rice gluten or wheat gluten ingredients are low grade, inefficient cereal protein. They are prone to mold and other toxins.
Avoid “animal fat” or “beef tallow”— an unidentified fat source and inferior quality, respectively.
Wheat gluten is highly allergenic for cats.
AUTHORITY SALMON AND RICE
Salmon
Salmon Meal
BREWERS RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
GROUND CORN
ANIMAL FAT
ROYAL CANIN SPECIAL 33
Chicken meal
CHICKEN FAT
RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
CORN
Also contains wheat gluten
ROYAL CANIN INDOOR 27 FORMULA
Chicken meal
Brown rice
CORN
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
RICE
CHICKEN FAT
Also contains wheat gluten and rice hulls
AvoDerm Natural Indoor Formula with Hairball Care Cat Food
Chicken Meal
GROUND WHOLE CORN
Whole Ground Brown Rice
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
CHICKEN FAT
Also contains TOMATO POMACE, OAT BRAN, OATMEAL, AVOCADO OIL, AVOCADO Meal
Oat bran is an oat fraction, missing the full complement of nutrients that are present in whole oats.
Avocado oil-(which is what Avoderm is) It is oil pressed from the fruit of avocados. The fruit, leaves, bark and seeds of avocados have been reported as being toxic to cats. The toxic component in avocado is “Persin” which is a fatty acid preservative.
Avocado fruit, pits, leaves and the actual plant are all potentially poisonous to dogs, along with other pets like cats, mice, rats, birds, rabbits, horses, cattle and goats, among others. Avocados will trigger fluid accumulation in the lungs and chest, leading to difficulty breathing and death due to oxygen deprivation. Fluid accumulation can also occur in the heart, pancreas and abdomen.
BLUE BUFFALO WILDERNESS
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
Turkey Meal
POTATO STARCH
WHITEFISH MEAL
SALMON MEAL
CHICKEN FAT
Also contains Whole Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Blueberries
THE GOODLIFE RECIPE
Chicken-by-product meal
GROUND WHOLE CORN
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
Chicken
Dried beet pulp
Also contains ANIMAL FAT, RICE AND WHEAT FLOUR
IAMS REGULAR
Chicken
Chicken by product meal
CORN MEAL
CORN GRITS
Chicken meal
IAMS DIGESTIVE CARE
Chicken By-Product Meal
CORN GRITS
CORN MEAL
ANIMAL FAT
BREWERS RICE
Brewers Rice - AAFCO - Brewer’s Rice is the small milled fragments of rice kernels that have
been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice.” Better foods will not use it because they state it is a “lower quality rice product that is missing many of the nutrients found in Ground Rice and Ground Brown Rice.”
” Also know as ‘the sweepings from the floor of the mill’.
LIFE’S ABUNDANCE
Chicken meal
Ground brown rice
RICE FLOUR
CHICKEN FAT
DRIED BEET PULP
Pro-Pac Adult Formula
Chicken meal
RICE FLOUR
GROUND YELLOW CORN
CHICKEN FAT
CORN GLUTEN
Rice flour-Not used by better foods because it is a highly pre-processed ingredient.
PURINA PRO PLAN
Chicken
Brown rice
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
Chicken meal
WHEAT GLUTEN
PURINA CAT CHOW
Poultry by-product meal
CORN MEAL
GROUND WHOLE WHEAT
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
SOY FLOUR
Also contains BREWERS RICE AND BEEF TALLOW
If you pet is gassy, soy could be the cause.
Soy is handled fine in limited quantities by some cats, but it is a common allergen. Tofu may cause loose stools and mucus congestion in cats’ lungs. Be aware that soy-based meat-substitute products may be high in salt and spices.
PURINA COMPLETE FORMULA
Poultry by-products
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
CORN MEAL
GROUND WHOLE WHEAT
ANIMAL FAT
PURINA One Advanced Nutrition Hairball Formula:
BREWERS RICE
poultry by-product meal
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
Chicken
SOYBEAN MEAL
BEEF TALLOW
Beef Tallow: Beef Tallow is obtained from the tissue of cattle in the commercial process of rendering.
Aside from the “rendering,” beef tallow is an inferior source of fat for cat food. It is a saturated fat, is low in lineolic acid, and is primarily added for flavor.
PURINA ONE CHICKEN & RICE
Chicken
BREWERS RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
Poultry by product meal
WHEAT FLOUR
PURINA FRISKIES
GROUND YELLOW CORN
BREWERS RICE
chicken by-product meal
WHEAT FLOUR
SOYBEAN MEAL
Also contains corn gluten meal, soy flour and milk
Why milk is in the food is beyond me. Perhaps to help raise the protein levels or perhaps for calcium. Once cats are weaned, milk is no longer a part of their natural diet.
Soy bean meal is a poor quality filler. Meat is always the best source of quality protein.
SPA SELECT Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Cat Food
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
WHOLE GROUND BROWN RICE
WHOLE GROUND BARLEY
OATMEAL
Also contains Whole Cranberries, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Whole Carrots
SOLID GOLD Indigo Moon Holistic Cat Food
Chicken Meal
POTATOES
CANOLA OIL
Chicken
NATURAL CHICKEN FLAVOR
Also contains Blueberries, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli
FANCY FEAST Gourmet Gold Dry Cat Food
BREWERS RICE
poultry by-product meal
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
BEEF TALLOW
GROUND YELLOW CORN
SOYBEAN MEAL
MEOW MIX ORIGINAL
GROUND YELLOW CORN
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
chicken by-product meal
SOYBEAN MEAL
BEEF TALLOW
SCIENCE DIET NATURES BEST
Chicken
CRACKED PEARL BARLEY
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
WHOLE GRAIN OATS
BROWN RICE
Science Diet Original
Chicken by product meal
GROUND WHOLE GRAIN CORN
BREWERS RICE
ANIMAL FAT
CORN GLUTEN
SCIENCE DIET HAIRBALL CONTROL
Poultry by-product meal
BREWERS RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
GROUND CORN
CELLULOSE
ANIMAL FAT (preserved with BHA)
Poultry by products is from any fowl-(turkeys, ducks, geese, buzzards, etc.) instead of a single source, like chicken. Poultry by-Product Meal is much less expensive and less digestible than Chicken Meal
Inconsistent ingredient because of the multiple organs and their constantly changing proportions.
BHA, and BHT are both known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction. These are used as preservatives in many of the so-called best natural diets.
BLUE BUFFALO
Deboned chicken
Chicken meal
WHOLE GROUND BARLEY
FISH MEAL
OATMEAL
Followed by
WHOLE GROUND BROWN RICE
WHOLE POTATOES
WHOLE SWEET POTATOES
WHOLE CARROTS
CRANBERRIES
BLUE BERRIED
ALFALFA MEAL
Oatmeal: AAFCO definition unavailable. Yet more carbohydrates. On the other hand, brown rice, potatoes and oatmeal adds up to a hefty carbohydrate percentage, more than cats really need.
Some of the most expensive of the “wet” cat foods available today contain hideous amounts of completely unnecessary plant-derived ingredients like corn gluten, rice, rice flour, wheat, wheat gluten, soy protein, potato, sweet potato, carrots, apples, cranberries, blueberries and similar.
These ingredients might be part of a well-balanced human diet, but they have no place in the diet of even a healthy cat, much less a cat already debilitated by the ill effects of a high-carbohydrate diet
All in all…Eukanuba is a pretty darn good food even with the corn grits. I’d rather my cats eat this which is loaded with chicken than some of the foods that have fish, glutens, wheat, rice, potatoes, barley and animal fat in the first 5 ingredients.
Corn Gluten Meal (protein)
Corn gluten meal is a dried protein source. It remains after the corn’s bran has been separated and removed and a large portion of the carbohydrate and germ have been removed. Corn gluten meal is not as digestible as high quality animal protein ingredients and is deficient in the essential amino acids lysine and tryptophan. Eukanuba foods do NOT include this ingredient.
EUKANUBA INDOOR HAIR BALL RELIEF
CHICKEN
CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL
CHICKEN LIVER
CORN GRITS
CHICKEN BY-PRODUCTS
This information obtained from Eukanuba’s website:
Chicken (protein)
Muscle meat: the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken or combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails. It contains none of the internal organs - it arrives frozen and is mixed in during processing - where it is then cooked. It provides essential amino acids for muscle building, tissue repair, hormone synthesis and other metabolic processes natural sources of taurine, an essential amino acid that helps maintain normal eye, heart and reproductive functions in cats.
Chicken By-Product Meal (protein)
Chicken by-product meal is flesh and skin, internal organs including intestines, and bone that have been cleaned, dried, cooked and ground. It provides essential amino acids for muscle building, tissue repair, hormone synthesis and other metabolic processes. Internal organs are rich sources of protein, fats, and minerals, such as iron, that are essential to dog and cat health and add to the palatability of the pet food.
Including some ground bone provides a good source of minerals, such as calcium. Some pet-food manufacturers formulate their products without such ingredients to appeal to dog and cat owners, rather than for optimal health of dogs and cats. However, the nutritional needs of dogs and cats are not the same as the nutritional needs of humans. No company can say that their chicken/poultry is absolutely 100% free of beaks, feet, feathers, heads. Our suppliers do not add those parts, we specifically require that they not be included. They would decrease protein quality if they were there in measurable amounts. Tumors should not be there since those birds would be condemned. We use the non-economic parts of chickens that have been through USDA inspection. The advantages of Chicken By-Product Meal are the quality of the protein (quality is measured as biologic value - which is a measure of digestibility and the levels of essential amino acids that it can supply) and the levels of fat and minerals that it supplies - only chicken and egg are judged to be better. Chicken and egg go mostly for human consumption, so that leaves CBPM as the best available source.
Food that contains ‘chicken meal’ can only be made from the skin, flesh, and bones only. This is really the best type of protein for a cat. Food that has ‘meat byproducts’ can contain nearly any animal parts, and are of lower quality than ‘chicken meal’. Food that is ‘chicken flavored’ only has to taste like chicken, but may not contain any animal meat at all.
Chicken Liver (protein)
Provides essential amino acids for muscle building, tissue repair, hormone synthesis and other metabolic processes. Chicken livers are loaded with nutrients, including taurine, an essential for cats.
Corn Grits (carbohydrate)
An excellent source of quick energy. It is the hard, coarse portions of ground corn that contain little or no fiber or protein. Corn grits are used in processing to add a fuller shape to pet-food kibbles and are part of the carbohydrate blend in our cat foods. Corn grits are the portion of ground corn containing little or none of the bran (fiber) or germ (the small protein portion at the end of the kernel).
Tested chemical and mold free corn is an excellent source of protein and amino acids and is used to balance the ash in chicken.
Corn generally results in a lower glycemic and insulin response than rice. This can be especially beneficial for senior and overweight pets. Of the many dogs that regularly eat a food containing corn, only a few will develop an allergy to corn.
Chicken By-Products (protein)
Chicken by-products is a protein source that includes chicken muscle meat as well as chicken organ meat. It is a wet ingredient, that is, it is not a dried meal. It provides essential amino acids for muscle building, tissue repair, hormone synthesis and other metabolic processes.
Also, chicken is generally better than beef for cats.
Keywords: good and bad ingredients
Answers to this question
4 Answers
1
Thank you for the post!!!
Comments to Answer
0
Sorry about the double post. This site has been strange lately!
0
I was disappointed to see your approval of chicken liver. I stopped eating liver thirty years ago, when it stopped being meat texture and became granular. The liver receives/filters out most of the poisons received by the body, and stores many of them - turning the liver into a bag of many poisons - herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and any of the other poisons contained in their food. Dozens or even hundreds of poisons, not to mention the interactions between them that have NEVER been studied. I would never intentionally feed my cats chicken liver.
Comments to Answer
1
One of the roles of the liver is to neutralize toxins (such as drugs, chemical agents and poisons); but the liver does not store toxins. Poisonous compounds that the body cannot neutralize and eliminate are likely to lodge in the fatty tissues and the nervous system. The liver is not a storage organ for toxins but it is a storage organ for many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron). These nutrients provide the body with some of the tools it needs to get rid of toxins.
1
The average life span of a St. Bernard is 8 to 10 years. My father-in-law had a St. Bernard that lived to be 12. He was fed cooked chicken livers every night of his life.
0
And bones are not supposed to store lead - but they do. The liver is not a storage organ for toxins but it does store some, and its proper functioning is destroyed by others.
3
"The average life span of a St. Bernard is 8 to 10 years. My father-in-law had a St. Bernard that lived to be 12. He was fed cooked chicken livers every night of his life. " The plural of anecdote is not data, just FYI. Though I do think the dangers of liver are overblown.
0
Hm, There\\\’s a lot of good info here but I think some of this is a bit misleading, or incorrect.
Tomato leaves, stems and roots are toxic, but the tomato fruit is not. Cooked potatoes are also safe. The toxin you are referring to is generally only present in high amounts in the leaves, stems and roots of potatoes, or in raw potatos that have been damaged or exposed to a lot of sunlight (which is why it is not recommended to eat potatoes that have turned greenish - the production of clorophyll often indicates damage or exposure, and the toxin is sometimes also present in these green potatos). The carcinogenicity of undamaged cooked potatoes is vastly overblown. I haven\\\’t found any studies more recent than the 2002 you mention that have backed up this study either.
Processed avocado *oil* is also not toxic. The pit, skin and other parts of the plant are.
I also do not agree with the recommendation of foods containing by-products, chicken or otherwise. These ingredients come from commercial rendering plants. If you don\\\’t understand why I believe that\\\’s a problem, you might want to research just what rendering plants are and what they do. A lot more gets thrown in the grinder than just meat, organs, skin, feathers and bones.
Plants have to render a certain percentage of chicken to label their product as chicken by-product but it is not always 100% chicken. In fact I\\\’d say on average it is probably quite a bit less, as the standards that do exist are very poorly enforced. The pet food industry is basically unregulated, the FDA and DoA don\\\’t have very many laws affecting pet food and don\\\’t enforce those that are on the books. Here\\\’s an interesting read if you have a bit of time: http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/784/Patrick06.html
AAFCO is not a government agency, nor is it associated with any government agency. It is an industry group. AAFCO standards are set *by the pet food industry*. Their standards are *very* lax and are based on feeding trials that last only a few months and usually involve about 10 animals, and one or two are allowed to drop out or even die and a food can still pass. I wouldn\\\’t quote from AAFCO standards myself.
I also find it interesting that you quote parts of Lisa A. Pierson, DVM\\\’s website but ignore the vast majority of her advice (i.e. the parts about the role of grains, carbohydrates and water in a cat\\\’s diet as related to disease). I\\\’m not saying I agree with her 100% but it is odd to hack up her information and present it in this context.
You also attack Wellness Core because it includes potatoes but if you compare the amount of potatoes to the amount of corn in Eukanuba, etc, there is significantly less of it. The overall carbohydrate load is much higher in Eukanuba and other similar foods. The potato is included in wellness because it is less allergenic than grains and because a small amount of starch is needed to bind the food together for extrusion. If there were a large amount of potato, the food would not be able to reach the 50% protein and 18% fat content. The fruity/vegetabley ingredients are also very far down the list and may very well be added more for the sake of the humans buying the stuff than for the cat because there can\\\’t possibly be more than a trace of any of them. Marketing, basically. There\\\’s practically none in the food.
Chicken fat is one of those things that can be good or bad, depending on its source. I have actually *contacted* Wellness on this issue because the inclusion of this ingredient bothered me and the stated that their chicken fat is sourced from FDA-approved for human consumption companies - it is a product that comes from the manufacturing of chicken broth. Chicken fat that comes from rendering plants, however, is something to be avoided. If you see this listed in a food, contact the company and find out where it comes from before feeding it.
The inclusion of fish is going to be a problem for some cats, but not others - i.e. if you have a cat prone to urinary tract issues a fishy food is obviously not a good choice. Fish meal is actually not likely to contain much heavy metals as it has been processed to remove all the *fish oil* - the fats are where these metals accumulate, not the meat.
Eukanuba\\\’s a decent food but I really don\\\’t think it\\\’s The Best ™ that\\\’s out there (but neither is wellness, which is what I feed). I understand your cats have a need for the high fiber in this diet due to their particular issues and I\\\’m glad you\\\’ve found something that works for you, but there are other foods out there that will work just as well or better for cats without the need for 7% fiber. Most cats do quite well on about 3-4%, which many cat foods provide.
At the end of the day it all comes down to choosing a food that your cat does well on. Some very low-quality ingredients, especially glutens and artificial colors/preservatives, should ALWAYS be avoided, but ultimately any \\\”decent\\\” food *that your cat does well on* is an acceptable diet for your cat.
Comments to Answer
1
This is what I’ve found in my research and I stand by it. I see no reason why Lisa A. Pierson, DVM can not be quoted on something I agree with her on. You can find pros and cons all over the internet about tomatoes, potatoes and avocado. I never said Eukanuba was the best. I’ve seen excellent results with all of our 30 cats on this food and will continue to use it. Everyone can do their own research and make their own judgments. Basically I wanted to show what ingredients many of these foods contain so people can compare.
0
cool how did you get this much information?? and i havent been on cats.com for a long time now doesnt really interest me anymore
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DRY CAT FOOD, INGREDIENTS AND WHAT IT ALL MEANS……
I’m posting this because we all need to know what foods contain what ingredients and what problems some ingredients can cause. This way if anyone needs to switch foods, it gives you an idea what to avoid the next time around to see if the problem disappears.
A lot of foods safe for humans are poisonous to cats. Onions, garlic, tomatoes, raw potatoes, chocolate, grapes, raisins, avocadoes, and several other foods are toxic to cats. ….sure makes me wonder why they would even add some of these ingredients to cat food….
AAFCO
Association of American Feed Control Officials; an organization which sets standards for pet food ingredients and minimum daily requirements.
AAFCO standards state that the first ingredient listed on a bag of food has to be the ingredient that there is the most of in the food. The second ingredient listed has to be the second largest constituent of the diet, and so on down the list. The first 5 ingredients tell you what the bulk of the food is.
What you want listed in the 1st five ingredients: Chicken and one grain only.
AAFCO STATES: Chicken Meal: chicken which has been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
Examples: Chicken meal is often used in dry cat food. The quality of the protein will depend on the type and amount of chicken meat in the mixture, as well as the amount of bone and connective tissue processed with the meat. Although better than chicken by-product meal, chicken meal is generally a lesser quality of protein source than chicken meat.
Chicken meal and chicken by-products should not be listed as a first ingredient.
QUOTES FROM: Lisa A. Pierson, DVM
Stick with poultry (chicken and turkey) and rabbit as the bulk of your cat’s diet. Fish and beef are common food allergens in the cat and can cause inflammatory bowel disease and skin allergies. Think feathers and long ears, not horns and fins.
Look for a muscle meat as the first ingredient - not a by-product or liver. This will be listed as “chicken” or “turkey” - not “chicken by-products” or “meat by-products”.
Cats have no dietary need for vegetables yet companies like Hill’s Science Diet - clearly without your cat’s best interest in mind - play on the fact that the average person really does not understand the obligate carnivore status of the cat. Note that on their Nature’s Best dry food there are 5 pictures: 1) rice 2) peas 3) wheat 4) carrots 5) fish or chicken.
Do you see that the above ingredients (1-4) are simply catering to what many humans perceive as healthy items to be included in their own diet? These first 4 ingredients add to the carbohydrate load of the diet and also please note that wheat is a very hyper allergenic ingredient that does not belong in cat food. These ingredients simply increase the profit margin of the companies and are marketing ploys to get unsuspecting consumers to purchase their species-inappropriate diets.
Chicken - the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken or a combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails.
Chicken By-Product Meal - consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice.
.
Chicken Liver Meal - chicken livers which have been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
Chicken Meal - chicken which has been ground or otherwise reduced in particle size.
What you don’t want in the 1st five ingredients: chicken fat, animal fat, beef tallow, glutens , more than one grain, fish, wheat, soy, or cellulose.
Wheat, barley, rye, oats, rice, wild rice, sorghum, corn and even sugar cane are all related . They are all from the plant kingdom,
Avoid foods that have rice and corn together because if there is an allergic reaction to one of these grains, you can switch to another.
With regard to dry foods specifically, one basic rule to remember is that if the food comes in multiple colors (i.e. Deli Cat), you don’t want it. All that food dye is completely unnecessary, does nothing to make the food more appealing to Kitty, and means Kitty is ingesting excess chemicals she doesn’t need or want.
Also, don’t be fooled by dry foods claiming to be lower in ash content and thus aid in the reduction of urinary tract problems. Ash content and urinary tract problems are completely unrelated; it’s the amount of magnesium in the food that affects the urinary tract.
WELLNESS Complete Health
Deboned chicken
Chicken meal
RICE
GROUND BARLEY
GROUND RICE
Also TOMATO POMACE & CRANBERRIES
The energy content for barley is slightly lower than the energy value for corn.
Caution also should be used for cats with food allergies as rice is a known allergen.
Blueberries and cranberries are added to help acidify the food to maintain proper urinary tract health. Unfortunately, acidified dry cat food can lead to formation of calcium oxalate crystals. cranberries are added to help acidify the food to maintain proper urinary tract health. Unfortunately, acidified dry cat food can lead to formation of calcium oxalate crystals.
Tomato pomace is an inexpensive by-product with the potential for pesticide residues in discarded tomato skins, which are the largest component of tomato pomace.
Tomatoes and tomato products, and raw or green potatoes come from members of the Solanaceae family of plants, which have been shown to wreak havoc on the lower gastrointestinal tract of cats.
WELLNESS CORE
Deboned Turkey
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
WHITEFISH MEAL
POTATOES
The latest trend in pet foods is the addition of potatoes. We love potatoes so why would we deny them to our pets? Because they contain a carcinogen(cancer-causing substance or agent)—acryl amide (solid used to make polymers): a poisonous colorless crystalline solid) and as a daily maintenance food, potatoes are not a health food. They are a cheap carb filler. Some use corn, some rice and some potatoes.
The August 14, 2002, issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reported that researchers at Stockholm University had evidence of the presence of high levels of acrylamide in carbohydrate rich foods like potatoes.
Many cats are sensitive or even allergic to fish; it is one of the top 3 most common food allergens.
Fish may not be safe to feed to cats. Predatory fish at the top of the food chain, such as tuna and salmon, may contain very elevated levels of heavy metals (including mercury) as well as PCBs, pesticides, and other toxins.
Tilefish (listed on pet food labels as “ocean whitefish”) are among the worst contaminated, along with king mackerel, shark, and swordfish. These fish are so toxic that the FDA advises that women of child-bearing age and children should avoid them entirely’; and they recommend only 1 serving of albacore tuna per week due to its high mercury levels. If these fish are dangerous to children, cats are at even more risk!
Cats can develop urinary tract infections and blockages if they eat much fish–even boneless fish.
FLINT RIVER RANCH ADULT AND KITTEN
Chicken meal
GROUND YELLOW CORN
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
CHICKEN FAT
GROUND WHOLE WHEAT
FLINT RIVER
Chicken meal
GROUND YELLOW CORN
Lamb meal
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
POULTRY FAT
INNOVA EVO Cat & Kitten Dry Cat Food
Turkey
chicken meal
chicken
HERRING MEAL
CHICKEN FAT
Also -potatoes, carrots, cranberries, alfalfa sprouts, cottage cheese…
Fiber is only 0.8% and there have been reports cats suffering from constipation on this food.
Chicken fat is in the top 5 ingredients. Chicken Fat and Herring Oil are used to encourage cats to eat what they normally would not eat. It’s okay when it’s further down the list but not as a top 5 ingredient.
Dairy products should not be given to a pet past weaning age. Adult Cats and Dogs do not produce enough of the enzyme to break down milk products, therefore dairy products and adult pets don’t make good friends.
AUTHORITY CHICKEN AND RICE
Chicken
Chicken Meal
BREWERS RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
GROUND CORN
ANIMAL FAT
Brewer’s rice is an inexpensive form of carbohydrate, and does not contain the full nutritional benefits of whole grain brown rice. Since cats are obligate carnivores they do not require a large amount of grain in their diets, so this ingredient should be listed way down on any cat food label.
Corn meal gluten, rice gluten or wheat gluten ingredients are low grade, inefficient cereal protein. They are prone to mold and other toxins.
Avoid “animal fat” or “beef tallow”— an unidentified fat source and inferior quality, respectively.
Wheat gluten is highly allergenic for cats.
AUTHORITY SALMON AND RICE
Salmon
Salmon Meal
BREWERS RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
GROUND CORN
ANIMAL FAT
ROYAL CANIN SPECIAL 33
Chicken meal
CHICKEN FAT
RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
CORN
Also contains wheat gluten
ROYAL CANIN INDOOR 27 FORMULA
Chicken meal
Brown rice
CORN
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
RICE
CHICKEN FAT
Also contains wheat gluten and rice hulls
AvoDerm Natural Indoor Formula with Hairball Care Cat Food
Chicken Meal
GROUND WHOLE CORN
Whole Ground Brown Rice
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
CHICKEN FAT
Also contains TOMATO POMACE, OAT BRAN, OATMEAL, AVOCADO OIL, AVOCADO Meal
Oat bran is an oat fraction, missing the full complement of nutrients that are present in whole oats.
Avocado oil-(which is what Avoderm is) It is oil pressed from the fruit of avocados. The fruit, leaves, bark and seeds of avocados have been reported as being toxic to cats. The toxic component in avocado is “Persin” which is a fatty acid preservative.
Avocado fruit, pits, leaves and the actual plant are all potentially poisonous to dogs, along with other pets like cats, mice, rats, birds, rabbits, horses, cattle and goats, among others. Avocados will trigger fluid accumulation in the lungs and chest, leading to difficulty breathing and death due to oxygen deprivation. Fluid accumulation can also occur in the heart, pancreas and abdomen.
BLUE BUFFALO WILDERNESS
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
Turkey Meal
POTATO STARCH
WHITEFISH MEAL
SALMON MEAL
CHICKEN FAT
Also contains Whole Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Blueberries
THE GOODLIFE RECIPE
Chicken-by-product meal
GROUND WHOLE CORN
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
Chicken
Dried beet pulp
Also contains ANIMAL FAT, RICE AND WHEAT FLOUR
IAMS REGULAR
Chicken
Chicken by product meal
CORN MEAL
CORN GRITS
Chicken meal
IAMS DIGESTIVE CARE
Chicken By-Product Meal
CORN GRITS
CORN MEAL
ANIMAL FAT
BREWERS RICE
Brewers Rice - AAFCO - Brewer’s Rice is the small milled fragments of rice kernels that have
been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice.” Better foods will not use it because they state it is a “lower quality rice product that is missing many of the nutrients found in Ground Rice and Ground Brown Rice.”
” Also know as ‘the sweepings from the floor of the mill’.
LIFE’S ABUNDANCE
Chicken meal
Ground brown rice
RICE FLOUR
CHICKEN FAT
DRIED BEET PULP
Pro-Pac Adult Formula
Chicken meal
RICE FLOUR
GROUND YELLOW CORN
CHICKEN FAT
CORN GLUTEN
Rice flour-Not used by better foods because it is a highly pre-processed ingredient.
PURINA PRO PLAN
Chicken
Brown rice
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
Chicken meal
WHEAT GLUTEN
PURINA CAT CHOW
Poultry by-product meal
CORN MEAL
GROUND WHOLE WHEAT
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
SOY FLOUR
Also contains BREWERS RICE AND BEEF TALLOW
If you pet is gassy, soy could be the cause.
Soy is handled fine in limited quantities by some cats, but it is a common allergen. Tofu may cause loose stools and mucus congestion in cats’ lungs. Be aware that soy-based meat-substitute products may be high in salt and spices.
PURINA COMPLETE FORMULA
Poultry by-products
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
CORN MEAL
GROUND WHOLE WHEAT
ANIMAL FAT
PURINA One Advanced Nutrition Hairball Formula:
BREWERS RICE
poultry by-product meal
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
Chicken
SOYBEAN MEAL
BEEF TALLOW
Beef Tallow: Beef Tallow is obtained from the tissue of cattle in the commercial process of rendering.
Aside from the “rendering,” beef tallow is an inferior source of fat for cat food. It is a saturated fat, is low in lineolic acid, and is primarily added for flavor.
PURINA ONE CHICKEN & RICE
Chicken
BREWERS RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
Poultry by product meal
WHEAT FLOUR
PURINA FRISKIES
GROUND YELLOW CORN
BREWERS RICE
chicken by-product meal
WHEAT FLOUR
SOYBEAN MEAL
Also contains corn gluten meal, soy flour and milk
Why milk is in the food is beyond me. Perhaps to help raise the protein levels or perhaps for calcium. Once cats are weaned, milk is no longer a part of their natural diet.
Soy bean meal is a poor quality filler. Meat is always the best source of quality protein.
SPA SELECT Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Cat Food
Deboned Chicken
Chicken Meal
WHOLE GROUND BROWN RICE
WHOLE GROUND BARLEY
OATMEAL
Also contains Whole Cranberries, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Whole Carrots
SOLID GOLD Indigo Moon Holistic Cat Food
Chicken Meal
POTATOES
CANOLA OIL
Chicken
NATURAL CHICKEN FLAVOR
Also contains Blueberries, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli
FANCY FEAST Gourmet Gold Dry Cat Food
BREWERS RICE
poultry by-product meal
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
BEEF TALLOW
GROUND YELLOW CORN
SOYBEAN MEAL
MEOW MIX ORIGINAL
GROUND YELLOW CORN
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
chicken by-product meal
SOYBEAN MEAL
BEEF TALLOW
SCIENCE DIET NATURES BEST
Chicken
CRACKED PEARL BARLEY
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
WHOLE GRAIN OATS
BROWN RICE
Science Diet Original
Chicken by product meal
GROUND WHOLE GRAIN CORN
BREWERS RICE
ANIMAL FAT
CORN GLUTEN
SCIENCE DIET HAIRBALL CONTROL
Poultry by-product meal
BREWERS RICE
CORN GLUTEN MEAL
GROUND CORN
CELLULOSE
ANIMAL FAT (preserved with BHA)
Poultry by products is from any fowl-(turkeys, ducks, geese, buzzards, etc.) instead of a single source, like chicken. Poultry by-Product Meal is much less expensive and less digestible than Chicken Meal
Inconsistent ingredient because of the multiple organs and their constantly changing proportions.
BHA, and BHT are both known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction. These are used as preservatives in many of the so-called best natural diets.
BLUE BUFFALO
Deboned chicken
Chicken meal
WHOLE GROUND BARLEY
FISH MEAL
OATMEAL
Followed by
WHOLE GROUND BROWN RICE
WHOLE POTATOES
WHOLE SWEET POTATOES
WHOLE CARROTS
CRANBERRIES
BLUE BERRIED
ALFALFA MEAL
Oatmeal: AAFCO definition unavailable. Yet more carbohydrates. On the other hand, brown rice, potatoes and oatmeal adds up to a hefty carbohydrate percentage, more than cats really need.
Some of the most expensive of the “wet” cat foods available today contain hideous amounts of completely unnecessary plant-derived ingredients like corn gluten, rice, rice flour, wheat, wheat gluten, soy protein, potato, sweet potato, carrots, apples, cranberries, blueberries and similar.
These ingredients might be part of a well-balanced human diet, but they have no place in the diet of even a healthy cat, much less a cat already debilitated by the ill effects of a high-carbohydrate diet
All in all…Eukanuba is a pretty darn good food even with the corn grits. I’d rather my cats eat this which is loaded with chicken than some of the foods that have fish, glutens, wheat, rice, potatoes, barley and animal fat in the first 5 ingredients.
Corn Gluten Meal (protein)
Corn gluten meal is a dried protein source. It remains after the corn’s bran has been separated and removed and a large portion of the carbohydrate and germ have been removed. Corn gluten meal is not as digestible as high quality animal protein ingredients and is deficient in the essential amino acids lysine and tryptophan. Eukanuba foods do NOT include this ingredient.
EUKANUBA INDOOR HAIR BALL RELIEF
CHICKEN
CHICKEN BY-PRODUCT MEAL
CHICKEN LIVER
CORN GRITS
CHICKEN BY-PRODUCTS
This information obtained from Eukanuba’s website:
Chicken (protein)
Muscle meat: the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts or whole carcasses of chicken or combination thereof, exclusive of feathers, heads, feet and entrails. It contains none of the internal organs - it arrives frozen and is mixed in during processing - where it is then cooked. It provides essential amino acids for muscle building, tissue repair, hormone synthesis and other metabolic processes natural sources of taurine, an essential amino acid that helps maintain normal eye, heart and reproductive functions in cats.
Chicken By-Product Meal (protein)
Chicken by-product meal is flesh and skin, internal organs including intestines, and bone that have been cleaned, dried, cooked and ground. It provides essential amino acids for muscle building, tissue repair, hormone synthesis and other metabolic processes. Internal organs are rich sources of protein, fats, and minerals, such as iron, that are essential to dog and cat health and add to the palatability of the pet food.
Including some ground bone provides a good source of minerals, such as calcium. Some pet-food manufacturers formulate their products without such ingredients to appeal to dog and cat owners, rather than for optimal health of dogs and cats. However, the nutritional needs of dogs and cats are not the same as the nutritional needs of humans. No company can say that their chicken/poultry is absolutely 100% free of beaks, feet, feathers, heads. Our suppliers do not add those parts, we specifically require that they not be included. They would decrease protein quality if they were there in measurable amounts. Tumors should not be there since those birds would be condemned. We use the non-economic parts of chickens that have been through USDA inspection. The advantages of Chicken By-Product Meal are the quality of the protein (quality is measured as biologic value - which is a measure of digestibility and the levels of essential amino acids that it can supply) and the levels of fat and minerals that it supplies - only chicken and egg are judged to be better. Chicken and egg go mostly for human consumption, so that leaves CBPM as the best available source.
Food that contains ‘chicken meal’ can only be made from the skin, flesh, and bones only. This is really the best type of protein for a cat. Food that has ‘meat byproducts’ can contain nearly any animal parts, and are of lower quality than ‘chicken meal’. Food that is ‘chicken flavored’ only has to taste like chicken, but may not contain any animal meat at all.
Chicken Liver (protein)
Provides essential amino acids for muscle building, tissue repair, hormone synthesis and other metabolic processes. Chicken livers are loaded with nutrients, including taurine, an essential for cats.
Corn Grits (carbohydrate)
An excellent source of quick energy. It is the hard, coarse portions of ground corn that contain little or no fiber or protein. Corn grits are used in processing to add a fuller shape to pet-food kibbles and are part of the carbohydrate blend in our cat foods. Corn grits are the portion of ground corn containing little or none of the bran (fiber) or germ (the small protein portion at the end of the kernel).
Tested chemical and mold free corn is an excellent source of protein and amino acids and is used to balance the ash in chicken.
Corn generally results in a lower glycemic and insulin response than rice. This can be especially beneficial for senior and overweight pets. Of the many dogs that regularly eat a food containing corn, only a few will develop an allergy to corn.
Chicken By-Products (protein)
Chicken by-products is a protein source that includes chicken muscle meat as well as chicken organ meat. It is a wet ingredient, that is, it is not a dried meal. It provides essential amino acids for muscle building, tissue repair, hormone synthesis and other metabolic processes.
Also, chicken is generally better than beef for cats.
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