Understand You Cat Food Ingredients!!!


It is quite difficult for us busy people to feed out beloved pets a prepared diet. Those willing to make the extra effort should be commended for they are doing their best for their animals. Below is an excerpt taken from "the holistic animal handbook" (2004) by kate solisti-mattelon and patrice mattelon. This book is available from the library for further reading.

If we listen to the advertisements for pet food, we hear repeatedly that such-and-such a food provides completely balanced nutrition for our dogs and cats. Because the manufacturer tells us this is so, we believe them. They also make it convenient and "economical" for us to feed our animals. Just open a can or pour a little dry food in the bowl, and its done.
Besides realizing that processed food bears little resemblance to the natural diet of a carnivore, its important to know exactly what is in the can or bag. Here are some common ingredients to look for in foods you are feeding.

By products= The Association of American Feed Control Officials(AAFCO) defines by-products as the "non-rendered clean parts,other than meat,derived from slaughtered mammals." Pet food is the respository of the livestock industry's waste-parts rejected for human consumption. Sometimes this can mean parts of the animal such as liver,heart,kidney,tripe and so on. However the quality of these ingredients varies greatly. According to Dr jean hofve DVM and others, whatever the quality of by products, they are not meat and are not an adequate source of animal protein for our dogs and cats.

Meal= The AAFCO defines meat meal as the "rendered product from mammal tissue exclusive of blood,hair,hoof,horn trimmings,manure,stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices." This often includes the so called "four Ds":animals that are diseased,disabled,dying or dead-before they reach the slaughterhouse. Even though the AAFCO definition precludes the presence of blood,hair,hoof and so on, there is evidence that "meat meal" may include roadkill,pigs,rabbits,feces,urine,hair,dried ruminant waste,unborn calf carcasses and more. Cancerous tissue;poultry heads and feet;spoiled,rancid, and mouldy meat- all can be used in meal and passed on as "pet food". Meat meal is a composite product that has been ground and pulverized to remove most of the water. Poultry by product meal is defined as "the ground,rendered,clean parts of slaughtered poultry,such as necks,feet,undeveloped eggs,and intestines,exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices".
In 1989, an 11-month-old child died from an allergic reaction to penicillin. The source of penicillin was the dry cat food she regularly nibbled on. The levels on penicillin in the cat food were at least 600 times the limit allowed in human food. Although pet food ingredients are cooked under high heat to destroy dangerous organisms-not always successfully-they do not necessarily alter or destroy drugs like penicillin,pentobarbital and others.

Corn= Grains used in some pet foods are those rejected for human use due to poor quality, mold contamination or pesticide residue.

Soybeans= Soy has been linked to gas in dogs due to the presence of starches,which dogs lack the enzymes to digest. Thus, it is not a viable form of protein.

Preservatives= BHA n BHT are petroleum derivatives that accumulate in the body tissue and may cause liver enlargement, increased risk of cancer and epilepsy in dogs. These preservatives have been approved for use in human foods and cosmetics for preventing hydrogenated vegetable oils from becoming rancid.

Ethoxyquin= This preservative, manufactured by Monsanto, is a fungicide and color preservative. It was originally developed as a rubber stabilizer and as a pesticide. Why is it in dry foods? Because it extends the shelf life of a product 12 months or more.(is this a good thing?) The so called "natural" preservatives like vitamin e and c provide only 7 to 9 months of freshness. Thanks primarily to consumer pressure, Iams and Science Diet are removing ethoxyquin from their over the counter foods, but as of this writing they are still adding it to their prescription diets. In addition, Ethoxyquin may still be present in some ingredients without being labelled. For example, fish meal, which is present in nearly all cat foods, may still contain large amounts of it.

Aluminum= Almost all dry and canned foods go through aluminum extruding equipment,so these foods may expose dogs and cats to aluminum toxicity.Theonly way to securely protect your animals from heavy-metal poisoning in this form is to prepare the homemade diets.

Ok, now that you know what ingredients turn up in most pet foods,what can u do about it?

*become a label reader.
*learn what the listed ingredients are
*take responsiblity for feeding your pets better.
*Share what u learn with your friends,veterinarians,and the stores where you shop for pet food, and save more animals lives.

Other things to note:

* the order of ingredients in labels indicate the concentration. i.e if the 1st ingredient is meat by products, it means that it is the most heavily used ingredient.
* grains are carbs=fillers. These and other starches hold the kibbles together. grains like corn/wheat are not well digested by animals. In fact they are one of the common allergens. Beet pulp is also a filler.
* a vegetarian diet is NOT recommended for cats or dogs. Vegetarian kibbles are available but always instructed to be fed alongside a meat diet. Cats are obligate carnivores and need meat protein.

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most of commercial food outside there contain these popuar ingredients [corn, BHT, BHA, wheat, gluten)

iams did not mention about corn but they put maize instead of corn!!
RC do have BHT, corn, corn gluten, wheat gluten !! all of these are fillers and BHT can cause cancer!!!
others i'm sure also do have the similar ingredients as these two brands

read carefully the ingredients before feed ur beloved feline


Here are the main ingredients in the royal canin KITTEN 36 [diffrent type have different ingredients but most of RC carry the same basic ingredient]


Ingredients: Chicken meal, brown rice, corn gluten meal, corn, chicken fat, chicken, dried egg product, natural chicken flavor, wheat gluten, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), L-lysine, anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), sodium silico aluminate, dried brewers yeast, soya oil, pea fiber, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, fructo-oligosaccharides, sodium tripolyphosphate, salt, dried brewers yeast extract (source of mannan-oligosaccharides), choline chloride, taurine, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, biotin, riboflavin (vitamin B2) supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin A acetate, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], Trace Minerals [zinc oxide, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), L-Carnitine, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid, rosemary extract.



about BHA and BHT, it is stated in the preservtive part which i cannot find via net but it truly there in Royal Cannin


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here in aims [IAMS Kitten & Junior Rich in Chicken]

Chicken (>26%), maize, animal fat, wheat, dried whole egg, dried beet pulp, chicken digest, calcium carbonate, fish oil, brewer's dried yeast, potassium chloride, DL-methionine, sodium chloride.

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The first ingredients listed should be whole meat ingredients, protein sources, such as Chicken or Turkey. NOT just the word “meat”! Who the heck knows what that is? The word Chicken Meal is ok, but it should be a secondary ingredient, not first. Meal is the meat dehydrated and ground into a powder.


This post has been edited by whizzkid: Nov 30 2008, 10:34 PM