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Do you own a kitten? The first twelve months are the most challenging when it comes to nurturing kittens. This is because they need to eat balanced meals to ensure they grow to be healthy adult cats. There are numerous kitten formulas in the market, but not all of them are ideal for nurturing kittens.
Eukanuba is owned by Procter & Gamble and manufactured in their Leipsic, Ohio plant which makes both dog and cat food. In 1969, Paul Iams wanted to find a name to differentiate the new formula from other Iams pet food products. Iams chose to name this new formula “Eukanuba”, a term originated by jazz era personality Hoagy Carmichael, meaning “the tops” or “something supreme” (read more on Wikipedia).
Ingredients in Eukanuba Entree With Gourmet Chicken
Chicken Broth, Chicken, Meat By-Products, Liver, Chicken By-Products, Flax Meal, Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Carrots, Broccoli, Dried Beet Pulp, Titanium Dioxide, Sweet Potatoes, Potassium Chloride, Monosodium Phosphate, Salt, Guar Gum, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Suncured Alfalfa, Minerals (Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Copper Sulfate), DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2)), Folic Acid, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (source of vitamin K3), Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, Fructooligosaccharides, Taurine, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement.
An overview of the first five ingredients
Chicken Broth
While chicken broth does not add much nutritional value to the food, it does add flavor and is considered to be a better alternative to water. The main reason for adding this ingredient is simply to add moisture.
Chicken
Chicken is a very popular ingredient for pet food and in this case, they are referring to whole chicken. This is a very high quality meat source and we are pleased to see it listed. However, whole chicken loses about 80% of its content during the cooking process since the majority of whole chicken is water. After the cooking process is complete, the amount of whole chicken remaining is substantially reduced. Therefor, while whole chicken is a great source of meat protein, this ingredient alone is not enough to provide sufficient levels of meat protein in a cats diet.
Meat By-Products
This is about the lowest quality meat product that can be included in any cat food. We are very disappointed to see this ingredient listed. Meat By-Products are parts of slaughtered animals including the lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue, and stomach and intestines freed of their contents. In addition, meat by-products can also legally contain animals that were dead, dying, or diseased before slaughtering. Many times, animals with tumors are ground and processed, meaning, ground up cancerous tumors could legally be included in your pets food. While unlikely, it can even legally include road kill. Perhaps worst of all, this ingredient COULD include meat from euthanized cats, dogs, horses, or other animals. Meat by-product is an unnamed meat source and you never know for sure where it is coming from or what animals are being used. Also note that meat by-products are not approved for human consumption. It consists of unwanted parts only acceptable in the pet food or feed industries. This is one of the most controversial meat ingredients that could be included and there is much to be concerned about when purchasing any pet food that includes meat by-products.
Liver
In the wild, cats almost always eat the liver of their prey. It is a rich source of vitamin A which cats must obtain from their food since they can’t make it in their bodies. This is also a good secondary source of protein. If cats consume too much liver, it could cause toxicity, but the amount needed for liver to become toxic to cats is very high. Liver is provided in safe quantities in this cat food blend.
Chicken By-Products
While this ingredient does provide a high amount of meat protein, this meat source is considered to be of lower quality than many other meat sources. Chicken By-Product is produced through a process of cooking, drying and separation of fats and proteins from animal carcasses. It contains a combination of meat (or cuts or parts) including lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, necks, undeveloped eggs and intestines. Usually, by-products are the “left overs” that can’t be used for human food consumption. The greatest fault of this ingredient is the same trait that makes it so affordable and so commonly found in pet foods. The unpredictability of what might (or might not) be included.
Additional Ingredients Of Interest In Eukanuba Entree With Gourmet Chicken Cat Food
Flax Meal
Extracted from flax seeds, this is used as a source of omega fatty acids and digestible fiber.
Broccoli
This is a very rich source of vitamin C, soluble fiber, calcium as well as other nutrients. While not dangerous to your cat, it has been associated with an increase in flatulence in many cats.
Carrots
A good source of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, carrots are becoming more common in pet foods. This ingredient is also known to boost the immune system and help promote healthy eyes in cats as well as providing a good source of fiber.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes provide a great source of potassium, vitamin B, and beta-carotene. This ingredient also provides antioxidant agents that specifically help to fight against cancer causing agents. This is a higher quality ingredient with no known negative side-effects.
Allergy Risk Associated With Eukanuba Entree With Gourmet Chicken Cat Food
Fortunately, this cat food is free from the main allergy causing ingredients. Every cat is unique in their own way and your cat may suffer from a rare food allergy, but in general, we believe the allergy risk associated with this food is quite low.
Conclusion
The Eukanuba Entree with Gormet Chicken Cat Food blend does provide a decent amount of meat protein, but we are not all that thrilled with the quality of meat products chosen for this blend. We are especially discouraged to see that this cat food includes an unnamed meat by-product. This could be almost anything and we don’t see any advantage to this ingredient other than keeping the price down. Judging by the ingredients alone, we believe this is a below average cat food.
