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The Addiction brand of pet food is manufactured by Addiction Foods Inc. This company is known for manufacturing holistic pet food made from novel protein and game meat. The company also claims that the food is free from harmful additives. The ingredients are known for their hypoallergenic and nutritional benefits. Over the years, the addiction cat food brand has enjoyed a huge following with pet owners with some claiming their cats are addicted to the food. Now you know why it goes by the name Addiction.
Amongst the cat food types under the Addiction brand is the salmon bleu cat food. Featuring salmons from the blue oceans, the Addiction salmon bleu can be termed as a hypoallergenic cat diet that balances all the essential nutrients optimally. Rich in natural antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids, salmon bleu is a high quality grain-free diet made of smoked salmon to create a gourmet meal that is simply delicious and best for cats.
Ingredients
A casual look at Salmon Bleu reviews on the internet by cat owners gives the impression of a must-have food for your cat. The only complaints you might run into are of cat owners claiming their cats had a hard time changing over to this food. So let’s establish whether this food is really all that it is cracked up to be.
The salmon bleu cat food is specially formulated to meet the AAFCO nutritional levels for all cat life stages. The list of ingredients in the Salmon Bleu Cat food includes;
Ingredients In Addiction Salmon Bleu Cat Food
Salmon Meal, Potatoes, Dried Blueberries, Dried Raspberries, Dried Cranberries, Chicken Fat (Free from Chicken Protein and preserved with Mixed Tocopherols – a source of Vitamin E), Whole Smoked Salmon, Dehydrated Egg, Calcium Propionate, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Cobalt Carbonate, Biotin (Vitamin B7), Vitamin E Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), D-Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Thiamine (Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3, Vitamin A, Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6), Vitamin B12, Taurine.
Top 5 Ingredients Breakdown
Salmon meat – Protein is hands down the most crucial component of a cat’s diet as it helps build and repair body tissues. Salmon meat is a great source of Omega 3 as well as vitamin E. Salmons are nutritious and very tasty offering nourishment to the cat’s coat and skin. This is a cat healthy alternative to lamb, beef and chicken.
Potatoes – Potatoes provide a lot of carbs and unfortunately, cats do not digest carbs well and it can also lead to weight gain. This ingredient is becoming more popular in “grain-free” cat foods because while potatoes are not grains, they serve much the same purpose by acting as a non-nutritious filler. The good news is potatoes are complex carbs. These complex carbs are easier to digest than whole grains and also don’t spike blood sugar levels like the simple carbs do. But, anyway you cut it… carbs are carbs and cats don’t need them. This is a rather non-nutritious ingredient.
Chicken fat – Chicken fat is a quality source of essential fatty acids and an excellent source of energy. Fat has a positive effect on the immune system and plays a beneficial role in stress response. Essential fatty acids are required for proper growth, reproduction, normal skin structure and a healthy coat. Because chicken fat contains virtually no protein, it’s use does not cause allergic reactions associated with the use of fresh chicken or chicken meal which contain high amounts of protein. Many times, mixed tocopherols, which are a natural source of Vitamin E activity, are used as a natural preservative to maintain freshness. This is considered a higher quality fat source in pet food.
Raspberries – These are the main sources of vitamins in the meal. Very ideal for a healthy, all rounded cat.
Minerals – Only two vitamins (A and C) and two minerals (calcium and iron) are required on the food label. Cat food companies can voluntarily list other vitamins and minerals in the food. So, in this case, they have simply listed “minerals” but we’re not exactly sure what is included here. This ingredient is very unlikely to cause harm to your cat, but it would be nice if they would voluntarily list the minerals being used here.
Additional Ingredients Of Interest In Addiction Salmon Bleu Cat Food
Apart from the main ingredients, Salmon Bleu cat food also contains;
Glucosamine – This is an ingredient ideal for your cat’s joint health.
Blueberries and cranberries – This contains special phytonutrients that offer vitamins C and B required for general health and body development in cats.
Allergy Risk In Addiction Salmon Blue Cat Food
Allergies in cats are more often than not caused by wheat, corn and soy. Addiction Salmon Bleu Cat food is free of all these ingredients, making it an ideal choice of food for cats with food allergies. While its hypoallergenic properties make it a great choice for cats who suffer from food allergies, it is always best to check on the list of ingredients as your cat may be allergic to a specific ingredient (e.g. chicken). If your cat has unusual allergies, be sure to consult with your veterinarian before switching cat food blends.
Poor Quality Ingredients Commonly Found In Cat Food
Artificial coloring – We find it quite irresponsible to include artificial coloring in pet food since the health concerns about these added colors are so controversial. Your cat does not care what color their food is and the only reason artificial coloring is added to this product is for marketing purposes. It makes the food look better to you YOU, the human consumer. Of course, many cat food brands are very defensive about their use of food coloring. Here is an example of how the Purina brand defends their use of fool coloring. Notice how even in their explanation, there is no perceived benefit to these ingredients other than changing the color. There is also a growing amount of evidence to suggest food coloring may be linked to cancer in not just dogs and cats, but also humans. Here is an article that explains a bit further. In short, since there is some controversy surrounding this ingredient, we find it a bit strange that cat food companies would spend money adding this ingredient into a product when at best, it has zero nutritional value for your cat and only has marketing value. At worse, it could pose health risks. It just doesn’t seem like the risk of including this ingredient is worth it.
BHA and BHT – Both BHA & BHT are preservatives that have been banned in human foods in many countries due to cancer risks. However, they remain approved for use in pet foods. A growing number of pet owners are becoming aware of the potential dangers these ingredients bring and are shunning all foods containing BHA and BHT. A quick internet search on these preservatives will show that the backlash is gaining steam with many cat food companies abandoning these ingredients. BHA and BHT are extremely controversial ingredients in all forms of pet food.
Corn syrup – Unfortunately, corn is a known allergen for many cats and cats do not receive much of any nutritional value at all from corn, even though corn helps to boost the overall protein percentage of the food. Syrup extracts usually aren’t harmful to cats, but they aren’t all that nutritious, either. In fact, many syrup extracts will contain quite a bit of sugar which can lead to weight gain. Since many adult cats have diabetes, it’s probably a safer bet to stay away from syrups.
Wheat – Most cat food brands that use wheat in their products will tell you that wheat is a grain used as a high-quality carbohydrate source in dry dog and cat foods and biscuits. They will tell you that it provides energy for daily activity, as well as processing characteristics for the food. And finally, they will tell you that the allergy risk associated with wheat is low. However, many experts not associated with the pet food industry will seemingly say the opposite. From them, you’ll hear that wheat and wheat by-product is a very common allergy for dogs and cats. You’ll even find sources that claim wheat has also been linked to epileptic seizures and celiac diseases. Cats are not able to digest grains nearly as well as humans or dogs, so many cats may also experience digestion issues if given too much wheat. In general, wheat is considered to be a very low priced filler ingredient with essentially no nutritional value for cats. As the debate rages on, you be the judge.
Soy – Soy is another common food allergen for cats and is also known to cause gastric upset. This ingredient is considered a very low priced filler ingredient. While it will certainly help make your cat food more full, the full nutritional benefit in this ingredient is questionable at best. Many cat food brands will tell you the allergy risk is very low with soy, but it is one of the most well known food allergens that cats deal with in commercial pet food. Overall, this is a pretty low quality ingredient.
Fortunately, these 5 ingredients are not present in Addiction Salmon Bleu cat food.
Conclusion
Most cat owners who have used this brand think very highly of it and view it as being very high quality. Here have been no widespread issues reported and even among cats with gastrointestinal problems, this seems to digest well. The price is a bit steep, but this is normally the case for most cat foods made from exotic protein. Based on the ingredients alone, Addiction Salmon Blue cat food appears to be of slightly above average quality.
