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Does your cat react badly to some formulas? There are some cats that develop digestion and health issues when they’re fed on animal based meat proteins. As a cat owner, you should know the alternative meat sources just in case your cat develops complications from feeding on some meat types. Fish protein is one of the best alternatives to beef, poultry or lamb.

The Whiskas sardine and mackerel is a formula that provides cats with fish based protein sources. According to the Whiskas manufacturer, this formula offers a great alternative for your cat. It is said to contain all the required nutrition for healthy growth. The company also says that this formula offers a natural taste to entice your feline friend.

Is this the best fish based formula for your cat? Read on to find out.

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Ingredients in Whiskas

Sufficient Water for Processing, Sardines, Mackerel, Soy Oil, Sole, Carrageenan, Anchovy, Cassia Gum, Guar Gum, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Potassium Chloride, Wheat Flour, Tapioca Starch, Salt, Disodium EDTA, Shrimp, Natural Flavor, Vitamins (Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate [Source of Vitamin E], Folic Acid, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2]), Sodium Nitrite (for color retention), Iron Oxide, BHA/BHT (a preservative), Copper Sulfate.

An overview of the first five ingredients

Water

As you might expect, water is mostly added for moisture and cooking purposes. It does not add any nutritional value to the food.

Sardines

A sardine is a young pilchard or other young or small herringlike fish. Some cat owners like to avoid fish in cat food because sea food is not usually a part of a cats natural diet. All fish products also contain a certain level of mercury and some cat owners fear that over time, the ingestion of mercury could be harmful (although there is very little evidence to suggest a significant risk). Overall, this ingredient does supply some extremely nutritious properties including protein and very healthy fatty acids.

Mackerel

Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. Fish based ingredients provide an excellent source of fatty acids, proteins, and very high quality nutrients. Some cat owners are worried about the increasing level of mercury in fish, but so far the FDA says it is well within’ safe limits for both humans and pets. In addition, some pet owners worry about where the fish comes from, because a lot of fish used in pet foods is obtained from farmed fish that have not passed inspections to be used in human consumption. It could also contain fish waste products that can’t be used anywhere else. So while there is some concern about this and any other fish based ingredient in cat food, in general, it is considered a higher quality nutrient source.

Soy Oil

Soybean oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean. It is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils. As you can see in this article, the health risks associated with humans and soy oil is questionable. We have no reason to believe it is any better for cats, especially since cats are obligate carnivores designed to process meat based ingredients. In addition, many cats are allergic to soy ingredients or may have problems digesting soy ingredients. If your cat has food allergies or a sensitive stomach, you might not want to feed this food.

Sole

Sole is a group of flatfish belonging to several fish families. There is a growing number of cat owners purchasing cat food blends containing a lot of fish ingredients and so, we are seeing more and more fish ingredients included in cat food as time goes on. Some cat owners worry about the mercury level of fish ingredients since almost all fish does contain mercury. It is still unknown what the long term exposure could do to a cats health, but most do not believe the mercury levels are high enough to pose major health risks. This ingredient provides an excellent source of meat protein as well as extremely nutritious fatty acids. As a whole, this is considered to be a safe and nutritious ingredient.

Some noteworthy ingredients

Shrimp

This ingredient is becoming more popular in cat food as more and more cat owners are including sea food ingredients into their cats meals. This is generally considered a quality ingredient, but it does contain quite a bit of fat. This usually isn’t a problem unless the ingredient is included in high amounts. It also isn’t considered to be a part of a cats natural diet since they rarely, if ever, eat shrimp in the wild. Nonetheless, it is an ingredient with some great nutritional value (in proper portions) and there is little evidence to suggest it could cause much harm to your cat.

Tapioca Starch

Tapioca flour, also known as tapioca starch, is a starchy white flour that has a slight sweet flavor to it. Tapioca flour is an alternative to traditional wheat flours and has a variety of uses in baking. Tapioca is a source of carbohydrate obtained from the roots of the cassava plant (Manihot esculenta), which is indigenous to Latin America. It is not a cereal grain like corn or wheat which have links to food allergies in cats. The benefit to using tapioca in a pet food as the primary carbohydrate source instead of typical grains is tapioca’s biochemical simplicity. Grains are complex in the sense that they contain proteins and other phytonutrients in addition to carbohydrates. Tapioca is just starch – a combination of amylase and amlylopectin. There are no known canine or feline allergies to tapioca, so this is becoming a more common ingredient in many pet foods.

Wheat Flour

Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat. It helps with the cooking process and also helps to increase the nutrient values of the food. However, cats do not digest wheat in the same way they digest other meat based products. Wheat does not provide much nutrition to cats and is considered a lower quality ingredient. Some cats have problems digesting wheat and others may experience allergic reactions to this ingredient. In lower quantities, this is considered to be a safe ingredient for cats, but it isn’t considered to be a high quality or nutritious ingredient, either.

Anchovy

As you are probably already aware, anchovy is a type of salt water fish. Most of the time, regular canned anchovies have too much sodium to be suitable for cats. However, it does not look like the sodium content in this food is out of normal limits. This ingredient is included because it provides a great deal of protein and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. There is some concern about the rising mercury levels in fish, however so far the FDA claims the levels are well within safe limits for cats and other pets. Another concern is how the fish is sourced, since fish products in pet foods are usually the waste products derived from fish farms. However, the risk of eating anchovy is low and the benefits can be quite high.

Is this an allergy causing formula?

This formula contains wheat flour that could easily cause allergic reactions in cats. If you have an allergy prone cat, steer clear of this ingredient.

Ingredients to avoid in cat formulas

Animal by-products – One of the worst meat ingredients found in pet food today is animal by product. It’s true that this ingredient provides a very high amount of meat protein that cats need to thrive. However, animal by products are considered to be the lowest form of meat and it isn’t even approved for human consumption. Animal by-products are carcasses and parts of carcasses from slaughterhouses, animal shelters, zoos and veterinarians, and products of animal origin not intended for human consumption, including catering waste. Legally, this ingredient can even contain roadkill or euthanized animals. This ingredient may also contain what is called “4D meat” which is what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) calls cattle that is dead, dying, disabled or diseased. This meat is considered unfit for human consumption, but is typically found in many pet food products. This is not something we recommend you feed your cat or any other pet.

BHA/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, soy and wheat – All three of these ingredients are known allergens for many cats. In addition, many cats have problems digesting these grain based ingredients. Since cats are obligate carnivores, their digestive systems are designed to digest meat and not grains. All of these ingredients will help to boost the protein percentage in cat food, but not all protein is created equally. Cats do not digest plant based proteins in the same way as meat proteins and in fact, gain little to no nutritional value from these grains. Several “grocery store brand” cat foods include these products to keep the price down as it is a cheap filler to help make your cat feel full as well as a cheap way to add protein to the food.

Conclusion

The Whiskas sardine and mackerel entrée (wet) formula has quite a number of controversial ingredients as mentioned above. Should you choose to feed your cat on this formula, make sure it’s not allergic to any of the ingredients.

Fancy trying out some of the 9Lives cat food formulas? Manufactured by the world renowned Del Monte Company, the Long Life Formula is rated as the company’s best cat food for mature cats. So, is this formula ideal for your cat? Find out below.

Ingredients in 9Lives Long Life Formula

Whole ground corn, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, whole wheat, meat & bone meal, animal fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), turkey, chicken, caramel color, animal digest, phosphoric acid, salt, titanium dioxide, choline chloride, vitamins (vitamin A supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement), minerals (ferrous sulfate, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, calcium iodate), potassium chloride, red 40, taurine, potassium sorbate (used as a preservative), yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 1, BHA (used as a preservative), rosemary extract.

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Long Life Formula Top 5 Ingredients

The best way to evaluate the nutritional value of a pet formula is to look at the first 5 ingredients. Below is an overview of the first 5 ingredients in the Long Life formula:

Whole ground corn – Unfortunately, corn is one of the most widely known food allergens for cats. If your cat does not have a pre-existing allergy to this ingredient, he or she should not experience any allergic reactions. However, this ingredient is also difficult for many cats to digest, so you should keep an eye on your cat for any digestion problems or stomach upset. And finally, this ingredient is normally used in cheaper cat food products as a filler ingredient. It will help make your cat feel more full and will also boost the protein percentage of the food. Since cats are obligate carnivores, however, they do not digest plant based proteins like they do animal based proteins. Overall, this ingredient is pretty lousy unless it is only included in smaller quantities. If your cat suffers from digestion issues or food allergies, do not feed this food to your cat.

Corn gluten meal – This is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm. The expression “corn gluten” is colloquial jargon that describes corn proteins that are neither gliadin nor glutenin. Only wheat, barley, rye and oat contain true gluten. For the most part, this ingredient is normally only found in cheaper “grocery store brand” cat foods. Corn is frequently used as a filler ingredient to help make your cat feel more full, but it does not add much of anything to the nutritional value in the food. In addition, this is a common allergen for many cats and corn based ingredients can often be difficult for cats to digest. That’s why we can’t recommend this food for cats with food allergies or sensitive digestive systems.

Soybean meal – This ingredient is created after grinding the soybean to extract soybean oil. In addition to being used in dog and cat food, it is widely used as a filler and source of protein in other animal diets including pig, chicken, cattle, horse, sheep, and fish feed. This ingredient can often be found in “hairball relief” cat foods as it is believed to help eliminate hairballs. While some cats are allergic to soy based ingredients, the pet food industry is pretty defensive of this ingredient claiming that despite the attempts of researchers to prove a link between soy and bloat, no studies to date show this link. Rather, breed, body type, weight and stress level are significant risk factors. The pet food industry also claims that soy products are a superb source of bodybuilding protein, coat-nourishing vegetable oil and healthful fiber for cats. As long as your cat isn’t allergic to soy based ingredients, this ingredient shouldn’t pose any problems, but it isn’t included without controversy.

Whole 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.

Poultry by-product meal – This is a source of protein albeit of questionable quality. It is derived from slaughterhouse waste. This is what is left over after all the prime cuts of poultry have been removed. They could include beaks, feet, underdeveloped eggs etc. The only positive to this ingredient is that it contains considerably more protein than fresh poultry.

Other ingredients of Interest

Meat & Bone Meal

Meat and bone meal is the dried and rendered product from mammal tissues. It does not contain horn, hair, hide trimmings, manure, stomach contents, added blood meal or poultry by-product. The calcium content should not be more than 2.2 times the phosphorus content. While this ingredient probably provides a high amount of animal based proteins, it is generally considered to be a very low form of animal proteins. With such generic labeling, we are unable to tell where the meat and bones are coming from. It could be coming from almost any animal. As with other unnamed meat sources, we remain very skeptical about this ingredient.

Animal Fat

Animal fat provides essential fatty acids, energy, and fat soluble vitamins. This ingredient can also support a healthy skin and coat. Unfortunately, when it comes to fat sources, animal fat is considered to be a lower quality ingredient. This is because it is an unnamed fat source. Usually, we like to see a named fat source (such as “chicken fat”). In this case, we are forced to guess what animal or animals this fat source comes from. Animal fat, also called tallow, is a product of rendering. In the rendering process, pieces, parts, and even whole animals are put through a gigantic grinder, then boiled in vats for 30 minutes to several hours. High heat is necessary to kill bacteria, viruses, molds, and other pathogens. The boiling process also allows the fat to separate and float to the top, where it is skimmed off for use in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, industrial lubricants, and, of course, pet food.

Can long Life Formula cause allergies?

The presence of corn and wheat in the formula is a red flag for those whose cats are prone to allergies. Corn and wheat are known allergens that could cause digestion problems in cats.

Cats may react differently to some of the ingredients of long Life Formula. For instance, there are some cats that are likely to gain weight after consuming this food for a long time, thanks to the crude oil ingredients. There are similarly other cats that are allergic to foods which are highly rich in proteins, particularly crude protein. Such cats should nevertheless avoid Life Long Formula and turn to other foods, which have a low concentration of proteins.

Based on the ingredients, there is no doubt that Long Life Formula cat food and is meant for feeding aging cats. Nevertheless, cat owners are reminded to feed their cats in accordance to the guidelines provided on the packaging. They are further reminded that this cat food is not ideal for kittens and relatively small cats since it can negatively impact on their health. Should one suspect that their cat may react with some of the ingredients contained in Long Life Formula such as crude fiber and proteins, they should refrain from feeding it to their cats.

Conclusion

The Long Life Formula though meant for aging cats is simply not a safe option due to the presence of allergens and other low quality ingredients. It leaves a lot to be desired.

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The Whiskas captains catch with crab in sauce is one of the many formulas in the market today. According to the manufacturer, this is a formula that gives your pet a fresh water crab flavor that they will enjoy.

Does this formula deliver on its promise? Read on to find out.

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Ingredients in Whiskas

Sufficient water for processing, chicken liver, meat by-products, chicken, chicken by-products, natural flavor, crab, calcium carbonate, added color, sodium tripolyphosphate, xanthan gum, dried yam, carrageenan, potassium chloride, guar gum, l-cysteine, dl-methionine, erythorbic acid, salt, taurine, vitamin e supplement, Choline chloride, zinc sulfate, thiamine Mononitrate (vitamin b1), ferrous sulfate, sodium nitrite (for color retention), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), manganese sulfate, folic acid, vitamin d3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin k activity).

An overview of the first five ingredients

Water

As you might expect, water is mostly added for moisture and cooking purposes. It does not add any nutritional value to the food.

Chicken liver

Here is another ingredient you probably wouldn’t want to see on your own dinner plate, but most cats seem to enjoy the taste of liver. Uncooked liver, or liver in very high quantities, can actually be toxic to cats. However, in this food, it is clearly provided well within safe limits. In fact, this ingredient is a pretty high quality ingredient overall. It provides a good source of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients your cat can benefit from.

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.

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.

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.

Other ingredients worth mentioning

Crab

Sea food ingredients first became popular in dog food and have recently found its way into cat food as well. Some cat owners prefer to stay away from sea food ingredients because it is not a part of a cats natural diet. Wild cats do not eat crab very often if ever during their lives. However, crab does supply some excellent nutrient sources including healthy fatty acids and proteins. Overall, there is very little to worry about with this ingredient and unless your cat has a unique food allergy to crab, it should provide beneficial nutrients to help your cat live a healthy life.

Natural flavor

The term “natural flavor” is extremely vague and can mean just about anything. In human foods, natural flavor is usually MSG or some similar flavor enhancer. When pet food companies are asked what is in their “natural flavor ingredients, they usually refuse to answer. There are a lot of things in the world considered “natural” and they almost all have a flavor. Such generic terms can be indicative of poor quality ingredients. While that’s not always the case, the fact is, we don’t really know what this ingredient consists of and that is worrying.

Xanthan gum

This is a substance produced by bacterial fermentation or created synthetically and is used in cat foods as a gelling agent and thickener. It is composed of glucose, mannose, and glucuronic acid. It is what causes the black rot on veggies that have been in the fridge too long. Once the bacteria has fermented, it is pasteurized (killed) and filtered. The resulting xanthan gum is then treated with isopropyl alcohol, dried, ground, and diluted to desired consistency. The finished product is a loose, whitish-colored powder. The behavior of xanthan gum makes it ideal for food processing purposes and is used in human food frequently. Nutritionally speaking, it is a carbohydrate with about seven grams of fiber per tablespoon. Xanthan gum is made using carbohydrates from corn, wheat, dairy, or soy which are all common food allergens for many cats.

Added color

There is absolutely no reason to included added color into any cat food, ever. It’s extremely disappointing to see this ultra-low quality ingredient included. Added color is used for marketing purposes only. They want their product to stand out sitting on the shelf at the store, so they add coloring to their product. Essentially, the coloring is added to entice YOU (the human) to purchase the food over other brands. Your cat could care less what color the food is. Unfortunately, added color is quite controversial as there is growing evidence suggesting cancer in cats from too much food color exposure. At worse, this is a harmful ingredient and at best, it is a marketing ploy with no nutritional value or positive benefit to your cat. We usually have a tough time recommending any cat food that includes such a controversial ingredient.

Can this formula cause allergies?

This formula does not contain allergens in the first five ingredients. However, this formula may cause allergies since it has traces of xanthan gum, which is derived from corn. It is, therefore, ideal to avoid feeding your cat on this formula if it suffers from food sensitivities.

Ingredients to avoid

Corn, wheat and soy – All three of these ingredients are known allergens for many cats. In addition, many cats have problems digesting these grain based ingredients. Since cats are obligate carnivores, their digestive systems are designed to digest meat and not grains. All of these ingredients will help to boost the protein percentage in cat food, but not all protein is created equally. Cats do not digest plant based proteins in the same way as meat proteins and in fact, gain little to no nutritional value from these grains. Several “grocery store brand” cat foods include these products to keep the price down as it is a cheap filler to help make your cat feel full as well as a cheap way to add protein to the food.

Gluten – This ingredient is associated with causing allergies in cats. It is also known to raise sugar levels in cats. Over time, this can lead to diabetes. Gluten refers to the proteins found in wheat endosperm which is a type of tissue produced in seeds that’s ground to make flour. Many pet food manufactures will use this ingredient to help boost the protein percentage of the food.

Animal by-product – One of the worst meat ingredients found in pet food today is animal by product. It’s true that this ingredient provides a very high amount of meat protein that cats need to thrive. However, animal by products are considered to be the lowest form of meat and it isn’t even approved for human consumption. Animal by-products are carcasses and parts of carcasses from slaughterhouses, animal shelters, zoos and veterinarians, and products of animal origin not intended for human consumption, including catering waste. Legally, this ingredient can even contain roadkill or euthanized animals. This ingredient may also contain what is called “4D meat” which is what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) calls cattle that is dead, dying, disabled or diseased. This meat is considered unfit for human consumption, but is typically found in many pet food products. This is not something we recommend you feed your cat or any other pet.

Unfortunately, the captain catch with crab in sauce wet formula contains some of these harmful ingredients.

Conclusion

This formula can be termed as a below average formula. The manufacturer claims that it has a rich crab flavoring, but they use additional flavoring meaning the crab is insufficient. The crab is also listed low in the ingredients list meaning it is not available in nutritionally sufficient amounts. The formula also contains questionable ingredients that are linked to health complications.

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According to the manufacturer, the Premium Pate Beef and Chicken Entree (wet) is a cat food made with ingredients guaranteed to provide your cat with all the nutritional needs that it requires. The formula meets all the nutritional levels that are set by the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient profiles for all the life stages of a cat.

The Premium Pate Beef and Chicken Entree (wet) is a product of the Sheba cat food company, which is known for producing cat formulas. The manufacturers of the formula guarantee that the food contains all the ingredients that are required by your cat to remain healthy. Read on and find out if this formula is suitable for your feline friend.

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Ingredients in Pate Beef and Chicken Entree

Beef, Meat Broth, Meat By-Products, Poultry By-Products, Beef Liver, Chicken, Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Natural Flavor, Added Color, Guar Gum, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Fish Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamins (Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex [Source of Vitamin K Activity]), Salt, Taurine, DL-Methionine.

A review of the first five ingredients

Beef

Beef is considered to be a higher quality ingredient. It is an excellent source of animal protein and contains many other nutrients that are very important for a cat to survive and thrive. Since this is not in “meal” form, that means this ingredient still contains all of its moisture content prior to cooking. Once fully cooked, most of this ingredient will have evaporated due to its high moisture content. That means, even when this ingredient is ranked highly, it will usually only provide a small percentage of the overall protein in the food. There is no dismissing this ingredient, though. It is high quality and we are pleased to see it listed.

Meat broth

Used as a source of moisture and flavor, meat broth is normally considered a higher alternative to plain water, even though it doesn’t provide much nutritional value. It’s unfortunately this broth is from an unnamed meat source. Normally, we like to see named meat sources for the broth such as chicken broth or turkey broth. In this case, we are left guessing what meat source is used to create the broth. I can literally be from almost any animal and that is a bit concerning.

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.

Poultry by products

This ingredient is made from grinding clean, rendered parts of poultry carcasses and can contain bones, offal and undeveloped eggs, but only contains feathers that are unavoidable in the processing of the poultry parts. The quality and composition can change from one batch to another. For the most part, this ingredient contains the “non-meat” poultry products like feet, beaks, and bones. While you probably wouldn’t want to eat poultry by-products on your own dinner plate, cats tend to love this stuff. This ingredient does provide a high amount of protein, but we are unable to tell exactly what parts of the animal they are using and that is a bit troublesome.

Beef liver

Some cat owners think they should avoid any type of liver because in high quantities, liver can be toxic to cats. However, in proper quantities this is actually a very safe and nutritious ingredient for most cats. Beef liver is not something most people would find appetizing, but in the wild, cats eat almost every organ of their prey, including livers. It contains a high amount of protein, iron, vitamins, minerals, and many essential nutrients that an obligate carnivore like a cat needs to thrive.

Other ingredients of interest

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.

Natural flavors – While this ingredient may appear to be healthy and safe because it is “natural”, we believe this is a pretty poor quality ingredient. While it might be a harmless flavoring sprayed onto the food, natural flavors can be obtained from almost anything deemed “natural”. Not all things natural are good and some “natural flavor” sources can be downright harmful. Without being able to verify what chemicals are included into this ingredient, we feel a bit apprehensive about it.

Guar gum – This ingredient is also sometimes called guaran. It is primarily the ground endosperm of guar beans. The guar seeds are dehusked, milled and screened to obtain the guar gum. It is typically produced as a free-flowing, off-white powder. This ingredient is mostly used to thicken the food and give it more texture. It is an FDA-approved, all natural GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) ingredient used by the food and cosmetic industries. It also is used to improve the shelf life of the food and helps lower the glycemic index of food. Many cat food companies claim this ingredient also aids in digestion and weight loss. There is some minor debate about the benefits of this ingredient with some claiming negative impacts, but in general, this is thought to be a relatively non-nutritious yet safe ingredient.

Added color – There is absolutely no reason to included added color into any cat food, ever. It’s extremely disappointing to see this ultra-low quality ingredient included. Added color is used for marketing purposes only. They want their product to stand out sitting on the shelf at the store, so they add coloring to their product. Essentially, the coloring is added to entice YOU (the human) to purchase the food over other brands. Your cat could care less what color the food is. Unfortunately, added color is quite controversial as there is growing evidence suggesting cancer in cats from too much food color exposure. At worse, this is a harmful ingredient and at best, it is a marketing ploy with no nutritional value or positive benefit to your cat. We usually have a tough time recommending any cat food that includes such a controversial ingredient.

Ingredients you should avoid feeding your cat on

Wheat, soy and corn – All three of these ingredients are known allergens for many cats. In addition, many cats have problems digesting these grain based ingredients. Since cats are obligate carnivores, their digestive systems are designed to digest meat and not grains. All of these ingredients will help to boost the protein percentage in cat food, but not all protein is created equally. Cats do not digest plant based proteins in the same way as meat proteins and in fact, gain little to no nutritional value from these grains. Several “grocery store brand” cat foods include these products to keep the price down as it is a cheap filler to help make your cat feel full as well as a cheap way to add protein to the food.

Animal by products – One of the worst meat ingredients found in pet food today is animal by product. It’s true that this ingredient provides a very high amount of meat protein that cats need to thrive. However, animal by products are considered to be the lowest form of meat and it isn’t even approved for human consumption. Animal by-products are carcasses and parts of carcasses from slaughterhouses, animal shelters, zoos and veterinarians, and products of animal origin not intended for human consumption, including catering waste. Legally, this ingredient can even contain roadkill or euthanized animals. This ingredient may also contain what is called “4D meat” which is what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) calls cattle that is dead, dying, disabled or diseased. This meat is considered unfit for human consumption, but is typically found in many pet food products. This is not something we recommend you feed your cat or any other pet.

BHT/BHA – 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.

Is this an allergy causing formula?

Most of the ingredients that known to cause allergies in cats are not present in this cat formula. However the animal byproducts present can cause poisoning if they were contaminated.

Conclusion

Premium Pate Beef and Chicken Entree (wet) cat formula can be said to be an average cat food. It does not contain most of the ingredients that are associated with cat poisoning or cat allergies. However, it contains several low quality ingredients that add no value to cats.

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Is your cat head over heels in love with chicken? There is nothing better than feeding your feline companion on what it loves. Naturally, cats are carnivorous and hence the need to feed it on a formula that contains real meat pieces.

The Science Diet Mature Adult Tender Chicken Dinner is a wet cat formula that offers real chicken chunks in gravy. According to the manufacturer, this formula comes with baked, easy to digest chicken pieces among other very healthy ingredients to support the overall health of your feline friend.

Is the formula really as good as it is said to be?

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The ingredients in this formula

Water, Chicken, Liver, Egg Whites, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Dextrose, Rice Starch, Oat Fiber, Chicken Liver Flavor, Soybean Oil, Titanium Dioxide (color), Dicalcium Phosphate, Fish Oil, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, L-Lysine, Iodized Salt, Taurine, Guar Gum, Vitamin E Supplement, Calcium Chloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Caramel (color), Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Ascorbic Acid (source of vitamin C), Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Beta-Carotene, Manganous Oxide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate.

An overview of the five ingredients

Water

As you might expect, water is mostly added for moisture and cooking purposes. It does not add any nutritional value to the food.

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.

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.

Egg Whites

Egg whites are eggs that have been separated from the yolk. They provide a high amount of protein while at the same time, contain low amounts of cholesterol. Egg whites also contain a number of other nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, and iron. Overall this is a nutritious ingredient without much of a health risk.

Wheat Flour

Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat. It helps with the cooking process and also helps to increase the nutrient values of the food. However, cats do not digest wheat in the same way they digest other meat based products. Wheat does not provide much nutrition to cats and is considered a lower quality ingredient. Some cats have problems digesting wheat and others may experience allergic reactions to this ingredient. In lower quantities, this is considered to be a safe ingredient for cats, but it isn’t considered to be a high quality or nutritious ingredient, either.

Other ingredients in the formula

Wheat Gluten

We don’t think any grain is “good” for your cat. It doesn’t mean wheat gluten is “bad” for your cat, either, but the fact it provides almost no nutritional value makes us question the quality of the ingredient. Wheat gluten can be a decent protein source for animals with digestive systems that can break it down, but as obligate carnivores, cats are not one of those animals. Their digestive systems produce only the enzymes necessary for processing animal-based proteins. There are also some allergy risks associated with wheat gluten. In addition, too much of this in a cats diet can potentially lead to weight gain and diabetes. Unfortunately, diabetes in cats is a very serious health problem, so it is important to keep a close eye on your cats weight and diabetic risk when feeding a cat food containing ingredients like wheat gluten.

Dextrose

Dextrose in food is a simple sugar. It is actually a type of glucose, which is a monosaccharide that is widely found in nature and is used by nearly every living organism as a source of energy at the cellular level. This ingredient could be added as a flavor enhancer. In addition, this ingredient is thought to be a stress reducer in cats. Like most sugars, any cats with diabetes should not be fed this ingredient. Many adult cats suffer from diabetes, so it’s important to keep your cats blood sugar level in healthy limits.

Rice Starch

This ingredient doesn’t add any nutritional value to the food. It is used more as a thickening agent and for texture in the food. One of the reasons they use rice is because fewer cats have allergic reactions to this grain than other grain based starches.

Oat Fiber

Oat fiber is produced from food-grade oat hulls and is mostly added for texture and binding purposes. It is sometimes used to help give food a lighter and browner color as well. Cats and dogs have no absolute physiologic need for this ingredient, although animals eating processed commercial foods appear to benefit from the addition of fiber.

Is this an allergy causing formula?

Unfortunately, this formula contains wheat extracts which can cause allergies. Even so, wheat extracts are not as potent as corn based extracts, which are absent in this formula. Therefore, this formula is only likely to trigger allergies in cats with very serious allergic conditions.

Harmful ingredients used in cat formulas

BHA/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 and soy – Both of these grains are commonly found in cheaper cat foods you can normally find in the grocery store. They are cheap filler ingredients that will help to make your cat feel more full, but corn and soy provide almost no nutritional value to cats. These ingredients can also be difficult for some cats to digest, so we do not recommend this product for cats with sensitive digestion issues. And finally, these are two of the most widely known allergens for cats. Most cats are not allergic to these ingredients, but many are. Cat food companies like to use these ingredients because they are cheap and boost the protein percentage in the food. However, cats digest meat proteins and plant based proteins differently. Since they are obligate carnivores, they require meat protein to live a healthy life and do not process plant proteins very well.

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.

Conclusion

The Science Diet Mature Adult Tender Chicken Dinner is a wet cat formula that supplies your cat with the required nutrients for general development. Even so, it is rather unfortunate that it also contains allergy causing ingredients as well as ingredients that lead to weight gain. The mature adult life stage is very delicate since this is when your cat is most vulnerable to infections. Feeding your cat on formulas that may trigger health issues is not advisable. This limits this formula to cats with no allergies. You should also feed your cat on this formula moderately because of the weight gain concerns.

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Is your cat beyond the age of 7? When your cat starts to age, you are supposed to take extra good care of it. This is the age where cats are most vulnerable to health issues like diabetes kidney failure, and even heart failure. Therefore, the formulas you go for should support a healthy heart, kidneys and manageable weight.

The Science Diet Mature Adult Savory Chicken Entrée is a wet formula that is claimed to support the overall health of your mature cat. According to the company that manufactures this product, this formula is said to have all the ingredients required for your cat to lead a healthy lifestyle in its adult years.

Is this formula as healthy for your mature cat as it is said to be?

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The ingredients

Water, Chicken, Turkey Giblets, Meat By-Products, Liver, Corn Starch, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Wheat Flour, Soybean Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Rice Flour, Chicken Liver Flavor, Titanium Dioxide, Guar Gum, Calcium Carbonate, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, Brewers Dried Yeast, Locust Bean Gum, Potassium Citrate, Carrageenan, Dicalcium Phosphate, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.

An overview of the first five ingredients

Water

As you might expect, water is mostly added for moisture and cooking purposes. It does not add any nutritional value to the food.

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.

Turkey Giblets

This ingredient typically includes the heart, gizzard, liver, and other visceral organs of turkeys. Often times, the neck is included in the giblets. This is not an ingredient generally used for human consumption, but there is nothing especially harmful about this ingredient for cats since they thrive on organ meat. This provides a healthy amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals, iron, and other essential nutrients cats require for a healthy life.

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.

Other ingredients in the formula

Corn Starch

This ingredient is the starch derived from the corn grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel. While not harmful in small quantities, cats obtain virtually no nutritional value from corn. This ingredient is usually used as a cheaper filler by lower priced cat foods. Unfortunately, there is a bit of an allergy risk with this ingredient. And finally, many cats will have a tough time properly digesting corn and that could lead to diarrhea, constipation, or other stomach and digestion issues. Most cats will not have any negative reaction to this ingredient, but it’s not an ingredient we are all that excited to see listed.

Corn Gluten Meal

This is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm. The expression “corn gluten” is colloquial jargon that describes corn proteins that are neither gliadin nor glutenin. Only wheat, barley, rye and oat contain true gluten. For the most part, this ingredient is normally only found in cheaper “grocery store brand” cat foods. Corn is frequently used as a filler ingredient to help make your cat feel more full, but it does not add much of anything to the nutritional value in the food. In addition, this is a common allergen for many cats and corn based ingredients can often be difficult for cats to digest. That’s why we can’t recommend this food for cats with food allergies or sensitive digestive systems.

Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid)

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. Citric acid, in this case, is probably used to balance the pH level of the food.

Wheat Flour

Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat. It helps with the cooking process and also helps to increase the nutrient values of the food. However, cats do not digest wheat in the same way they digest other meat based products. Wheat does not provide much nutrition to cats and is considered a lower quality ingredient. Some cats have problems digesting wheat and others may experience allergic reactions to this ingredient. In lower quantities, this is considered to be a safe ingredient for cats, but it isn’t considered to be a high quality or nutritious ingredient, either.

Is there any health condition linked to the use of this formula?

This formula contains some ingredients linked to allergies and possible weight gain. It is, therefore, best to avoid feeding your cat on this formula if it has a chronic allergy condition. Otherwise, this formula is suitable for non-allergic cats and cats with mild allergies.

Ingredients that would have made excellent additions to this formula

Vegetables – This is a pretty generic ingredient and it can include virtually any vegetable. Because of this, we are unable to properly analyze this ingredient. However, since cats are obligate carnivores, they do not gain much of any nutritional benefit from vegetables. That being said, in nature, cats almost always consume the stomach contents of their prey which usually includes various fruits and vegetables. It’s unfortunate this labeling is so generic as we are unable to vouch for the quality of the vegetables included.

Rich carbohydrate source – Often times when a pet food is trying to hide certain controversial ingredients in their food, they will use very generic ingredients for the labeling. This is a good example. Rich carbohydrates could come from a huge number of sources and they’ve left us guessing where this ingredient could possibly be sourced form. Is it a bad quality ingredient? Maybe not. But we just have no way of telling. When generic ingredient labels like this are used, it raises some red flags.

Conclusion

The Mature Adult Savory Chicken Entrée is a nutritious cat formula. It is rather unfortunate that it contains grain based ingredients. Some of the ingredients are allergens thus limiting this formula to cats without allergies. Otherwise, this is a healthy formula for a mature cat.

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Do you know that hairball formation becomes more dangerous as your cat ages? It is important for cat owners to do as much as they can to control hairball formation in their adult cats. While total prevention may not be achievable, controlling the condition can go a long way in safeguarding the digestive system of your feline friend as well as improving on the quality of life it enjoys. This is why you have hairball relief and control formulas.

The Science Diet Mature Adult Hairball Control dry formula is one such formula. According to the manufacturer, this is a formula that can help prevent hairball formation in just 30days. It is also said to contain nutrients that support the cat’s kidney functions and fats that promote the health of the coat and skin.

Is this the most suitable hairball control formula for your adult cat?

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Ingredients in Science Diet Mature Adult Hairball Control

Chicken, Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Powdered Cellulose, Wheat Gluten, Brewers Rice, Chicken Liver Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp, Lactic Acid, Calcium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Iodized Salt, L-Lysine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, Oat Fiber, Mixed Tocopherols for retain freshness, Phosphoric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Natural Flavors, Dried Apples, Dried Broccoli, Dried Carrots, Dried Cranberries, Dried Peas.

An overview of the first five ingredients

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.

Whole Grain Wheat

Whole grain wheat is a grain based product that may cause some digestion issues. In addition it is also a known food allergen for many cats. Grain based ingredients like this one are usually used by pet food companies because it is a cheap way to boost the protein percentage of the food. That said, it provides almost no nutrition for cats because cats do not have a digestive system designed for plant based proteins or nutrients. They are designed to consume and process meats. While this isn’t a bad ingredient in moderation, in higher quantities, it usually reflects a lower quality cat food.

Corn Gluten Meal

This is the dried residue from corn after the removal of the larger part of the starch and germ, and the separation of the bran by the process employed in the wet milling manufacture of corn starch or syrup, or by enzymatic treatment of the endosperm. The expression “corn gluten” is colloquial jargon that describes corn proteins that are neither gliadin nor glutenin. Only wheat, barley, rye and oat contain true gluten. For the most part, this ingredient is normally only found in cheaper “grocery store brand” cat foods. Corn is frequently used as a filler ingredient to help make your cat feel more full, but it does not add much of anything to the nutritional value in the food. In addition, this is a common allergen for many cats and corn based ingredients can often be difficult for cats to digest. That’s why we can’t recommend this food for cats with food allergies or sensitive digestive systems.

Pork Fat

Pork fat is also known as lard, but it doesn’t look as good to put that on the ingredients list! In general this is a good source of fat and we are happy to see a named fat source (as opposed to something generic like “animal fat”). All cats require a healthy fat source. It’s only a problem if they consume too much of it (like humans). When we compare pork fat to other named animal fat sources, there seems to be a higher instance of digestion upset with pork fat. However, in most cases, this is a quality fat source.

Powdered Cellulose

Powdered cellulose is a cheap filler ingredient. It is obtain as a pulp from fibrous plant material and highly refined. Once processed, it looks and feels very similar to sawdust. Cellulose is used in a wide number of ways. In addition to being added to pet food, it is used quite a bit in human foods, but can also be used for things like insulation, rope making, and textiles. Just like in humans, this ingredient is indigestible for cats. There is no hard evidence to suggest this ingredient is unhealthy, but it wouldn’t be considered a higher quality ingredient, either.

Other ingredients of note used in this formula

Wheat Gluten

We don’t think any grain is “good” for your cat. It doesn’t mean wheat gluten is “bad” for your cat, either, but the fact it provides almost no nutritional value makes us question the quality of the ingredient. Wheat gluten can be a decent protein source for animals with digestive systems that can break it down, but as obligate carnivores, cats are not one of those animals. Their digestive systems produce only the enzymes necessary for processing animal-based proteins. There are also some allergy risks associated with wheat gluten. In addition, too much of this in a cats diet can potentially lead to weight gain and diabetes. Unfortunately, diabetes in cats is a very serious health problem, so it is important to keep a close eye on your cats weight and diabetic risk when feeding a cat food containing ingredients like wheat gluten.

Brewers Rice

Brewers rice is the small milled fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice. It is a processed rice product that is missing many of its nutrients, but does provide a source of carbohydrates. It is a by-product of rice milling and considered a lower quality filler ingredient usually used in lower priced cat food blends. Usually, brewers rice is used to make rice flour, but if the quality is too poor for rice flour, it will then be sold to pet food or dairy feed companies. For many cats, this ingredient can cause allergies or digestion issues. Most cats will not have any problems processing this food, but it’s not one of the better ingredients, either.

Chicken Liver Flavor

As you might expect, this ingredient is simply the extracted flavoring of chicken liver. We usually don’t like “flavor” ingredients, but in this case, the animal is named. The sourcing of the flavor (liver) is also named. So in this case, we aren’t too worried about it. This ingredient isn’t going to add any nutritional value to the food, but it may make the food taste better.

Dried Beet Pulp

Beet pulp is a by-product from the processing of sugar beet and is a source of fiber and energy. It is popular among many pet food companies due to its high availability and low price. The most common complaint about this ingredient is that it causes digestion problems, most commonly a very hard stool or diarrhea. It has also been known to cause bloat in some dogs and cats which can be very serious if left unchecked.

Is this an allergy causing formula?

Unfortunately, this formula contains wheat and corn extracts, which are heavily linked to allergies in cats. This formula is unsuitable for cats with food allergies.

Ingredients that should not be included in cat formulas

Soy, wheat and corn – All three of these ingredients are known allergens for many cats. In addition, many cats have problems digesting these grain based ingredients. Since cats are obligate carnivores, their digestive systems are designed to digest meat and not grains. All of these ingredients will help to boost the protein percentage in cat food, but not all protein is created equally. Cats do not digest plant based proteins in the same way as meat proteins and in fact, gain little to no nutritional value from these grains. Several “grocery store brand” cat foods include these products to keep the price down as it is a cheap filler to help make your cat feel full as well as a cheap way to add protein to the 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.

Animal by-products – One of the worst meat ingredients found in pet food today is animal by product. It’s true that this ingredient provides a very high amount of meat protein that cats need to thrive. However, animal by products are considered to be the lowest form of meat and it isn’t even approved for human consumption. Animal by-products are carcasses and parts of carcasses from slaughterhouses, animal shelters, zoos and veterinarians, and products of animal origin not intended for human consumption, including catering waste. Legally, this ingredient can even contain roadkill or euthanized animals. This ingredient may also contain what is called “4D meat” which is what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) calls cattle that is dead, dying, disabled or diseased. This meat is considered unfit for human consumption, but is typically found in many pet food products. This is not something we recommend you feed your cat or any other pet.

Conclusion

The Science Diet Mature Adult Hairball dry formula is an average formula that is best suited for cats without allergies. Worth noting is the use of vegetables and fruits in the formula. These are excellent ingredients for any formula.

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Are you still scratching your head on the best formula to get your kitten? With so many formulas in the market, it is possible to get carried away and probably end up purchasing a low quality formula. It is best to take your time to learn more about a formula before you purchase it.

The Science Diet Kitten Liver and Chicken Entrée is one of the many canned formulas in the market. The company that manufactures this formula claims that it is the best for growing kittens. It is said that this formula contains real liver and chicken pieces in tasty gravy. It is also said to have the required ingredients to help your cat to grow healthily. This formula is claimed to be ideal for pregnant and nursing cats too.

Can all these claimed be substantiated? Read on to find out.

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The ingredients in the formula

Water, Liver, Pork By-Products, Egg Product, Chicken,Soybean Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Corn Starch, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Beet Pulp, Pork Protein Isolate, Powdered Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Fish Meal, Fish Oil, L-Lysine, Brewers Dried Yeast, Guar Gum, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Sulfate, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Locust Bean Gum, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Carrageenan, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Tryptophan, Magnesium Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Zinc Oxide, Ascorbic Acid (source of vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, Beta-Carotene, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Biotin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.

An overview of the first five ingredients

Water

As you might expect, water is mostly added for moisture and cooking purposes. It does not add any nutritional value to the food.

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.

Pork By-Products

Pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world. A 250 pound pig will only yield about 150 pounds of meat, which means there are other products, besides meat, that come from these animals. These are known as by-products. An animal product is any material derived from the body of an animal. Examples are fat, flesh, blood, milk, eggs, and lesser known products such as isinglass and rennet. Any animal by-product is typically considered to be of lower quality because it can also contain slaughterhouse waste. Slaughterhouse waste is defined as animal body parts cut off in the preparation of carcasses for use as food. This waste can come from several sources, including slaughterhouses, restaurants, stores and farms. This meat can also include what is known as 4D meat, meaning it could include slaughtered pigs that were dying, diseased, deformed, or dead before the slaughtering process. 4D meat is not approved for human consumption, so it is typically used for pet food and animal feed. The consistency and quality of this ingredient could vary over time.

Egg Product

Derived from shell free eggs, this is a cheaper source of protein used in place of higher quality meat proteins. Normally, this ingredient is derived from waste products associated with the egg industry or egg products that have been deemed unfit for human consumption.

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.

Other ingredients in the formula

Soybean Meal – This ingredient is created after grinding the soybean to extract soybean oil. In addition to being used in dog and cat food, it is widely used as a filler and source of protein in other animal diets including pig, chicken, cattle, horse, sheep, and fish feed. This ingredient can often be found in “hairball relief” cat foods as it is believed to help eliminate hairballs. While some cats are allergic to soy based ingredients, the pet food industry is pretty defensive of this ingredient claiming that despite the attempts of researchers to prove a link between soy and bloat, no studies to date show this link. Rather, breed, body type, weight and stress level are significant risk factors. The pet food industry also claims that soy products are a superb source of bodybuilding protein, coat-nourishing vegetable oil and healthful fiber for cats. As long as your cat isn’t allergic to soy based ingredients, this ingredient shouldn’t pose any problems, but it isn’t included without controversy.

Fish Meal – When you see fish listed as “fish meal” on an ingredients list, that means almost all of the moisture was removed from the fish prior to the cooking process. That means fish meal contains a much higher amount of protein as opposed to it’s whole fish counterpart. However, we aren’t pleased that this ingredient is an unnamed fish source. Fish meal can contain almost any type of fish, including fish waste products that are not used for human consumption purposes. Whenever we see an unnamed fish source, we get a little nervous about what may (or may not) be included.

Fish Oil – Fish oil is a popular supplement used by cat and dog owners. In this case, the food is already supplemented with fish oil. This ingredient is high in very healthy Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. This can lead to an improved coat, healthier skin, boost to the immune system, lower blood pressure, and help improving cognitive function in older pets. There are also some studies that show fish oil to help assist with certain allergies in dogs and cats. This is a higher quality ingredient.

Brewers Dried Yeast – Brewers dried yeast is made from a single-celled fungus, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is a very rich source of B vitamins and supplies minerals and amino acids. It is known to support a normal healthy coat. This is also an old remedy for flea and tick protection. This ingredient is generally a by-product of alcohol production and there are no major health risks associated with this ingredient.

Is this an allergy causing formula?

Unfortunately this formula contains corn extracts which can cause serious allergies. It is, therefore, best to feed your kitten on this formula in moderate amounts. If your kitten is already allergic to corn, it is best to avoid feeding it on this formula.

Healthy ingredients that should have been included in the formula

Vegetables – This is a pretty generic ingredient and it can include virtually any vegetable. Because of this, we are unable to properly analyze this ingredient. However, since cats are obligate carnivores, they do not gain much of any nutritional benefit from vegetables. That being said, in nature, cats almost always consume the stomach contents of their prey which usually includes various fruits and vegetables. It’s unfortunate this labeling is so generic as we are unable to vouch for the quality of the vegetables included.

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.

Conclusion

This is a healthy cat formula for kittens without allergies. It contains all the necessary ingredients for healthy development in kittens. Nevertheless, this formula contains allergens making it unsuitable for allergic kittens or pregnant cats.

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Do you own a kitten? To ensure it matures into a strong and healthy adult cat, you need to start feeding it on formulas that boost its immune system and general growth. Lucky for you, the market is awash with kitten formulas. The only challenge you are likely to face is selecting the most ideal formula for your tiny feline.

The Science Diet Kitten Homestyle Chicken Entrée is one of the many wet cat formulas in the market today. According to the brand company, this is a kitten formula made with natural ingredients in a delicious source. It is also claimed to be corn free and to have the required nutrients for healthy kitten development.

Is this the best formula for your tiny feline?

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The ingredients in the formula

Water, Chicken, Animal Liver, Wheat Flour, Brown Rice, Carrots, Wheat Gluten, Soy Protein Isolate, Pork Plasma, Rice Starch-Modified, Spinach, Poultry Fat, Chicken Liver Flavor, Oat Fiber, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soybean Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Fish Oil, Titanium Dioxide (color), Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Guar Gum, Magnesium Oxide, Caramel (color), Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Sulfate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadoine Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K3).

An overview of the first five ingredients

Water

As you might expect, water is mostly added for moisture and cooking purposes. It does not add any nutritional value to the food.

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.

Animal Liver

While liver provides some excellent nutrients for cats, this is an unnamed meat source. Since this is labeled as animal liver, this liver could come from just about any animal and that leaves a lot to the imagination. It also could indicate that this ingredient is inconsistent over time. They may include liver from one animal one month and another animal the next. So while we generally have no problem with liver in cat food, the fact this is an unnamed animal source has us a bit untrusting.

Wheat Flour

Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat. It helps with the cooking process and also helps to increase the nutrient values of the food. However, cats do not digest wheat in the same way they digest other meat based products. Wheat does not provide much nutrition to cats and is considered a lower quality ingredient. Some cats have problems digesting wheat and others may experience allergic reactions to this ingredient. In lower quantities, this is considered to be a safe ingredient for cats, but it isn’t considered to be a high quality or nutritious ingredient, either.

Brown Rice

Brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories and carbohydrates. The main differences between the two forms of rice lie in processing and nutritional content. When only the outermost layer of a grain of rice (the husk) is removed, brown rice is produced. To produce white rice, the next layers underneath the husk (the bran layer and the germ) are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm. While many cat owners like to stay away from grain based ingredients, rice in general is easy for cats to digest and is not likely to cause allergic reactions. The rice will expand in your cats stomach helping him or her feel more full. So while this ingredient may not be especially nutritious, it does have value in the food and is unlikely to cause major problems. You should still avoid this ingredient if your cat has suffered from grain allergies in the past, but overall, this is a very low-risk ingredient even though it is a grain.

Other ingredients in the formula

 

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.

Wheat Gluten – We don’t think any grain is “good” for your cat. It doesn’t mean wheat gluten is “bad” for your cat, either, but the fact it provides almost no nutritional value makes us question the quality of the ingredient. Wheat gluten can be a decent protein source for animals with digestive systems that can break it down, but as obligate carnivores, cats are not one of those animals. Their digestive systems produce only the enzymes necessary for processing animal-based proteins. There are also some allergy risks associated with wheat gluten. In addition, too much of this in a cats diet can potentially lead to weight gain and diabetes. Unfortunately, diabetes in cats is a very serious health problem, so it is important to keep a close eye on your cats weight and diabetic risk when feeding a cat food containing ingredients like wheat gluten.

Soy Protein Isolate – Soy protein isolate is a dry powder food ingredient that has been separated or isolated from the other components of the soybean, making it 90 to 95 percent protein and nearly carbohydrate and fat-free. It can be found in both human and pet food products. This ingredient is typically added to pet foods in order to boost the overall protein percentage of the food. Unfortunately, cats do not gain much of any value from plant based proteins. As obligate carnivores, cats require meat proteins. Soy products are also known allergens for many cats and many have trouble digesting soy based ingredients. This is a pretty low quality ingredient.

Pork Plasma – Get ready, because this ingredient might gross you out a bit. This basically consists of pork blood and blood products. They just don’t like saying that on the label. Now, as unappetizing as that sounds, animal blood and in particular, plasma, does provide some nutrition to cats and isn’t unhealthy. In fact, it may provide some benefits including assisting in digesting food properly. The nutritional advantages of plasma as an added ingredient beyond that which is naturally in meat is partly due to immunologic fractions, including IgG, similar to what is found in the colostrum in breast milk. Plasma also contains haptoglobulin, growth factors, other proteins and peptides, and transferrins. The protein fraction of plasma is highly digestible and plasma also increases digestibility of other ingredients, including fiber.

Is this an allergy causing formula?

This formula is likely to cause allergies in your kitten. It contains wheat extracts. Therefore, this formula is most suitable for non-allergic cats and those with very mild allergies.

Other harmful ingredients used on cat formulas

Corn – Unfortunately, corn is one of the most widely known food allergens for cats. If your cat does not have a pre-existing allergy to this ingredient, he or she should not experience any allergic reactions. However, this ingredient is also difficult for many cats to digest, so you should keep an eye on your cat for any digestion problems or stomach upset. And finally, this ingredient is normally used in cheaper cat food products as a filler ingredient. It will help make your cat feel more full and will also boost the protein percentage of the food. Since cats are obligate carnivores, however, they do not digest plant based proteins like they do animal based proteins. Overall, this ingredient is pretty lousy unless it is only included in smaller quantities. If your cat suffers from digestion issues or food allergies, do not feed this food to your cat.

Artificial coloring and flavoring – Both artificial and natural flavor ingredients are considered to be lower quality ingredients. Artificial flavor is usually derived from petroleum. Most have not been studied for safety or toxicity. They are all synthesized chemicals that don’t even have common names. Most artificial flavors actually contain many chemical ingredients, not just one. Many of those chemicals are volatile. Both natural and artificial flavors are chemical based ingredients and we don’t get all that excited when we see either one of those ingredients listed. Both of these ingredients have potential allergy risks and other possible health problems in cats.

We also 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.

Animal by-products – One of the worst meat ingredients found in pet food today is animal by product. It’s true that this ingredient provides a very high amount of meat protein that cats need to thrive. However, animal by products are considered to be the lowest form of meat and it isn’t even approved for human consumption. Animal by-products are carcasses and parts of carcasses from slaughterhouses, animal shelters, zoos and veterinarians, and products of animal origin not intended for human consumption, including catering waste. Legally, this ingredient can even contain roadkill or euthanized animals. This ingredient may also contain what is called “4D meat” which is what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) calls cattle that is dead, dying, disabled or diseased. This meat is considered unfit for human consumption, but is typically found in many pet food products. This is not something we recommend you feed your cat or any other pet.

Conclusion

Apart from a few allergy related ingredients, this is a kitten formula that contains all the required nutrients for your kitten to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. The allergens, however, make it somewhat risky especially since it is meant for kittens.

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Are you looking for an alternative meat protein source from the conventional beef and chicken for your cat’s formula? Cat foods come with varying ingredients and feeding your cat on one type of formula for a long time can become boring for the cat. You can always change between meat based formulas to keep your cat interested.

The Science Diet Adult Turkey and Giblets Entrée (wet) is one of the formulas that are not based on chicken or beef. According to the Science Diet Company, this formula delivers a delectable taste of turkey meat with giblets served in thick gravy. It is also said to contain other healthy ingredients that maintain your cat’s health.

Is this formula the best alternative to beef and chicken for your cat?

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The ingredients in this formula

Water, Turkey, Turkey Giblets, Liver, Salmon, Corn Starch, Meat By-Products, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Powdered Cellulose, Rice Flour, Wheat Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Chicken, Soybean Meal, Guar Gum, Dicalcium Phosphate, Locust Bean Gum, Calcium Carbonate, Brewers Dried Yeast, Caramel Color, Choline Chloride, Carrageenan, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Iodized Salt, DL-Methionine, Calcium Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Manganous Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Biotin, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.

An overview of the first five ingredients

Water

As you might expect, water is mostly added for moisture and cooking purposes. It does not add any nutritional value to the food.

Turkey

As a whole meat ingredient, turkey is a fantastic source of very healthy animal based proteins. We are extremely pleased to see this ingredient listed. Unfortunately, in dry kibbles, there is not as much of this ingredient included as you might initially think. Ingredients are listed by weight prior to the cooking process and since whole turkey is about 70% moisture, the vast majority is cooked off. So while we think this is an excellent and nutritional ingredient, it does need to be complimented by other high quality meat protein ingredients when used in dry kibbles. In wet cat foods, however, this is not nearly as much of a concern.

Turkey Giblets

This ingredient typically includes the heart, gizzard, liver, and other visceral organs of turkeys. Often times, the neck is included in the giblets. This is not an ingredient generally used for human consumption, but there is nothing especially harmful about this ingredient for cats since they thrive on organ meat. This provides a healthy amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals, iron, and other essential nutrients cats require for a healthy life.

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.

Salmon

Salmon is an excellent source of high quality proteins for cats and is extremely rich in healthy Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Some people worry about mercury levels in fish. It’s true that all fish contains some degree of mercury, the level in salmon is much lower than other types of fish and the FDA doesn’t believe it is cause for concern. Most salmon in cat food is farmed salmon, but higher end cat food (especially those labeled “natural”) can often times be fished from natural lakes and streams. The biggest problem with fish ingredients, including salmon, is if the fish includes an antioxidant called ethoxyquin (EMQ). It is believe that ethoxyquin could be very harmful to cats and other animals. Always make sure you are using “Ethoxyquin free” cat food blends when they include fish ingredients. When in doubt, call the customer service number and ask.

Other ingredients in this formula

Caramel Color

Caramel color is one of the oldest and most widely used food colorings. It is used very frequently in human foods and in this case it is used to create a browner color to the cat food. We find it quite concerning when a cat food producer uses food coloring. For starters, food coloring provides absolutely no nutritional benefit. Second, your cat does not care what color his or her food is. The food coloring is used strictly for marketing purposes and to make the food look better to YOU (the human consumer). Carmel color has come under quite a bit of scrutiny in past years for possible links to cancer. The FDA is currently looking into the current standards of caramel color. Since this is such a controversial ingredient and since it doesn’t provide any nutritional value to cats, we find it very concerning the manufacture is still using this ingredient in their products.

Corn Starch

This ingredient is the starch derived from the corn grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel. While not harmful in small quantities, cats obtain virtually no nutritional value from corn. This ingredient is usually used as a cheaper filler by lower priced cat foods. Unfortunately, there is a bit of an allergy risk with this ingredient. And finally, many cats will have a tough time properly digesting corn and that could lead to diarrhea, constipation, or other stomach and digestion issues. Most cats will not have any negative reaction to this ingredient, but it’s not an ingredient we are all that excited to see listed.

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.

Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid)

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. Citric acid, in this case, is probably used to balance the pH level of the food.

Can this formula cause allergies?

This formula contains a good number of allergens making it an allergy causing formula. It is, therefore, advisable to check the ingredients list before purchase to avoid feeding your cat on allergens. This formula is only suitable for cats with no allergies.

Harmful ingredients used in cat formulas

Corn, wheat and soy – All three of these ingredients are known allergens for many cats. In addition, many cats have problems digesting these grain based ingredients. Since cats are obligate carnivores, their digestive systems are designed to digest meat and not grains. All of these ingredients will help to boost the protein percentage in cat food, but not all protein is created equally. Cats do not digest plant based proteins in the same way as meat proteins and in fact, gain little to no nutritional value from these grains. Several “grocery store brand” cat foods include these products to keep the price down as it is a cheap filler to help make your cat feel full as well as a cheap way to add protein to the food.

BHA/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.

Gluten – This ingredient is associated with causing allergies in cats. It is also known to raise sugar levels in cats. Over time, this can lead to diabetes. Gluten refers to the proteins found in wheat endosperm which is a type of tissue produced in seeds that’s ground to make flour. Many pet food manufactures will use this ingredient to help boost the protein percentage of the food.

Conclusion

The Adult Turkey And Giblets Entrée (wet) formula is an average formula meant for non-allergic cats. The first five ingredients are quality ingredients that have the capacity to nurture your adult cat’s health. However, the formula also contains corn and starch extracts. These are allergens that are of low nutritional value that make this formula unsuitable for cats with allergies.

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