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If you have an adult cat, this Eukanuba Adult Entree With Gormet Chicken Cat Food review is for you. Eukanuba is owned by Procter & Gamble and manufactured in their Leipsic, Ohio plant which makes both dog and cat food. In 1969, Paul Iams wanted to find a name to differentiate the new formula from other Iams pet food products. Iams chose to name this new formula “Eukanuba”, a term originated by jazz era personality Hoagy Carmichael, meaning “the tops” or “something supreme” (read more on Wikipedia).
With this being such a readily available and lower priced cat food brand, you may be wondering if it is a healthy choice of food for your adult cat. Let’s explore the ingredients and find out.
Ingredients in Eukanuba Adult Entrée With Gormet Chicken Cat Food
Chicken Broth, Chicken, Meat By-Products, Liver, Chicken By-Products, Flax Meal, Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Carrots, Broccoli, Dried Beet Pulp, Titanium Dioxide, Sweet Potatoes, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Guar Gum, Brewers Dried Yeast, Suncured Alfalfa, Dried Egg Product, Minerals (Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Copper Sulfate), DL-Methionine, Carrageenan, Choline Chloride, Vitamins (Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (source of vitamin K3), Folic Acid), Taurine, Fructooligosaccharides, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin E Supplement.
Top 5 Ingredients Analysis
Whenever you are reviewing a commercial cat food blend, it is good practice to pay special attention to the first 5 ingredients listed. These ingredients make up the vast majority of the nutritional content in the food. Let’s take a look at the top 5 ingredients in this cat food.
Chicken Broth
While chicken broth does not add much nutritional value to the food, it does add flavor and is considered to be a better alternative to water. The main reason for adding this ingredient is simply to add moisture.
Chicken
Chicken is a very popular ingredient for pet food and in this case, they are referring to whole chicken. This is a very high quality meat source and we are pleased to see it listed. However, whole chicken loses about 80% of its content during the cooking process since the majority of whole chicken is water. After the cooking process is complete, the amount of whole chicken remaining is substantially reduced. Therefor, while whole chicken is a great source of meat protein, this ingredient alone is not enough to provide sufficient levels of meat protein in a cats diet.
Meat By-Products
This is about the lowest quality meat product that can be included in any cat food. We are very disappointed to see this ingredient listed. Meat By-Products are parts of slaughtered animals including the lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue, and stomach and intestines freed of their contents. In addition, meat by-products can also legally contain animals that were dead, dying, or diseased before slaughtering. Many times, animals with tumors are ground and processed, meaning, ground up cancerous tumors could legally be included in your pets food. While unlikely, it can even legally include road kill. Perhaps worst of all, this ingredient COULD include meat from euthanized cats, dogs, horses, or other animals. Meat by-product is an unnamed meat source and you never know for sure where it is coming from or what animals are being used. Also note that meat by-products are not approved for human consumption. It consists of unwanted parts only acceptable in the pet food or feed industries. This is one of the most controversial meat ingredients that could be included and there is much to be concerned about when purchasing any pet food that includes meat by-products.
Liver
In the wild, cats almost always eat the liver of their prey. It is a rich source of vitamin A which cats must obtain from their food since they can’t make it in their bodies. This is also a good secondary source of protein. If cats consume too much liver, it could cause toxicity, but the amount needed for liver to become toxic to cats is very high. Liver is provided in safe quantities in this cat food blend.
Chicken By-Products
While this ingredient does provide a high amount of meat protein, this meat source is considered to be of lower quality than many other meat sources. Chicken By-Product is produced through a process of cooking, drying and separation of fats and proteins from animal carcasses. It contains a combination of meat (or cuts or parts) including lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, necks, undeveloped eggs and intestines. Usually, by-products are the “left overs” that can’t be used for human food consumption. The greatest fault of this ingredient is the same trait that makes it so affordable and so commonly found in pet foods. The unpredictability of what might (or might not) be included.
Additional Ingredients Of Interest In Eukanuba Adult Entree With Gormet Chicken Cat Food
Flax Meal
Extracted from flax seeds, this is used as a source of omega fatty acids and digestible fiber.
Broccoli
This is a very rich source of vitamin C, soluble fiber, calcium as well as other nutrients. While not dangerous to your cat, it has been associated with an increase in flatulence in many cats.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes provide a great source of potassium, vitamin B, and beta-carotene. This ingredient also provides antioxidant agents that specifically help to fight against cancer causing agents. This is a higher quality ingredient with no known negative side-effects.
Dried 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.
Allergy Risks Associated With Eukanuba Adult Entree With Gormet Chicken Cat Food
Fortunately, this cat food is free from the main allergy causing ingredients. Every cat is unique in their own way and your cat may suffer from a rare food allergy, but in general, we believe the allergy risk associated with this food is quite low.
Conclusion
The Eukanuba Adult Entree With Gormet Chicken Cat Food blend contains both good ingredients and also some ingredients we don’t think is of the highest quality. It’s interesting that chicken broth is the #1 ingredient in this food considering it doesn’t provide much nutritional value, but that isn’t our biggest concern. We are very disappointed to see the use of by-products and especially meat by-products. While the food does contain higher grade meat sources like chicken, we feel the lower quality ingredients outweigh the good, making this a slightly below average cat food. Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to speak your mind in the comment section below.
