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Wysong Pet Foods was established in 1979 to provide natural and holistic foods for dogs, cats, and other common household pets. Their website claims they have two main objectives…
First, they want to “arm pet owners with the knowledge needed to make sound nutritional and health decisions for their pets – pet health and nutrition information is our best product and it is free to you.” And secondly, they desire to “provide natural and holistic pet foods and cat & dog supplements scientifically formulated and painstakingly manufactured and packaged for health optimization.”
On a whole, Wysong does seem to provide higher grade ingredients and they avoid grain and other cheaper filler ingredients. The company sells foods to meet many different customers including dry foods, wet foods, and raw based diets. While Wysong has had some recalls in the past, the recalls are limited and do no appear to be major concerns.
List Of Ingredients In This Cat Food
Lamb Meal, Fish Meal, Peas, Brown Rice, Sweet Potatoes, Flaxseeds, Soybean Oil, Beet Pulp, Eggs, Montmorillonite Clay, Crab Meal, Coconut Oil, Whey, Salt, Rice Bran Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Tomato Pomace, Calcium Propionate, Taurine, Organic Barley Grass Powder, Blueberry, Kelp, Yogurt, Citric Acid, Apple Pectin, Fish Oil, Yeast Extract, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Chicory Root, Hemicellulose Extract, Yeast Culture, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate), Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid [source of Vitamin C], Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex [source of Vitamin K activity]), Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus lactis Fermentation Product, Pepper
Top 5 Ingredients Analysis
Lamb Meal
Lamb is a very high quality source of meat protein. Generally, this ingredient is more nutritious in canned formulas than dry formulas, but in either case, it is nice to see this ingredient listed. Since this is in “meal” form, the moisture has already been removed prior to the cooking process. This makes the ingredient especially nutritious as it retains far more nutrients including meat proteins.
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.
Peas
Peas are becoming more and more common in pet foods today, especially those listed as grain-free, holistic, or natural pet foods. While peas are certainly not grains, they serve much the same purpose. It mostly acts as a filler and a cheap way to increase the protein percentage of the food. However, cats receive almost no nutritional value from peas. Since cats are obligate carnivores, they require proteins from meat based ingredients. There is very little research that has been performed on the long term effects of cats consuming peas. We do know that peas can cause runny poop or digestion issues in dogs, but the full effect on cats remains a bit of an unknown. At best, this ingredient will act as a filler and will not provide much nutritional value, if any, to your cat.
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.
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.
Additional Ingredients Of Interest
Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds (also called linseeds) are a rich source of micronutrients, dietary fiber, manganese, vitamin B1, and the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, also known as ALA or omega-3. The seeds come from flax, one of the the oldest fiber crops in the world. It is not only a source of healthy fat, antioxidants, and fiber; modern research has found evidence to suggest that flaxseed can also help lower the risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The health risk associated with this ingredient is low and in general, flaxseed is considered to be a beneficial ingredient for cats.
Soybean Oil
Soybean oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean (Glycine max) and is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils. Soy is a plant protein used by pet food companies to boost protein content and add bulk. Because plant proteins are less expensive than meat proteins, pet food manufacturers use them to increase profit margins. The majority of experts on pet nutrition agree soy isn’t good nutrition for cats or dogs. It is considered a low-quality, incomplete protein well known to create food allergies in pets. Many cat food companies take a hard stance against the “negative publicity” that soy products receive and defend the use of soy strongly, claiming that soy helps add nutrients and improves a cats coat and skin. However, we do not find soy products to be reminiscent of a high quality cat food.
Eggs
While raw eggs can cause some skin problems in cats, cooked eggs are healthy for cats and supply quite a bit of protein. Some cat owners prefer only feeding egg whites because the yolks can add a fairly high amount of cholesterol. In addition to the protein content, eggs also supply potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, and iron. In moderation, this is considered a healthy ingredient for cats.
Montmorillonite Clay
Montmorillonite clay is used in some natural pet foods as a natural anti-caking agent. The clay has also been proven to strengthen bones and joints as well as boost the immune system in some cats. While this is not an especially nutritious ingredient for cats, there has not been a large number of adverse effects reported from this ingredient. In fact, a growing number of veterinarians are recommending to include this ingredient in a cats diet.
