Pioneers such as Ann Martin, with her book, "Foods Pets Die For," have raised new consumer awareness about the ingredients in commercial pet foods, including cat food.

Although much more information can be found about choosing quality cat food for your cats in my article, "Tips for Choosing Cat Food," ... The following is a synopsis of the ingredients you should avoid :

• BHT, BHA, and ethoxyquin
  These are chemical preservatives which are very effective at preserving dry cat food, but are suspected to be potentially cancer-causing agents. In recent years, many pet food manufacturers have moved toward using more "natural" preservatives, such as Vitamins C and E
  .
• Meat By-Products
  The AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officers) defines meat by-products as " The non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves." Besides the fact that you don't know what species of animal the "meat" comes from, by-products as a rule are considered an inferior form of the protein which cats need
  .
• Meat Meal, Meat By-Product
  "Meal" is generally produced by rendering, a process which raises a red flag to cat enthusiasts. I would definitely recommend avoiding cat foods containing these ingredients
  .
• See also the FAQ 
  ... on ingredients to look for in cat food. And for a more complete discussion of how to read cat food labels, check out Understanding Cat Food Labels
  .

FAQs Index

What's wrong with by-products in cat food?

Should I try a vegan diet for my cats?

What cat food ingredients should I avoid?