Feline Nutrition & Health Information

The Nutritional Needs of Cats
Raw Food & Cat Health
Feline Nutrition & Health
Health Conditions & Management
Health Resources

Commercial Foods
We like to believe that commercial cat food provides healthy nutrition to our cats. Unfortunately, that is generally not the case. Kibble is not an appropriate food for cats at all, yet 80% of cats in the U.S. are fed kibble. And if the problem isn't one of ingredient quality, there are many ingredients that may be the cause of GI stress or illness in our cats: species-inappropriate ingredients (peas, soy, grains, fruits & vegetables), gums and thickeners (like carrageenan and xanthan gum), flavorings and food colors, preservatives, to name a few. Most people never know just what the problem was - but the information provided here explains why so often all it takes is a transition to raw or homemade food to see all symptoms of IBD stop - almost magically.
  • Cat Food vs. Cat Health - this article puts overall feline health into perspective. Food-related diseases and problems are at epidemic levels in our cats. If the problem isn't what we're feeding, it's how we're feeding it.
  • Processed foods are not good for cats, the same way processed foods are not good for humans. Dr. Karen Becker of Healthy Pets at Mercola.com interviewed Dr. Danielle Conway, who has completed a pilot study that proves the presence of health-damaging compounds (advanced glycation end products) in processed pet food. "Dr. Conway’s current research project is looking into advanced glycation end products (AGE). These are compounds that form as the result of what is known as the Maillard reaction. When a protein joins with a carbohydrate, the biochemical result is a compound that can cause widespread inflammation and damage in the body.... Advanced glycation end products have been extensively studied in humans, and have been shown to exacerbate diabetes and interfere with kidney function. AGE has also been linked to aging, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and more recently, neurologic disease such as intervertebral disc disease. AGE studies in humans have revealed that ... if we eat a diet high in processed foods, it increases the level of AGE in our bodies. A direct link exists between the amount of processed foods consumed and the level of AGE in the blood. The reverse is also true: eat foods low in AGE and AGE blood levels decrease. In fact, studies show that when people with diabetes eat a low AGE diet, it improves insulin sensitivity and kidney function. ... Dr. Conway explained that the preliminary pilot study, in which she looked at the presence of AGE in different types of pet foods, is complete. What she found across-the-board is that the less processing that occurs, the less heat applied, the more moisture maintained, the lower the AGE."

Pet Food Ingredients to Avoid
Issues with Commercial Foods: Regulations
  • Cornucopia Institute - A 2015 report "sheds light on serious problems in pet food industry regulations and how specific loopholes allow for the use of questionable ingredients that could negatively impact companion animal health."
  • Born Free USA: What's Really in Pet Food? "This report explores the differences between what consumers think they are buying and what they are actually getting. It focuses in very general terms on the most visible name brands — the pet food labels that are mass-distributed to supermarkets and discount stores — but there are many highly respected brands that may be guilty of the same offenses. What most consumers don’t know is that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a convenient way for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered “unfit for human consumption,” and similar waste products to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines, udders, heads, hooves, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts."
  • Deconstructing the Regulatory Façade: Why Confused Consumers Feed their Pets Ring Dings and Krispy Kremes. An in-depth report written by Harvard Law student Justine S. Patrick, April 2006.

FDA Compliance Guides
  • CPG Sec. 675.400 Rendered Animal Feed Ingredients (Kibble / "Dry Biscuits"). Yes, diseased /downed animals are allowed in kibble:  "The rendering industry utilizes packinghouse offal, meat processing waste, restaurant waste and animal tissues from other sources including animals that have died otherwise than by slaughter... No regulatory action will be considered for animal feed ingredients resulting from the ordinary rendering process of industry, including those using animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter, provided they are not otherwise in violation of the law."
  • CPG Sec. 690.300 Canned Pet Food. Yes, diseased / downed animals are allowed in canned food:  "The pet food canning industry utilizes undecomposed animal and marine tissues from various sources. These include products of the rendering industry such as various meat, poultry, and bone meals; meat scraps and offal from packing house waste, freshly boned-out animals; and occasionally meat from animals that may have died otherwise than by slaughter. Before processing, many of these commodities may be considered in violation of *402(a)(5)*, however, the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is aware of no instances of disease or other hazard occurring from canned packing house offal or the tissues of animals that may have died otherwise than by slaughter. ... Pet food consisting of material from diseased animals or animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter, which is in violation of 402(a)(5) will not ordinarily be actionable, if it is not otherwise in violation of the law. It will be considered fit for animal consumption."

Books for Further Reading
Prescription Foods

Uncategorized Cat-related Articles