If you are wondering what goes into cat food, you may be surprised at the answer.
This video does a great job of explaining how cat food is made, but what is actually in it?
As the video below shows, depending on they type of cat food, the ingredients can be as simple as water and beef.
That video is of a very simple home made cat food, so whats in commercial cat food?
Commercial cat food has a lot more ingredients, for example Iams has:
- Chicken By-Product Meal (Basically all the parts of the chicken you cant sell to humans)
- Corn Meal (A cheap filler that also helps the food to keep its shape)
- Corn Grits
- Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E)
- Ocean Fish (An assortment of the parts of fish humans don’t eat)
- Brewers Rice (A filler that helps keep the cost of food down)
- Dried Beet Pulp
- Natural Flavor (Usually types of dried animal fat)
- Dried Egg Product
- Brewers Dried Yeast
- Sodium Bisulfate
- Fructooligosaccharides
- Potassium Chloride
- Choline Chloride
- DL-Methionine
- Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E)
- Calcium Carbonate
- Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1)
- Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6)
- Vitamin B12 Supplement
- Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2)
- Inositol
- Vitamin D3 Supplement
- Folic Acid
- Taurine
- Minerals (Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate)
- L-Carnitine
- Rosemary Extract
Most commercial is not as healthy as food you could make at home, however, do not mistake the commercial cat food as being bad, or unhealthy.
Although they would be healthier if they used fresh meat products, the vitamins, and minerals they add into the cat food are required by your cat. And a cat on a commercial cat diet can be just as healthy as a cat on a home made diet.
The difference will be the freshness of the food, how long the food will last, and the cost to make it.
Many cat owners who make their own cat food believe that they save on average at least 30% on feeding their cat.
This video has a great recipe for cat food. It requires more ingredients, but will end up being much healthier for your cat.
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