Comparison and analysis of the composition of cat food - analysis and analysis

Types of cat food

A ready-made dish is always convenient, first of all, for the owner. There is no need to waste time on preparations; in a matter of minutes the cat will satisfy its hunger and feel happy. Manufacturers produce food in two types - dry and wet. The latter is presented in the form of porridge with the addition of fish, poultry, veal, liver and some other ingredients. Dry food is available in the form of sticks, rings, and balls. All of them are divided into several classes:

1. Economy;
2. Premium;
3. Super premium;
4. Holistic.

Interesting prefixes in the name of cat food don't say much. It’s not hard to guess - “super-premium” is better than regular “premium”. But what is the essence of this division? Of course, it's a matter of composition. And accordingly, in price. Manufacturers of cat food indicate the compositions concisely. There is a hidden subtext in each of them, they say, guess for yourself. Nowadays absolutely everything is advertised, of course, from the best side. Therefore, a large amount of information on the TV screen about this or that cat food does not mean at all that you need to buy it. This product will be the best. The manufacturer of economy class cat food also assures that only high-quality raw materials are used for production. And the low price is achieved by minimizing manufacturing costs. But is this really so?

Variety of options

Pet stores offer a wide selection of diets - dry and wet, designed for different breeds and ages. However, given that not all manufacturers write explanations in Russian, the choice often becomes difficult.

Food can be homemade - prepared by the owner, or industrial - food for animals produced in factories.

They may differ:

• composition;
• consistency;
• application features.

The industrial category is divided into the following subtypes:

• dry;
• wet;
• canned.

They require separate consideration.

Analysis of the composition of economy class feed

I am primarily interested in the composition of cat food. But it’s not enough to just read what they write there; the main thing is to understand what is hidden behind this or that name. It should be noted that the ingredients indicated at the beginning of the list are in maximum quantities. Bottom with minimal weight. Standard set of cheap feed composition:

• Corn gluten;
• Bone, soybean, corn meal;
• Cereals;
• Rice;
• Animal fat;
• Meat products.

Initially, cereals, flour and everything except meat are indicated. At the very end, meat products are indicated, but it is not specified what exactly. Manufacturers of economy class cat food use skins, beaks, feathers, heads, offal, hooves, bones and other waste. There can be no talk of any usefulness. There is absolutely no high quality meat.

But what then makes a cat happily eat low-quality dry food? Flavorings, taste enhancers. We can talk endlessly about the dangers of such components on the digestive system and other internal organs. They attract the attention of cats and disrupt the functioning of taste buds. Ordinary food already seems tasteless to them, and they gobble up dry food with chemical additives with a beastly appetite. And this is also not just like that. You won’t be able to quickly get enough of cereals, vegetables and flour from waste. To do this, the cat needs to eat 3 times more than it should. As a result, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted, the risk of obesity appears, and immunity decreases. This is especially true for animals that are fed low-quality food every day. Within a year, visible health problems will follow.

Cat, cat and kittens

Every cat owner faces a difficult choice: which food is best to purchase for their pet. Here we are faced with a dilemma: buy premium food or buy cheaper food and save. It is important to know that cat food is divided into several classes - economy, premium, super-premium.

Oddly enough, the most advertised foods are economy class foods. These foods are often produced by large corporations that own several well-known brands. Due to financial capabilities and large production capacity, the advertising campaign does not increase the cost of products too much. At the same time, waste from other industries is often used as ingredients in animal feed. We hear every day that these foods are the best, fully balanced, satisfy all the cat’s needs and are recommended by veterinarians. A naive buyer with the best intentions goes to the nearest store and buys a bag of Whiskas, Kitekat, Darling or any other food for his pet, being completely confident that this is the best option, but, unfortunately, this is far from the case. Do you know what you are really giving your pet instead of the tasty and beautiful piece of meat shown in the advertisement? Let's first compare the composition of economy class feed (" Whiskas ") and super-premium class (" ORIJEN "). Ingredients of “ Whiskas ” (take Whiskas Delicious pillows with delicate pate Sea platter): cereals, protein plant extracts, meat and offal (including salmon and tuna min. 4% in pink and beige granules), shrimp (min. 4 % in pink and beige granules), animal fats and vegetable oils, brewer's yeast, vegetables, vitamins and minerals. As we can see, the composition is dominated by grains (the ingredient that has more in the composition is located in first place, and so on in descending order), while cats are carnivores, moreover, they are obligate predators. Grain does not provide any benefit to the cat's body, so this food does not satisfy its physiological needs. In addition, such foods contain preservatives and antioxidants, dyes and other synthetic chemicals. Synthetic additives have no nutritional value but can cause cancer or even be toxic to your cat's internal organs. They gradually accumulate in the body until finally they cause organ failure. Economy class food is not recommended for use as a cat’s main diet due to the low quality of the ingredients and the small amount of animal protein, and additional dyes, flavors and flavoring additives “load” the food with unnecessary chemicals. Unfortunately, cats eat this food with pleasure, as they are strongly attracted to these substances. We take food “ ORIJEN CAT & KITTEN (for cats and kittens).” Here's what it contains: fresh boneless chicken, dehydrated chicken, fresh boneless salmon, dehydrated turkey, fresh chicken liver, dehydrated herring, potatoes, chicken fat (preserved with a mixture of tocopherols), sweet potatoes, peas, fresh pike perch fillets , fresh whole eggs, fresh boneless turkey, fresh lake whitefish fillet, sun-dried alfalfa, pea fiber, fresh herring fillet, dried organic seaweed, pumpkin, chicory root, carrots, spinach, turnip tops, apples, cranberries, blueberries, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, calendula flowers, fennel officinalis, peppermint leaves, chamomile, dandelion, savory, rosemary, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, calcium d-pantothenate, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, dried fermentation products of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Enterococcus faecium. Looking at the composition of "ORIJEN", we see that each ingredient is named exactly, all additional compounds are written. We can also see that the content is higher in meat than in grains. The truth is that manufacturers of cheap commercial cat foods use grain as a food base because grain is cheaper than meat, thus "it will cost more" to the manufacturers. ORIJEN food also contains preservatives (additional substances without which food spoils very quickly), but it is not synthetic. These are mainly natural preservatives - vitamins A and C, or tocopherol (a form of vitamin E), which are even beneficial for the cat's body. Owners are often intimidated by the prices of super-premium products. But please note that the daily intake of economy class food is significantly higher than super-premium food. In addition, the cat eats more economy food because the nose is irritated by synthetic additives that increase appetite. However, the highest price does not mean the highest quality. Be careful and read the ingredients of the food. The main indicator is the amount of meat. Meat should top the ingredient list. Vegetables or grains should be placed next, but the amount of grain should be small. Make sure it's rice or oatmeal - these are the only grains that are at least partially digestible by your cat. The composition should not contain corn or its gluten, they increase the risk of cancer. Also make sure that there are no chemical additives in the composition. A good cat food should contain 28% or more real meat; chicken fat is used in the production of the food, not pork fat. Chicken fat is better, but much more expensive, so pork fat in the composition shows that the manufacturer wants to save money. There should be very, very little carbohydrates and corn in the feed. The cat does not need carbohydrates, but their presence makes food much cheaper. The presence of preservatives is acceptable, but they must be natural and not chemical, as they can cause tumors. Now let's study the composition of some more and less well-known foods. Let's start with the good stuff - super premium food.

Let's start with HILL's . Here's the ingredients for one of HILL's popular Adult Chicken products: Chicken (44% chicken minimum, 59% chicken and turkey minimum): Chicken and Turkey Meal, Ground Corn, Milled Rice, Animal Fat, Corn Gluten Meal, Digest, Potassium Chloride , DL-methionine, salt, calcium carbonate, taurine, vitamins and microelements. Contains natural preservatives: a mixture of tocopherols, citric acid and rosemary extract.

Apart from the presence of ground corn and its gluten (as we already know, they increase the risk of cancer and can also cause allergies in animals), the food is not bad. Unfortunately, many manufacturers of super-premium food are guilty of adding these very ingredients to the composition, even knowing that cats, at best, digest rice, and corn passes by. For example:

Royal Canin Savor Sensation (I quote it because my beauty eats only this food and categorically ignores everything else, both higher and lower levels): corn, dehydrated poultry, rice, vegetable protein isolate*, animal fats, corn gluten, hydrolyzed animal proteins, vegetable fibre, minerals, beet pulp, yeast, soybean oil, sodium phosphate, powdered eggs, fructooligosaccharides, paprika extract, borage oil. In this case, the big disadvantage is that corn is not only available, it is also in first place on the list, displacing poultry meat into second place, which generally raises questions about the status of a super-premium product. Ingredients of Eukanuba Adult Rich in Chicken with Liver: freeze-dried chicken and turkey (20%, natural source of taurine), chicken by-products, chicken liver (9%), rice, corn grits, fish meal, animal fat, dried whole egg, dried pulp sugar beets (3.3%), chicken digest, dried brewer's yeast, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, sodium chloride. We can rate this food quite highly - meat and offal are first on the list; although corn is present, it is closer to the middle in the list of ingredients. Bosch Sanabelle Adult with Trout has a very pleasant composition (dehydrated), fresh meat meal, whole egg (dehydrated), dietary fiber (cellulose), beet pulp, flaxseed, fish oil, yeast (dehydrated), potassium chloride, cranberries (dehydrated), blueberries (dehydrated), mussels, New Zealand green sponge clam extract (natural product to support tissue, cartilage and joint function), chicory powder, marigold flowers (dehydrated), yucca extract (dehydrated). The only problem is the presence of maize - it is considered an undesirable ingredient, and it can also cause allergies in some animals. At the same time, reviews about this food are mostly positive, the owners note that cats eat it with pleasure, their coat improves, their stool is normalized, the animals are playful, active and full of energy. Nature's Protection food also belongs to the super-premium class (although in foreign sources this food is considered simply premium). Here is the composition of Nature's Protection cat adult indoor (Lithuania): chicken meal, rice, corn, corn gluten, chicken fat, sugar beet pulp, egg powder, fish meal, yucca extract, rosemary extract, brewer's yeast, marigold flour, chicory extract, calcium monophosphate. But who definitely doesn’t qualify for the declared super-premium class is “ Stout ”. Here's the ingredients: corn gluten (plant protein extract), corn, poultry meal, rice, sunflower oil, mineral supplements, hydrolyzed liver, sugar beet pulp (pulp), powdered eggs, brewer's yeast, vitamins, antioxidants/preservative, lysine/methionine , taurine. Meat is only in third place, although what kind of chicken meal is there and what it is made of is a big question (it is possible that it is from chicken legs, heads and feathers). Judging by the composition, “Stout” is a little better than whiskey, but not premium class and certainly not super premium. Stout is economy class food. This opinion is shared by many other cat owners. The same one also produces food, according to them, premium class - “ Our brand ”. For fun, let’s take the composition of Our Brand for picky cats with salmon and rice: corn, poultry meal, corn gluten (vegetable protein extract), rice, sunflower oil, fish and fish by-products (including salmon), mineral supplements, hydrolyzed liver, sugar beet pulp (pulp), brewer's yeast, vitamins, antioxidant, taurine. As you can see, very mediocre food. Again, you yourself understand what can be meant by “bird meal”. And corn should not be the basis of feed. Would a picky cat really eat this? Mine certainly never in my life! Let's consider another product - Balmax catfood (by the way, they also indicate premium cat food). Ingredients: Wheat, corn, meat meal, chicken meal, fish meal, chicken fats, sugar beet schnitzels, salt, vitamins/minerals, yeast. Again, this is economy class at best - grains take the first two places of honor, followed by meat, chicken and fish meal of unknown origin. So be careful - just because the manufacturer writes premium or super-premium on the packaging does not mean that it contains high-quality food! The last food I would like to talk about is KOTIKORM . Again, be extremely careful and study the ingredients!!! Here are the ingredients of KOTIKORM for long-haired cats: naked oats, corn, rice, flaxseed, dried pulp, egg powder, poultry meal, fish meal, meat and bone meal, chicken fat, sunflower oil, dried brewer's yeast, lysine, DL-methionine, monocalcium phosphate, thermox (fat stabilizer), flavor enhancer for cats, myco-carb dry, premix. The first meat ingredient - poultry meal - 7!!! place (in the sixth place egg powder). I don’t even want to think about what feed flour is made from. It will cause all the hair to come out not only on a long-haired cat, but also on any other cat! Judging by the comments on the forums, KOTIKORM is a rare muck that has caused serious digestive problems in many cats. I agree with the opinion that KOTIKORM cannot be considered food; some people use it as a filler - this is probably the best use for it.

So choosing food is an extremely difficult task; you need to have a good understanding of the ingredients, be careful, constantly read labels and not trust advertising. I hope you have figured out the problem, and now your cat will be well-fed, healthy and happy.

Feed compositions are indicated at the time of writing and may be changed by manufacturers.

2012

Money from advertising goes to food and medicine for cats:

Analysis of premium feed composition

Manufacturers of cat food also include fats, cereals, and flour in their compositions. The list of ingredients already contains meat and offal. The appearance of the wet food is very attractive; indeed, there are pieces of meat in it. This already suggests that premium food already contains useful ingredients. As for the quality of meat and offal. This is difficult to deal with. Manufacturers and television advertisements assure the high quality of the raw materials used. At the same time, dry food is relatively inexpensive, and the cost of wet food is not high. On the one hand, this is good. Most buyers choose premium products. On the other hand, meat cannot be cheap. Moreover, a significant part of the feed composition is still cereals. A cat is a carnivorous animal that cannot get enough of corn and rice. Flavorings and enhancers are also present in the food, but in acceptable quantities.

To enrich the composition of feed, additional vitamins, a complex of minerals, and substances that normalize the functioning of the digestive system are included. In terms of portions, the cat gets enough of premium food faster. Which suggests that it still contains nutritional ingredients.

We evaluate the clarity of the wording

So, in the first position in the list of ingredients, we must find meat, but not just any meat, but from a specific animal. In Acana Grasslands food this is all right: the sources of raw materials are clearly and clearly indicated: lamb, duck, herring, turkey, etc. By choosing such a diet, you will understand exactly what you are feeding your cat.

If you see that the basis of the food is “meat and its derivatives”, “poultry” or “meat products” and other undesignated sources of animal protein, this is a big minus for the manufacturer, although industry standards do not prohibit calling ingredients by groups.

The reason for using vague names is most likely because the composition of the raw materials is unstable and changes from batch to batch. And the word “derivatives” can hide anything, including waste not intended for human consumption.

The same applies to other food components: fats, grains, vegetables and fruits. For example, the name “mix of vegetable and animal fat” gives absolutely no idea exactly how much of each of them is added (and predators need animal or fish oil). Unknown “grains” may cause your cat to be intolerant, and you won’t know which ones exactly, which will complicate further diet choices.

Analysis of the composition of super-premium feed

When you carefully study the composition, you immediately notice the presence of the same ingredients, only in a different sequence. This rearrangement means that similar ingredients are used to make cat food, only their weight is different. First of all, this is the ratio of meat, cereals. I would like to immediately note that wet food contains much more meat than other additives. There are either no flavorings or flavor enhancers at all, or in minimal quantities.

Manufacturers assure the high quality of raw materials. For production, not paws, hooves, tails are used, but real meat and liver. In addition, cat food manufacturers monitor calories, add vitamins and a complex of minerals to maintain the health of cats and ensure the active development of kittens. A separate series of products includes dietary food for cats with strict protein control to avoid the development of diabetes. Cholesterol control.

According to veterinarians, super-premium cat food completely replaces regular meals and does more good than harm. The animals feel great and receive the components they need for growth and energy. And if a cat or kitten refuses wet or dry food, it’s most likely a matter of personal preference.

The Right Fats

When comparing dry food by composition, look at the fats. They perform several important functions at once:

• serve as the main source of energy for a predator (like carbohydrates for herbivores);
• supply essential fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6, which cannot be synthesized by the body;
• promote the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

It is normal for a cat to get up to 40-50% of its calories from fat. It is desirable that it be of animal origin: lamb, chicken, duck, pork. A huge plus will be the inclusion of fish oil: it contains the most Omega-3.

Analysis of the composition of holistic class cat food

Who cares about the cat's health? Manufacturers of holistic food. What can the composition say about them? You should immediately note that the composition does not contain dyes, flavors, or flavor enhancers. The owners say about this product: “It smells so delicious that I could eat it myself!” At the top of the list of ingredients are chicken and salmon. And only then comes flour, fat, cereals, potatoes, vegetables. This is what a high-quality, nutritious composition of cat food should be.

I would like to point out right away that the cost of food is high. Gives confidence that the feed actually contains meat. It is worth noting that cats accustomed to food of a lower class may not immediately recognize the taste of a high-quality dish. Flavor enhancers disrupt the functioning of the receptors, so food without them will not seem so tempting.

Are carbohydrates necessary?

There is no dry food without carbohydrates, you just need to figure out which carbohydrates will be beneficial for your cat and which will be harmful. For example, the presence of various grains in dry food for a kitten is not a good sign. Such components cause allergies, are poorly absorbed by the body and lead to sudden surges in blood sugar. But if the composition contains plant ingredients with a low glycemic index (which do not lead to sugar spikes), then such food should be preferred. Acceptable plant components include: vegetables, legumes and fruits (unsweetened).

But if you choose food that contains grains, it is important that they are not in the first place in the composition. Unscrupulous manufacturers indicate several grain components in the composition, each of them in percentage terms will be in positions below meat, but if you add up the total percentage of grains, it turns out that the food contains the most of them. Often, such manufacturers also provide vague formulations of ingredients, which in theory should be “responsible” for the content of animal proteins (the example we gave above: “chicken” instead of “chicken meat”). For low-quality feed, a situation is common when most of the proteins in the composition are of plant origin (due to cereals), and instead of “meat”, only offal and bone meal are used in production. Such food is unacceptable for a cat, since nature does not provide such nutrition.

Read about cats in the wild: The cat that still walks by itself - the history of cat domestication

What to look for when choosing food

You should not focus on beautiful, color advertising, as was the case with Whiskas products in their time. An owner who respects himself and his pets will not buy cheap cat food. Especially those sold by weight. You immediately need to shift your gaze to premium products, higher. The highest quality dry food and wet food are produced in America and Europe. There, the relevant authorities control the composition of cat food and the percentage of acceptable ingredients. There is some kind of control. The same cannot be said about domestically produced products. No matter how much it is praised or described in advertising, it is difficult to believe that there is high-quality meat there. We have practically nothing of quality left even for people.

The next stage is composition analysis. Pay attention to the percentage. High-quality dry food looks something like this:

1. Meat of chicken, rabbit, turkey, veal, beef, fish – 35%;
2. Milk, egg white – 20%;
3. By-products – 10%;
4. Plant fibers – rice, corn, wheat, potatoes, peas – no more than 25%;
5. Special additives – vitamins, substances that improve the functioning of the digestive system and strengthen the immune system.

What shouldn't happen?

1. Sahara;
2. Pulp;
3. Caramel;
4. Propylene glycol;
5. Dyes E 127;
6. Antioxidants E320, 321, 324;
7. Flavors;
8. Flavor enhancers;
9. Preservatives.

It is desirable that the composition be clear, with a transcript. That is, if it is meat, then what kind. By-products - what the manufacturer means. Budget dry food has a digestibility of only 65%, they put a lot of strain on the liver and kidneys, and subsequently lead to diseases of the internal organs. Premium dry food is digestible by 75%, super premium - 85%. Holistic dry food is the most preferred. But due to their high cost, it is difficult to find them on sale. There is a high probability that you will have to order online from other countries.

It is advisable, before going to the store to shop, to type the name of the product on the Internet and read what people write about it. Detailed composition of the food, how dry food differs, what are the advantages of wet food. There is currently no shortage of information. And whoever is aware is armed!

Best dry food, wet, according to buyers

How to choose?

The most important selection criterion is the composition of the feed.

A high-quality product must first of all contain meat, and at least 35–50% of the composition. A higher content is possible - up to 70–80%; as a rule, this is holistic food. An important point - sometimes the manufacturer talks about 100% meat content in the feed. However, this is just a marketing ploy; such a product would simply be impossible to store.

After making sure that the meat is contained in the required quantities, it is important to understand what kind of meat it is. Required - type of meat (chicken, beef, rabbit)

If the package simply says the word “meat”, most likely, skin, bones, beaks, and tendons are hidden under it. They do not have high nutritional value for the animal.

The most valuable, in terms of amino acid content, are chicken and turkey, followed by fish in second place, and beef and lamb in third place. However, the same chicken can cause allergies.

Of the by-products, preference should be given to kidneys, hearts, lungs, and stomachs. The presence of tripe and chicken heads is acceptable in small quantities. Typically, these by-products are found only in super-premium foods.

The word “offal” should not scare away the buyer. However, their content is no more than 10–15% of the composition, ideally there should also be a decoding - liver, kidneys, heart.

Plant fiber is another essential ingredient. The acceptable rate is 20–25%. If these indicators are higher, the feed should be discarded. Preference should be given to rice and barley.

Fats are an essential component. For an adult cat, food should contain at least 10–15% fat, for kittens - at least 20%. The fact is that fats are involved in the production of substances responsible for strong immunity. A cat needs a higher fat content during pregnancy and lactation.

However, excessive amounts of fat in the feed can cause stool disorders and liver disease. A lack of fat is usually found in economy-class feeds and some premium types.

Super-premium food and holistic foods must contain vitamin and mineral supplements. Among those vital for fluffies are B vitamins, vitamin E, ascorbic acid, H, B15, K. Minerals include cobalt, calcium, iron, copper.

In addition to the composition, it is important to pay attention to such criteria when choosing food

Manufacturer country

A widely advertised food is not always the best option for your pet. Those products that often appear in television advertising, unfortunately, mostly belong to the economy class. The leading positions are occupied by products from the UK, Canada, Germany, Denmark, and the USA.

It is always better to purchase food directly from the manufacturer or official representative.

Feed consistency

It can be wet or dry, and the wet consistency has several varieties - from puree to pates and jellies (small pieces drenched in a thick broth).

Wet food is primarily intended for kittens, but as the animal grows, it is necessary to “guide” it to dry food. Solid food helps develop jaws, clean teeth, and is also necessary for proper bowel function.

Kittens should choose solid food with small granules. Smaller pieces are also necessary for some cat breeds, for example, British and Persians. This is due to the structural features of their jaw apparatus.

You can pamper an adult pet with pate and jelly, but you shouldn’t switch it exclusively to wet food.

We have already written about the importance of more solid food for cats.

Reviews

You can leave your reviews about cat food, other users will be interested: Svetlana:

“I prefer GO Natural products, their company is Noy Natural. You won't see any advertising for this food at all. But he's the best. Absolutely does not contain grains, everything is for carnivorous animals, such as cats. No health problems. Before this, vomiting and diarrhea often occurred. Until we discovered our ideal food.”

Olga:

“I feed my furry ones Royal Canin. They always gobble it up with gusto. I buy dry food and wet food. No health problems. I never had any allergies either. We go to the veterinarian periodically; by the way, he recommended this food to us. I alternate dry food with regular food and canned food. We have a balanced diet. Everything is fine with us. British cats give healthy offspring. I also feed kittens this food. The cost is quite reasonable."