I am feeding Blue Buffalo Basics grain-free formula, which is better in MY OPINION than Iams, Royal Canin, and Science Diet, because my cats are no longer vomiting or having loose stools on the Blue like they were on the other foods. However, is Blue Buffalo a premium food? What makes a food premium or not premium? Can any food claim to be premium on their label, or do they have to show proof that they are using quality ingredients?
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Premium food--How do you know?
- Thread starter tabbysia
- Start Date
Meat is the first ingredient and says "chicken" or "salmon" (the identified fish species). Doesn't have "meat by-products" as an ingredient and no corn, or gluten. The meat might not be standard, and include rabbit, duck or venison too. Broth is the liquid in the can more often than water. No artificial flavor.
That said, some premiums smell like the meat that is listed and others look like a grey mass of goo.
We have a pet food place which is a small chain that sells premium canned and dry food as well as good snacks, litters, supplements, etc. They have a page that discusses how they select their foods that they sell http://mudbay.com/how-we-choose-the-cat-foods-we-carry.html
Some foods that are considered premium don't make the cut with them.
I know that in Petsmart that Blue Buffalo is placed with others that are premiums like Wellness and then their own brand--can't recall the name. They used to also
That said, some premiums smell like the meat that is listed and others look like a grey mass of goo.
We have a pet food place which is a small chain that sells premium canned and dry food as well as good snacks, litters, supplements, etc. They have a page that discusses how they select their foods that they sell http://mudbay.com/how-we-choose-the-cat-foods-we-carry.html
Some foods that are considered premium don't make the cut with them.
I know that in Petsmart that Blue Buffalo is placed with others that are premiums like Wellness and then their own brand--can't recall the name. They used to also
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Learn to read the ingredient label---anybody can say their food is premium but if corn is the first ingredient, you know that's not true :tongue2:. The most basic thing to remember is that cats are obligate carnivores; this means they need to eat MEAT.
So you want to see meat as the first ingredient, ideally 3 of the first 5 ingredients will be meat products.
In a canned food, by-products are OK (as long as there is also a muscle meat listed), but by-product meal in a dry food is best avoided.
Artificial colorings are unhealthy and should be avoided. Look for numbers in the ingredient list, like "yellow #3" or "red #5". Also avoid added sugar (look for other names, too, like corn syrup, dextrose, etc.)
You want to keep carbs to a minimum. Almost all dry foods have a fair amount of carbs (because they need to stick together somehow), most canned foods are lower in carbs.
So you want to see meat as the first ingredient, ideally 3 of the first 5 ingredients will be meat products.
In a canned food, by-products are OK (as long as there is also a muscle meat listed), but by-product meal in a dry food is best avoided.
Artificial colorings are unhealthy and should be avoided. Look for numbers in the ingredient list, like "yellow #3" or "red #5". Also avoid added sugar (look for other names, too, like corn syrup, dextrose, etc.)
You want to keep carbs to a minimum. Almost all dry foods have a fair amount of carbs (because they need to stick together somehow), most canned foods are lower in carbs.
Well said Willowy!Learn to read the ingredient label---anybody can say their food is premium but if corn is the first ingredient, you know that's not true. The most basic thing to remember is that cats are obligate carnivores; this means they need to eat MEAT.
So you want to see meat as the first ingredient, ideally 3 of the first 5 ingredients will be meat products.
In a canned food, by-products are OK (as long as there is also a muscle meat listed), but by-product meal in a dry food is best avoided.
Artificial colorings are unhealthy and should be avoided. Look for numbers in the ingredient list, like "yellow #3" or "red #5". Also avoid added sugar (look for other names, too, like corn syrup, dextrose, etc.)
You want to keep carbs to a minimum. Almost all dry foods have a fair amount of carbs (because they need to stick together somehow), most canned foods are lower in carbs.
I also want to add - think cat, not human. What do cats eat? Mice. You can have an "all organic, natural, food" with plenty of "garden vegetables". But that's just marketing for the humans. Mice are not dried out, mice aren't leafy, mice have meat and some "meat by-products" too. When I was looking through the aisles of cat food it often overwhelmed me. Just thinking mice really simplified things for me.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Yes to grain (mice eat seeds), no to veggies. But how big is a mouse's stomach? And being IN the stomach, they are pre-digested. An analysis of feral cat diets (where the feral cats didn't have access to human food or garbage) found that the stomach contents of prey was such a small part of the diet it was basically meaningless. Their diet was almost all protein, fat, and bone/fur.
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I have been feeding Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Grain Free Duck and Green Pea. I switched to limited ingredient because I had a cat with Pancreatitis and researched and learned that the fewer ingredients the better.I read that a "novel;" protein was best as cats are often allergic to meats such as Chicken or beef. fish causes inflammation and with 2 cats with stomatitis I didn't want that. Recently a vet told me that duck in most cat foods is poultry. I had always thought it was considered game. I did more research and found Duck is considered game ONLY when wild caught. When farm raised it is grain fed and therefore poultry. I called Natural Balance and found that indeed their duck is farm raised. I have switched to venison. Sheessh. It is hard to get this right. Limited ingredients are still best because cats get food allergies and often have to switch to a protein they have never had before. Today all this "premium " foods have multiple protein sources so if your cat ever develops allergies it ends up being hard to find a protein they haven't been ingesting. Just read the back of these foods. Chicken, liver, fish etc. all in one can.
