What exactly is "natural flavor?"

It seems that most cat foods, including the one that I feed, have natural flavor listed in the ingredients--sometimes pretty high up on the list. Does anyone know exactly what this is? it seems like the pet food companies are trying to hide something. "Natural" could be poop for all I know. I have heard some say that it is MSG, but I thought that was a chemically altered, not natural ingredient.

Have you looked on your own human food labels? Yep, they often say "natural flavors and colors." What that means? Means the FDA said they could say that and not list what it really is. It means it is NOT chemical artificial flavoring. An example for human food coloring is that if it has a number it is a chemical, such as if it said Red #40. But if it said natural red coloring, it would mean likely from bug blood, just as cochineal extract and carmine are same thing, from a beetle. 

So natural flavoring may be from a bug, a worm, an animal, a bird, a sea creature, a tree, a weed, a grain...what it will not be is from a rock, not a mineral, not created in a laboratory from multiple chemical compounds. There is a problem with natural, you may be allergic to the thing and not know it is used in it, such as corn. 

MSG is a type of salt that some people do not want. Salt is not "natural" as it is a compound of chemicals. Iron would not be either. See? 

Now, it is unlikely you will know what that natural mixture is, you can try to email to ask, but likely it is a secret recipe.