Which cat food has better ingredients?

Hello, since I do not know much about cat food I'd like to ask you a simple question. Which of the following cats food has better ingredients for kittens? 

Cat food 1 : Protein 35 %, fat 18 %, fibre 3 %, moisture 10 %, ash 6,0 %, calcium 1,3 %, phosphorus 0,9 %, sodium 0,2 %, magnesium 0,08 %. 

Cat food 2 : Proteins 40%, Fat: 12%, Ash 8.5%, Fibre 2.5%, Calcium 1.4%, Phosphorus 1.3%, Potassium 0.8%, Methionine 0.6%, Magnesium 0.11%

PS. I am aware that both of these cat foods are not that great for cats, but I'm feeding strays and I'm on a tight budget. Oh and is there any factor that I should keep in mind when picking the food I'll feed the strays?

If you could list the ingredients for both cat foods, that would help us give you a more accurate guess.

Here you go. Exactly how it's written.

Cat food 1: Chicken meat meal (22 %), chicken dehydrated (21 %), corn, rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), corn gluten, dried apples, salmon oil, natural flavors, brewer’s yeast, minerals, mannan-oligosaccharides (135 mg/kg), fructo-oligosaccharides (90 mg/kg).

Cat food 2: meat and meat by-products, grain, plant proteins extract, fat, fish and fish by-products, yeast, milk and milk by-products, vegetables Vitamins: Vitamin A: 10000 IU/kg, vitamin D3: 1000 UI/kg, vitamin E: 80mg/kg, taurine: 1200 mg/kg

Thanks in advance.

I would go with cat good #1. It has higher protein with a named protein. It also named the other ingredients rather than being vague.

Just re-looking...does cat food #1 include Taurine or any vitamins?

Yes it does, let me write them down for you. Per one KG it contains Vitamin A 22 000 IU, Vitamin D3 1 800 IU, Vitamin E 700 mg, Taurine 1 700mg, E4 Copper 20mg E8 Organic Selenium 0,25 mg.

Ok. Then, yes, I would chose cat food #1 over #2.

Where are you located (what country?) We may be able to offer other cost effective food choices for you.

I agree that 1 looks a little better. Usually the more protein the better, but #2 includes a lot of plant proteins that are worthless for a carnivore but they still count for the protein percentages.

Cat food 1: Chicken meat meal (22 %), chicken dehydrated (21 %), corn, rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), corn gluten, dried apples, salmon oil, natural flavors, brewer’s yeast, minerals, mannan-oligosaccharides (135 mg/kg), fructo-oligosaccharides (90 mg/kg).

Cat food 2: meat and meat by-products, grain, plant proteins extract, fat, fish and fish by-products, yeast, milk and milk by-products, vegetables Vitamins: Vitamin A: 10000 IU/kg, vitamin D3: 1000 UI/kg, vitamin E: 80mg/kg, taurine: 1200 mg/kg

Between these two, I would choose 1 for several reasons:

-2 says meat and meat by products, but what on earth is the meat? It could be a whole bunch of crap.  Always know what your cat is eating! 1 at leasts identifies it as chicken (+1 for Food 1)

-You want to avoid by-products in general, it isn't good for your cat (+1 for Food 1)

-I wouldn't give your cats any food with too much fish - could get mercury poisoning which will cause problems long term (+1 for Food 1)

- lists grain as the second ingredient - cats should not eat grain

- ... fat? no. What 'fat'?

- Avoid milk in cat food, it's probably from another animal which can cause digestive issues with cats

But overall, I would avoid both. Cat food 1 contains corn and rice, as well as gluten and brewer's yeast which really has no place in a cat's diet since they can't digest grains at all. 

I'd keep looking for another canned food if I were you. Maybe try the Castor & Pollox Organix Pate line? It's relatively affordable and is much healthier. 

Hi everyone:

I have been reading extensively on wet cat food and through my reading and this forum, I have really learned a lot.  I do have a questions.  I know meat by products are not good, but I don't think that the vegaetables are that great either.  If you were to chose a food with one or the other, would you choose the one with the vegetables, vs. the meat by products?

Number 1# Purina Beyond Grain

1. Chicken, Liver, Chicken Broth, Fish, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Egg Product, Potassium Chloride, Guar Gum, Taurine, Choline Chloride, Salt, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Manganese Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide.

Caloric Content

1. 1,164 kcal/kg, 99 kcal/can

Number 2# Sheba Pate

1. Chicken, Chicken Broth, Meat By-Products, Chicken Liver, Poultry By-Products, Natural Flavor, Guar Gum, Added Color, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Minerals (Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate), Fish Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Vitamin E Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex [Source of Vitamin K Activity]), Dl-Methionine, Salt, Taurine.

karen dsupin , by-products aren't necessarily bad, in fact,they can be quite good! My personal issue with "meat by-products" is not knowning the actual source of the meat (typically beef or pork, but sometimes goat) because I have several cats with protein allergies/sensitivities.

Between the two foods you listed, I would go with the Purina Beyond.

Also, if you're trying to keep in a certain price point, are you familiar with Chewy.com? For the same price as you can get both Beyond and Sheba in the store, you could get Nutro Natural Choice online. No veggies or by-products if this is important to you. The Nutro has lots of texture options like pate, chunky pate (pate with chunks of meat), minced and sliced.

Thank you for your reply and the info

I second the recommendation for Purina Beyond wet, and I agree also that Meat By-products are a suitable source of nutrition.  In the USA, meat and poultry by-products are simply things that are not found on the typical American dinner table; organ meats like tripe, gizzards, poultry tails, poultry hearts, beef and pork lungs, etc.  Plenty of people around the world, including the UK, consume those things.  Nevertheless, Karen makes a good point about manufacturers' lack of transparency as to the source of the ingredients.  For example, ground turkey necks and ground chicken necks are edible, but a steady diet of ground neck flesh with the bones attached may contain too much phosphorus for a cat's long term health.

TheGreyStalker said:

 
I second the recommendation for Purina Beyond wet, and I agree also that Meat By-products are a suitable source of nutrition.  In the USA, meat and poultry by-products are simply things that are not found on the typical American dinner table; organ meats like tripe, gizzards, poultry tails, poultry hearts, beef and pork lungs, etc.  Plenty of people around the world, including the UK, consume those things.  Nevertheless, Karen makes a good point about manufacturers' lack of transparency as to the source of the ingredients.  For example, ground turkey necks and ground chicken necks are edible, but a steady diet of ground neck flesh with the bones attached may contain too much phosphorus for a cat's long term health.

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This isn't true. There are virtually no regulations in the US for pet food or what is known as "meat by products" so no, what's in that food is probably not just organs. 

https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/animal-by-products/

http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...ck_livestock_dogs_and_cats_from_shelters.html

You need to be specific about what statements you believe to be inaccurate.  Saying "probably" just won't do without explicit facts or a strong inference taken from objective information.  The websites from Nestle Purina and other manufacturers declare which MBP and PBP items are excluded from their recipes.  If you believe these companies are misleading we customers, you need to provide information to that effect.

TheGreyStalker said:

 
You need to be specific about what statements you believe to be inaccurate.  Saying "probably" just won't do without explicit facts or a strong inference taken from objective information.  The websites from Nestle Purina and other manufacturers declare which MBP and PBP items are excluded from their recipes.  If you believe these companies are misleading we customers, you need to provide information to that effect.

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You can do the research for yourself, I already linked you sources, which has links to more sources. Truth about Pet Food is probably the best resource for this kind of thing. While I do think she does some fear mongering, she does amazing work for pet food reform and she's spot on with her sources for the garbage and lack of quality control in pet food. Why in the world you'd trust what Nestle or Purina tell you is beyond me. These are multi million dollar companies that are doing the bare minimum to make a buck. Both have been under scrutiny for pet food related deaths. Companies can tell you whatever they want, but the reality is the laws for pet food manufacturing in the US are few and far between. The regulations are loose, and unmonitored, so what is really in those cheap low quality foods could be anything from rendered meats, to road kill, to euthanized sick animals, no one really knows, but it's not just "organs." 

By the way, gizzards and poultry tails are PBP that are not organs but nevertheless are animal flesh that provides an appropriate source of protein and fat.  If you're arguing that pet food manufacturers need to provide greater transparency regarding the ingredients they use...yep, they sure do!!!

TheGreyStalker said:

 
By the way, gizzards and poultry tails are PBP that are not organs but nevertheless are animal flesh that provides an appropriate source of protein and fat.  If you're arguing that pet food manufacturers need to provide greater transparency regarding the ingredients they use...yep, they sure do!!!

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I'm saying that you're wrong about what by-products are (I've already provided you evidence) and that there is ample evidence that you can't trust what these large pet food companies tell you is safe, or in, these pet foods. 

Just a heads up;  in my career I've met with advocates and experts on other matters.  Some of them, including a fellow whom was interviewed by the 60 Minutes TV, show are very well compensated. Therefore, the speculation about a monetary incentive goes both ways.  All that we consumers desire is objectivity, because nobody gives away "their stuff" for free, be it a durable good or be it data.

No, there's no confusion about what By-Products are in the USA market.  Our concern is WHICH By-Products are included as ingredients in pet food sold in the U.S.A.