What Are The Worst Ingredients in Canned Food & The Best

Thank you so much for all your advice on my other thread regarding feeding my FLUD adult cat. I've one more question, for now LOL, what are the absolute shouldn't be there ingredients in the canned cat food? I think I'm doing too much reading and getting confused.

I know I need low phosphorous, magnesium, ash levels and 3% or less on carbs and am going to stick to chicken or turkey proteins

Yes or no on taurine?

Does soy? contributes to hyperthyroidism?

Is a bit of potato or pea starch really that bad? websites saying there has to be some form of carb to hold the product together, be it kibble or canned.

Is the ?? gum a bad ingredient?

Any other really bad - shouldn't be there ingredients to avoid?

Any must have ingredients that it should have?

This is a great "let me count the ways" sort of question! And I probably won't be very helpful since there are so many ingredients I avoid because our cats have sensitive stomachs.

Yes to taurine.

No to soy.

I always say no to potato and pea starch, too: canned food does not need a thickener to hold it together. Tiki Cat is a great example of that: it's shreds with "consomme," which sounds swanky but is great because it lacks gums, carrageenan, and vegetable starches. (I just wish Tiki weren't so expensive...) I prefer not to feed gums and there aren't many pates without them: Feline Natural is one (our cats love it, though it's another expensive food) and Rawz, which our cats also love and which is thickened with fenugreek. It's more reasonably priced, I think it's about $2.05 for a 5.5-ounce can.

The big "must have" ingredient is meat. And then more meat! (I'm basically just quoting our vet here... she just loves saying to feed cats meat...) With as few fillers and thickeners as possible, both to keep the carbs down and avoid irritating stomachs. The catch, of course, is that it's hard and expensive to avoid all those things: potato, peas, carrageenan, and gums are pretty ubiquitous so there aren't many brands beyond the ones I mentioned above that consistently lack them. It's a big reason our cats eat so much raw and homemade food: they do very well, though, on the combination of canned, raw, and homemade foods!

Taurine is a must in cat food since taurine deficiency can lead to major health issues, but I'm pretty sure all normal cat foods contain it.  And in the wild, certain animal organs naturally contain it that the cat will eat.  Potato/pea starch isn't the worst thing as long as your cat can tolerate it- I think grains are worse and harder for cats to digest but some cats have an intolerance to potatoes and peas as well. I would avoid cranberries as those can be toxic over time, and some of the high end stuff actually has it for some reason.  I personally avoid all other fruit/veggie fillers as well since they aren't necessary in a cats diet and some may also have issues digesting those as well.  Many people including myself try to avoid carrageenan as well since it is a common stomach irritant found in a lot of canned food, but there is a decent amount of brands out there that don't contain it now.  And, almost all canned food has some kind of gum in it but unless your cat has an extremely sensitive stomach, I wouldn't worry about those- its generally considered the least worrisome of all the 'evils' in cat food ingredients.   And finally, I'm not sure what kind of issues soy causes, but I know fish ingredients in very frequent quantities can lead to hypothyroidism and other issues but I see that you mention sticking to chicken and turkey.

Early on with my then-new kitten I noticed that when she ate wet food that had a significant amount of corn-wheat-soy, she regurgitated it or it came out the other end as a mud pie, in the most inconvenient places.  Argh!!!

Therefore, we largely abandoned those ingredients.  There is so much unconfirmed information out there, but when an anecdote from a seasoned cat parent seems logical, I'll probably emulate it, while trying to live within a budget and maintain optimal health for my cat.  Potato, Sweet Potato, rice and cranberries do not trouble me, in modest amounts.  As a rule, we usually avoid gravy recipes, which often contain too many carbohydrates.

I believe that meat by products and poultry by products are fine because they are usually organs (or muscles like chicken heart and chicken gizzard), but I won't pay a premium price for a brand that includes by products as a primary (in the first two listed) ingredient.

Fish content is ubiquitous.  While I do give my gal salmon (not a lot) recipes, as well as herring and sardine, it's annoying that some unnamed fish content is present in poultry formulas from many manufacturers.

I keep saying thank you and I do so mean it. Before I posted I was looking at Weruva, hmm not going to work, questionable ingredients. The natures variety instinct looks pretty good but that one seems to be limited to turkey without add on's? He shouldn't have fish. Hmm, if I can keep Mr. Sparks healthy, I don't mind the 2.00 a can, although less is better obviously. I hate pilling cats & if a better food keeps health issues at bay, I'm glad to do so. Am not ready to do home made, new, uneducated strictly indoor cat owner, to worried about not meeting nutrition and causing as secondary problem.

Greypaws said:

 
I keep saying thank you and I do so mean it. Before I posted I was looking at Weruva, hmm not going to work, questionable ingredients. The natures variety instinct looks pretty good but that one seems to be limited to turkey without add on's? He shouldn't have fish. Hmm, if I can keep Mr. Sparks healthy, I don't mind the 2.00 a can, although less is better obviously. I hate pilling cats & if a better food keeps health issues at bay, I'm glad to do so. Am not ready to do home made, new, uneducated strictly indoor cat owner, to worried about not meeting nutrition and causing as secondary problem.

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Personally, I think the best Weruva foods are certain canned Cats in the Kitchen foods that have chicken: Double Dip (chicken/beef), Fowl Ball (chicken/turkey), and Chicken Frick a See (sp?). They do have gums--and lots of them--but there aren't any potatoes or other vegetable fillers. Or tapioca, which some Weruva foods have. I try to avoid gums but I do feed a can or two of Weruva each week. That's another strategy: limiting exposure to ingredients you'd prefer not to feed at all. I limit gums, cranberries, and non-carby vegetables to just one kind of food each, though there are some ingredients (like carrageenan) that I've completely banned.

As for homemade, I use a supplement so I don't have to worry about providing adequate nutrients. I was always concerned about that, too, so was glad to find a supplement (EZcomplete) with ingredients that I'm comfortable feeding. It's the food I'm happiest to feed.

What did you find questionable about Weruva? That's one of the top brands out there and the only slight issue I've found is that they have a few gums in them, but luckily it doesn't seem to bother my cat.  There are a lot of flavors that contain fish but there are also a decent amount that don't as well.  Some flavors have pumpkin bits in them but that's actually the one fruit/veggie that's supposed to be pretty good for cats, i forgot to mention that before. 

I have read that pumpkin and other cucurbita vegetables are fine for cats and that carrots and broccoli can be healthy for felines also.

As for Weruva, the 'Cats in the Kitchen' varieties look great, but I am waiting for a major sale or discount before giving them a try.

I am in the middle of trying different Weruva flavors for my cat for the first time and so far she loves it.  Thegreystalker- what kind of price range are you looking for in terms of sale for Weruva?  The independent pet store near me has the 3.2 oz cans for $1.19 each which is cheaper than a lot of other high end brands I've seen. the 3 oz Nature's variety cans go for 1.59 each! 

destinyz12 said:

 
I am in the middle of trying different Weruva flavors for my cat for the first time and so far she loves it.  Thegreystalker- what kind of price range are you looking for in terms of sale for Weruva?  The independent pet store near me has the 3.2 oz cans for $1.19 each which is cheaper than a lot of other high end brands I've seen. the 3 oz Nature's variety cans go for 1.59 each! 

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Weruva's Cats in the Kitchen foods are a mid-price food for me, too, particularly with our store offering a bulk discount. And some stores do occasionally put them on sale. Weruva has various product lines at various prices and I think Cats in the Kitchen cans are by far the best value. Low-carb, no potato or tapioca, so the gums are the only downside.

A lot of Weruva foods do have fish so you have to watch for that. I buy something with fish every now and then for a treat: the cats just love those!

On a side note: One great thing about lots of Weruva foods is that they're relatively low in phosphorus so are good for cats with mild/moderate kidney disease. Their Steak Frites, which is beef, has a particularly low phosphorus level and that, along with certain Cats in the Kitchen cans, were a big part of our previous cat's diet when she was in her last months. They worked very nicely for her.

LisaHE said:

 
Personally, I think the best Weruva foods are certain canned Cats in the Kitchen foods that have chicken: Double Dip (chicken/beef), Fowl Ball (chicken/turkey), and Chicken Frick a See (sp?). They do have gums--and lots of them--but there aren't any potatoes or other vegetable fillers. Or tapioca, which some Weruva foods have. I try to avoid gums but I do feed a can or two of Weruva each week. That's another strategy: limiting exposure to ingredients you'd prefer not to feed at all. I limit gums, cranberries, and non-carby vegetables to just one kind of food each, though there are some ingredients (like carrageenan) that I've completely banned.

As for homemade, I use a supplement so I don't have to worry about providing adequate nutrients. I was always concerned about that, too, so was glad to find a supplement (EZcomplete) with ingredients that I'm comfortable feeding. It's the food I'm happiest to feed.

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What has been the most frustrating thing on this food search is I find a company that it appears has a good product, good values and then boom, fine print something in it that I can't/shouldn't feed. I refuse to feed any Purina Product, and Science Diet is crap, so I went with Royal Canin Feline Urinary SO. It's actually a good food and wouldn't be the end of the earth to feed him forever but it has carrageenan in it. Seriously? this is supposed to be a good food, help disolve crystals ect and they put a chemical in it that is a known auto immune/cancer agent? Plus there is no earthly reason for it to be 'script anyhow, except great marketing plan by the companies.

Weruva I was concerned on all the included fish that he can't have, plus the ?? gum stuff and a few other things I'm reading that aren't that great. I need to keep his mineral numbers in check. I was actually considering keeping him on the RC script food and do half/half with another, until I saw the carrageenan. Trying to prevent a urinary issue. What's the point of solving one problem, knowing going into it that you've a high potential for another Argggh!

Our cat from years ago was a feral that showed up 3-4 mos old and stayed. I had him neutered, kept him UTD with all his shots and so forth and any medical problems. He refused to be an indoor cat except for a visit and nap. His hunting skills kept him field mice, snakes and whatever else didn't eat him first. I kept fresh water available and dry kibble out for him when the hunting was lean. Healthiest cat we ever had. Swear to God, if I could teach Mr Sparks how to hunt mice & come back to me, with excellent recall, I'd take him to the nearby cornfield and let him chomp on mice to hearts content  As it is, he is indoors only unless I take him out on his harness. I'm not bring home live field mice for him and that's all I've got to say on that subject    

Don't be so quick to dismiss Purina's upmarket brands.  I am very satisfied with Purina Beyond dry in both the Chicken and the Herring varieties.  I also think that Pro Plan True Nature Chicken 40 Protein is very suitable for a healthy diet.

As for the wet stuff, again the ingredient list for Purina Beyond Turkey looks very suitable.

@Greypaws, I share your frustration! So often choosing commercial foods feels like a "pick your poison" kind of endeavor, something that's very unfortunate. Personally, I'll feed occasional gums but not carrageenan, but there's the thing: we all just have to decide what we think works best for our cats based on their preferences, sensitivities, and ailments.

And I'm totally with you about the live field mice!

In my cat food reviews (catfooddb.com is my site, no links because spam, etc), my list of ingredients to avoid is corn, rice, wheat, flour, soy, and anything labelled "starch" (which often includes potato and tapioca). I'm also avoiding by-products and carrageenan, and several other unpronounceable and specifically nasty preservatives that fortunately are pretty rare.  I'm on the fence about guar gum; still researching that.