Food Ingredient Help

Ok, so I'm still learning a LOT about nutrition between the vet and this forum, which has really helped my whole feline family! Thank you all ssooo much for helping and answering a newb's questions. Well, I have a couple more. I've seen a few people say to look at the ingredients on the food to see whats in it. I look at the ingredients and see giberish, so I was wondering if you guys could help me understand what I was looking for.

I bought "California Natural" brand, Deep Water Fish flavor wet food for my babies. They LOVE it, so i'm hoping that it's a high quality food. I've been having a hard time finding a wet food that all three like, so here are the ingredients, and you all can tell me if it's good or bad and why.

Whitefish, Salmon, Mackerel, Fish Broth, Herring, Ground Brown Rice, Egg, Sunflower Oil, Flaxseed, Guar Gum, Dicalcuim, Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, DL-Methionine, Vitamine E Suppliment, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamine D Suppliment, Thiamine, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Calcium Carbonate, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Seaweed Extract, Riboflavin, Folic Acid,Biotin, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin B12 Suppliment.

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Now, i dont see anything in there that is bad, but i dont know what im looking for.

I also have my cats on Nature's Variety, Prairie. Lamb Meal and oatmeal formula, which they also like a lot. Here are it's ingredients

Lamb Meal, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Flaxseed Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Natural Lamb Flavor, Alfalfa Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Lamb Liver, Potassium Chloride, Sea Salt, DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Apples, Cranberries, Freeze Dried Lamb, Freeze Dried Lamb Hearts, Freeze Dried Lamb Liver, Pumpkinseeds, Carrots, Ground Lamb Bone, Butternut Squash, Chicken Eggs, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Kelp, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Persimmons, Olive Oil, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Sage, Clove, Rosemary Extract

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Thanks a ton you guys! I really want is the best for my cats, and would like to understand more about the food ingredients. Thanks again!

-Jade

Both are excellent foods. My cats eat a fair amount of California Natural.

The only downside with the Cal. Nat. Deep Water Fish is that fish is the only protein source in it. Cats don't normally do well with fish as their only protein so I would not feed this food as their exclusive diet. But since your cats get lamb in their dry food, you have nothing to worry about. You've made very good choices for your furkids.

I like cal natural as do my "kids" ... some would say it is too much fish but if it is rotated with meats I see no trouble...

the other is good but has a few flags for me

The items in yellow I would be cautious of and do further research .... this formula has a good meat to grain ratio but I think it is more for a dog than a cat with all the veggie s and fruits...
Quote:
Lamb Meal, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Flaxseed Meal, Montmorillonite Clay, Natural Lamb Flavor, Alfalfa Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Lamb Liver, Potassium Chloride, Sea Salt, DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Beta Carotene, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Folic Acid), Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Inulin, Flaxseed Oil, Apples, Cranberries, Freeze Dried Lamb, Freeze Dried Lamb Hearts, Freeze Dried Lamb Liver, Pumpkinseeds, Carrots, Ground Lamb Bone, Butternut Squash, Chicken Eggs, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Kelp, Salmon Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Persimmons, Olive Oil, Duck Eggs, Pheasant Eggs, Quail Eggs, Sage, Clove, Rosemary Extract

I used to be so concerned about food ingredients. I bought everyone * good * cat food out there with out fillers. Hershey my Ragdoll wouldn't eat any of it and if he did eat it it made him throw-up. So the only thing he'll eat and not throw up is Lamb and rice IAMS and Hairball IAMS. I know some of you are againest IAMS but when I've spent alot of money on the better food and he doesn't eat it.
And I've taken him to the vet about his throwing up and he said sometimes food is to rich for their system. He didn't think IAMS was all that bad. And if he's gaining weight and eating it then why not feed it to him. You can have the best food for cats on earth but if they don't eat it or throws it up then it's not all the great is it?

The freeze dried lamb liver is what NV uses as a coating on their dry food. Low quality foods use animal digest sprays to make their dry food more palatable but NV uses a coating of freeze dried raw food instead. Pretty cool, actually.

You can get really technical about food. I think if you aren't dealing with a specific health problem the basic rules are that meat or meat meal is the first ingredient, try to stay away from corn, and definitely stay away from meat by-products. There really is no telling what meat by-products are. IAMs may not be a top quality product but if that is what they will eat without getting sick than so be it. There certainly are worse quality foods.

Montmorillonite Clay
Yeah, I was wondering about this too...

Montmorillonite Clay was in a medicine that I've given my cat before for diahhrea - Diarsanyl. It's the primary ingrediant and has something to do with absorbing toxins, bacteria, viruses, enzymes and free radicals from the gi tract.

Originally Posted by semiferal

The freeze dried lamb liver is what NV uses as a coating on their dry food. Low quality foods use animal digest sprays to make their dry food more palatable but NV uses a coating of freeze dried raw food instead. Pretty cool, actually.

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thank you ... that is a great explaination///