What to Look For on Pet Food Labels

From: Only Natural Pet Store

After the 2007 pet food recall, many cat parents jumped onto the natural cat food bandwagon because they realized that holistic cat food brands were the ones most notably absent from the recalled brand lists. Lots of them never went back to their old brands.

many cat parents jumped onto the natural cat food bandwagon

Many other cat parents, though, are still innocently trusting that conventional cat food makers have “learned a lesson” from the pet food recall. You can be sure that they have learned something, but it’s not what you might think!

Conventional pet food makers (usually mega-large agri-businesses) still follow the “least cost production” methods of making cat food. So although their foods are no longer tainted, they’re still made mostly from the cheapest ingredients the manufacturer can find – which means they’re NOT good for your feline’s long-term health. Cat food safety and nutrition go hand in hand, because the quality of the ingredients in your companion’s diet is an excellent predictor of how safe it really is for your feline.

That’s NOT Natural!
What some conventional cat food makers learned from the pet food recall is that by introducing new food lines labeled as “natural” they could get people buying again. A trip through the grocery store pet food aisle or the local chain pet store reveals a lot more conventional food brands with pretty green and tan bags of new “natural” lines of food.

Often when we suggest to a customer that they switch to a natural food, we hear, “But my cat’s food IS natural!” Once we check the label though, we usually find that their food (with the word “natural” in the name) isn’t so natural after all! A look at the ingredients might show that the conventional brand’s “natural” food is still of pretty poor quality – maybe they’ve changed the #1 ingredient from poultry by-products to chicken, but ingredients #2 – 4 are corn gluten meal, soy meal, and wheat gluten meal – three of the most allergy-provoking, hard-to-digest ingredients in cat food. The lesson here? Always read the ingredients on foods labeled “natural!” Good nutrition is the foundation of health, and the holistic approach is all about quality diet as the basis of any animal’s wellness.

Many cat parents are still unsure about what makes a food natural, healthy or holistic, and they really want to trust that the pet food industry cares for their cats as much as they do. But that’s just not very realistic. Your cat’s health and safety are in your hands, and it’s up to you to evaluate your feline’s food with care and a critical eye. We only offer natural cat foods that we can recommend with confidence, so check out our quality foods when you’re ready to upgrade your cat’s diet (and their health!).

We suggest this: Disregard the descriptive tags like “natural,” “vet-approved,” “chosen by top breeders,” and the like. Ignore the pictures of cute kitties and wholesome-looking food ingredients on the label, and forget the claims made in the manufacturer’s TV ads. Look only at the ingredients listing – it will tell you just about everything you need to know!

Quality Ingredients to Look For: