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Our cat food products contain animal-based proteins that provide all the essential amino acid requirements for cats. In addition, special refining and quality assurance tests ensure that we only use high-quality, highly digestible protein sources for increased digestibility.
Cats, best fed as true carnivores, require essential nutrients that aren't found in plant proteins such as soybean meal. For example, cats require taurine, which can only be found in animal-based proteins.
There are two important types of fatty acids for cats, omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids, found in chicken fat and corn, are essential for maintenance of skin and coat and proper membrane structure. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in ingredients such as canola, fish meal or fish oil, and flax. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be important in blood clotting and in managing inflammation, among other things. All of our products contain sources of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.
IAMS™ research has shown that including omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a ratio between 5:1 to 10:1 provides for optimal skin and coat condition in dogs. All of our products contain an adjusted omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio between 5:1 to 10:1.
IAMS research has shown that moderately fermentable fiber, such as beet pulp, enhances intestinal health. The fermentable part of the fiber is broken down by intestinal bacteria to provide short-chain fatty acids, an energy source for intestinal cells. The non-fermentable component provides bulk for normal feces.
Using only highly fermentable fibers can cause problems, such as excess gas, while using only non-fermentable fibers, such as peanut hulls, promotes excess stool volume, because they are of no nutritional value.
All of our products, including IAMS ProActive Health™ Adult Original with Chicken, contain a patented fiber system of moderately fermentable fiber to help keep dogs’ and cats’ digestive systems healthy.
Corn is found in many cat foods — but not all corn is created equal. Learn more about this ingredient, its forms and its role as a source of energy for your cat.
Corn is included in cat food formulas in various forms, such as ground corn, corn meal, corn grits, corn gluten meal and corn bran. When reviewing the ingredients list on cat food packaging, you may see one or more of the following corn ingredients:
Corn Ingredient | What It Is |
Ground corn or corn meal | Finely ground and chopped whole corn |
Corn grits | The portion of ground corn containing little or none of the bran (fiber) or germ (the small protein portion at the end of the kernel) |
Corn bran | The outer coating of the corn kernel; largely fiber |
Corn gluten meal | A dried protein source that remains after the corn’s bran has been separated and removed and a large portion of the carbohydrate and germ have been removed |
Corn is included in the formulas for all IAMS cat foods, including IAMS™ ProActive Health™ Healthy Adult and ProActive Health™ Healthy Kitten. It is more appropriate to associate the corn used in our products with “corn bread” rather than “corn on the cob.” The difference is similar to cooked corn versus raw corn. We use only the highest-quality corn in our products. The corn is finely ground to a meal, which breaks up the outside covering of each kernel, and then it is cooked, which increases its digestibility.
Corn grits and corn meal are used in our foods as high-quality sources of carbohydrates, which are an important source of energy. Corn generally also results in lower glycemic and insulin response than rice. This can be especially beneficial for senior and overweight cats.
