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Understanding Kitten Food Nutrition Labels
Understanding Kitten Food Nutrition Labels

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Understanding Kitten Food Nutrition Labels

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Confused by the ingredient list on your kitten’s food? You’re not alone. Marketing pet foods that have “human-grade ingredients” is becoming commonplace. While appealing to many pet owners, it is important to be aware that the term “human grade” has no legal definition and is used primarily for marketing purposes.

 

Foods, typically meats, are labeled either as “edible” or “inedible, not for human consumption.” Once a food leaves the human food chain, even if it is of outstanding quality, it has to be labeled “inedible, not for human consumption.” Therefore, meats used in pet food must be labeled as “inedible,” regardless of the source or quality of the meat. The only way to make a pet food with ingredients deemed “edible” is to never let the meat leave the human food chain and actually manufacture the pet food in a human food facility and transport it using human food trucks. Therefore, advertising a product as containing “human-grade ingredients” is untrue if it is not manufactured in a human food facility. However, just because a pet food isn’t marketed as being “human grade” does not mean that the ingredients are poor quality.

 

Here are some tips to help understand ingredient labels:

 

  • The ingredient list is not the only method you should use to select a pet food, because it doesn’t provide pet owners with enough information about the quality of the ingredients or the nutritional adequacy of the overall diet.
  • Instead of concentrating on ingredients, pet owners and veterinarians should look at the AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement and the quality control protocols of the manufacturer. For more information, see the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s brochure “Selecting the Best Food for your Pet,” available at www.wsava.org/nutrition-toolkit.
  • The ingredient list may be arranged to make foods as appealing as possible to consumers by the order of the ingredients (e.g., having lamb first on the ingredient list) or inclusion of seemingly desirable ingredients in the diet, but often in such small amounts that they have little or no nutritional benefits.
  • Having more ingredients does not make a diet more nutritious.

  • 5 Shocking* Secrets about Single-serving Cat Food
    5 Shocking* Secrets about Single-serving Cat Food
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    5 Shocking* Secrets about Single-serving Cat Food

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    *Actually very obvious things no one thinks about

    Okay, we admit it: We’re kind of obsessed with cat food. And while we’ve done tons of research to create the world’s best single-serving menu items, all it really took was observing the obvious. Here are five basic facts about cat food you didn’t know you already knew.

     

    1. Cats don't like leftovers any more than people do

    We presented a neighbor’s 12-year-old tabby with both a Perfect Portions™ fresh salmon meal and yesterday’s salmon leftovers from a can. Guess what happened? She sniffed us out and chose fresh. Is it because her sense of smell is more powerful than a human’s? Or was it completely obvious that the leftovers had mixed with the scent of the blue cheese and pea soup sitting next to the can in the fridge?

     

    2. A picky eater might be your fault

    How would you like to have tuna salad for lunch? And then for dinner? And then for breakfast? Don’t assume your cat doesn’t mind just because her taste buds are different — feeling superior is a cat’s job. Your job is to give them variety, which is hard when you have leftovers coming out of your ears. Try a multipack of Perfect Portions™ for the ultimate in no-leftovers variety.

    Why your cat judges you

     

    3. Leftovers smell bad

    A focus group of four people at a recent dinner party revealed that opened cat food smells less than good. It’s especially embarrassing if you're the host and the smell keeps wafting over your mashed potatoes.

    What cat food smells like when it's left over in your fridge

     

    4. Cans. Very messy.

    Canned food has been around for more than 100 years, so it seemed high time for a design update. When we reimagined canned cat food, we decided to get rid of the can altogether in favor of Perfect Portions™, with no-mess, no hassle containers. The results have been, uh, uncanny. Everyone agrees we should can the can. For good.

     

    5. Cats like to (over)eat, just like us.

    With food this good, lunchtime for cats can be just as tempting as Thanksgiving dinner for humans. Cats can have problems maintaining a healthy diet — and sticking to healthy portions — just like we do. It’s why we’ve taken the guesswork out of meals with Perfect Portions™. Each pack contains just enough (and not too much) every time. So don’t be fooled by cat food cans with 1½ servings. Unless you plan on training your cat to use the treadmill.

    Cats after mealtime on regular canned food

     

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