What The Food Label Means:

From Purina® Friskies® brand Beef and Liver Entree© canned cat food:
Here are the ingredients listed in this particular cat food. The first ingredient should be meat. Better still, the first 3 ingredients should be meat. In the wild, this is the bulk of the cat's diet. Although there is nothing wrong with feeding your cat meat by-products - In fact, cats in the wild will consume certain parts of it's prey that we as humans would not; for example, skin, heads, tails, and blood. It should be a part of the cat's diet, but not the bulk of it.

Ingredients, and a short description of the nutrients they provide:

Water sufficient for processing - self-explanitory

Meat by-products - Leftovers from the slaughter of a meat animal.

Poultry by-products - Leftovers from the slaughter of a
poultry animal.

Beef - Supplies protein, amino acids, iron

Animal liver - Who knows what kind of animal? Cats should eat organ meats a few times pers week, not every day.

Chicken - Protein, amino acids

Brewers rice - Basically, just a filler with a little
fiber - something of which cats need very little.

Salt - Flavor enhancer. Not good for cats but very small
amounts should be harmless. Catts should have potassium chloride instead.

Potassium chloride - Salt substitute

Tricalcium phosphate - Anti-caking agent

Guar gum - Thickening agent

Caramel color - A food color for the benefit of human
esthetics. Cats do not care about the color of their
food.

Taurine - Essential amino acid only found in animal
tissues. In cats, lack of this vital nutrient can cause
heart problems, blindness, and respiratory problems.

Carrageenan - A gelling and stabilizing agent usually
made from red seaweed. Commonly used in many foods.

Choline chloride - Promotes metabolism and growth

Vitamin E supplement - Antioxident as well as being a
natural preservative.

Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1) - Needed for the metabolism of carbohydrates

Ferrous sulfate - One of several forms of Iron. Red meats
are rich in this mineral. Builds red blood cells. Helps
prevent anemia.

Zinc sulfate - Supplement for normal growth and health

Manganese sulfate - Essential trace element. Very little
is needed for good health.

Vitamin A supplement - Unknown which type of vitamin A is used here. Cats require pre-formed Vitamin A (only found in animal tissue), since they lack the enzyme needed for proper digestion of Vitamin A in the form of Beta Carotene.

Copper sulfate - Required for proper iron metabolism and maintenance of blood vessels.

Pryidoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6) - Needed for cell
growth.

Natural flavor - Naturally occurring flavor from food
sources

Niacin - Found in lean meats. Energy metabolism,
digestion, and health of the nervous system.

Calcium pantothenate -Required for carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism.

Riboflavin supplement (Vitamin B-2) -Needed for vision,
energy, building tissue

Cobalt Carbonate - Naturally occurring component of
vitamin B-12 (cobalamin) found in eggs, cheese, and
certain organ meats.

Vitamin D-3 - Aids in absorption of calcium to promote
health bones and teeth

Interpreting Pet Food Labels:

This FDA/CVM report was written by David A. Dzanis, DVM, P.H. D., DACVN

The 95% Rule: The "95%" rule applies to products consisting primarily of meat, poultry or fish, such as some of the canned products. They have simple names, such as "Beef for Dogs" or "Tuna Cat Food." In these examples, at least 95% of the product must be the named ingredient (beef or tuna, respectively), not counting the water added for processing and "condiments." Counting the added water, the named ingredient still must comprise 70% of the product. Since ingredient lists must be declared in the proper order of predominance by weight, "beef" or "tuna" should be the first ingredient listed, followed often by water, and then other components such as vitamins and minerals. If the name includes a combination of ingredients, such as "Chicken 'n Liver Dog Food," the two together must comprise 95% of the total weight. The first ingredient named in the product name must be the one of higher predominance in the product. For example, the product could not be named "Lobster and Salmon for Cats" if there is more salmon than lobster in the product. Because this rule only applies to ingredients of animal origin, ingredients that are not from a meat, poultry or fish source, such as grains and vegetables, cannot be used as a component of the 95% total. For example, a "Lamb and Rice Dog Food" would be misnamed unless the product was comprised of at least 95% lamb.

The "25%" Rule: or "dinner" rule applies to many canned and dry products. If the named ingredients comprise at least 25% of the product (not counting the water for processing), but less than 95%, the name must include a qualifying descriptive term, such as "Beef Dinner for Dogs." Many descriptors other than "dinner" are used, however. "Platter," "entree," "nuggets" and "formula" are just a few examples. Because, in this example, only one-quarter of the product must be beef, it would most likely be found third or fourth on the ingredient list. Since the primary ingredient is not always the named ingredient, and may in fact be an ingredient that is not desired, the ingredient list should always be checked before purchase. For example, a cat owner may have learned from his or her finicky feline to avoid buying products with fish in it, since the cat doesn't like fish. However, a "Chicken Formula Cat Food" may not always be the best choice, since some "chicken formulas" may indeed contain fish, and sometimes may contain even more fish than chicken. A quick check of the ingredient list would avert this mistake.

The "Flavor" Rule: Under the "flavor" rule, a specific percentage is not required, but a product must contain an amount sufficient to be able to be detected. There are specific test methods, using animals trained to prefer specific flavors, that can be used to confirm this claim. In the example of "Beef Flavor Dog Food," the word "flavor" must appear on the label in the same size, style and color as the word "beef." The corresponding ingredient may be beef, but more often it is another substance that will give the characterizing flavor, such as beef meal or beef by-products.

Do you know what your cat is eating?

According to the AAFCO, pet food ingredients must be listed on the label in order of predominance by weight. However, the weight includes the moisture, or water, in the ingredient. That makes the labeling difficult to interpret. Also, discrepancies between the guaranteed analysis written on the label and laboratory analyses are common in pet foods.
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Claims On Pet Food Labels:

The claims; "promotes healthy skin", "promotes glossy coat", "premium," "super premium", "ultra premium", "gourmet", or even "natural", mean absolutely nothing to the consumer. There is no official legal definition of these terms for pet foods. The phrase, "recommended by veterinarians" also has no regulatory meaning since there is no minimum required number of veterinarians needed to recommend it. Manufacturers simply use these terms to promote their products. Products with these labels are not required to contain any different or higher quality ingredients, nor are they held up to any higher nutritional standards than are any other so-called complete and balanced products.
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