- Sodium Caseinate: UTL on an AAFCO definition. As nearly as I can determine, caseinate (AKA "casein" is a milk product similar to whey, and the sodium is more-or-less self-explanatory.
- Fish Meal: The clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish or fish cuttings, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oil. It must contain not more than 10% moisture. If it contains more than 3% salt (NaCl), the amount of salt must constitute a part of the product name, provided that in no case must the salt content of this product exceed 7%.
The only real concern I'd have with this ingredient is the salt content. But the 3% indicated is part of this ingredient only, not the entire product.
- Egg Product: Eggs that are dehydrated, liquid, or frozen, and labeled as per USDA regulations governing eggs. They must be free of shells.
- Potassium Chloride: Potassium salt of hydrochloric acid generally expressed as KCI.Potassium is essential to all species for heart and nerve function.
- Phosphoric Acid: A mineral supplement, consisting of 32% phosphorus
- Brewers Dried Yeast: "One of the best sources of vitamin B. it aids in the repelling of fleas. A probiotic, It also helps reduce stress and reduces sickness" (From DoberDogs.com) Also see this USDA PDF file for more information on Brewers Yeast.
- Natural Flavors: Huh? Actually, the AAFCO does have a new definition of "Natural": A feed or ingredient derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices. But this listed ingredient is so illusive, that it might as well be left out. As a nutrient, it's value is close to nil.
The remaining ingredients are vitamins and minerals, and I won't use the space to define each and every one. They are fairly common to all cat foods, and each serves its own special purpose. For drill, they are calcium carbonate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, salt, choline chloride, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), taurine, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, ascorbic acid (source of Vitamin C), L-Alanine, riboflavin supplement, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, biotin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, citric acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite.A-4623. A new Cat Food Definitions Glossary will eventually describe them in some detail.
If I had to, I'd personally qualify this brand as "Medium to Good," and I'd use it if I had a large number of cats to feed, if my cats went on a hunger strike and it was the only food they'd eat, or if circumstance prevented me from getting to my nearest pet food store. It would definitely not be among my first choices for day-to-day use for my cats.
In Part 2 of this series, I'll show the ingredients of (in my opinion) a superior premium brand of cat food. Part 3 will feature (in my opinion) a cheap, "fast-food" brand; one of inferior quality which may have a valid purpose in some rare occasions (such as coaxing anorexic cats to eat, or in coaxing feral cats into a trap.
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, and the opinions expressed here are my own, as a result of years of personal research of cat foods. I urge my readers to do their own research to form educated opinions. In questions of your own cat's health, you should work in partnership with your veterinarian, who is familiar with your cat's physical condition and history.
