Whats actually in Cat Food?

[catslave]

In response to Elismom's "dangers of raw feeding" thread and other comments by others as well, I thought I would post my feelings and research on mass produced cat food. I quite agree with Candes that people should have all the facts so here are some from the other side of the fence. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and this is mine.NB. I strongly advise not reading this thead whilst eating, and if you have a weak stomach a bowl or bucket may be useful.The advertisments and packaging show fresh plump chickens, juicy steaks and fresh caught fish; unfortunately none of these are likely to end up in the tin. One pet food manufacturer actually claimed it was better than others as its food was based on poultry carcuses whilst its competitors used feathers. In fact cat food contains all the icky bits of animals that have been passed fit for human consumption, ie. all meat is removed then what's left becomes cat food, eyes, brain, stomach etc. There is nothing wrong with the icky bits of the animal. Offal contains vital nutrients. In the wild cats will eat the skin, eyes and stomache of its prey. Humans often eat these icky bits as well, cleverly disguised in sausages, burgers, pies etc. It is not unheard of for diseased animals and spoilt unsold meat to end up in cat food, although this normally only happens in countries with lesser controls. Cat food has to have the nutritional value of one mouse per can, icky bits included.In some places ground up cats and dogs can end up in cat food as well as road kill. Rendering these carcuses is an efficient and environmental friendly means of disposal. Sanimal in Quebec use mainly pig and chicken carcusses but also use 18000 kg of cat and dog flesh a week. This meat protein product is then sold on to the pet food industry to be manufactured into cat and dog food. In reality that tin of food you fed your cat this morning could well have contained the meat of a dead cat. Erm isn't that canibalism? There are also genuine health concerns about feeding meat products back to their own species.Every one, at least in England, will remember the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease a few years ago. This outbreak of BSE was caused by feeding cattle by products back to cattle. The causative agent (a prion) survived rendering. In humans vCJD is caused by eating BSE infected beef, the feline version FSE is caused by cat food.The Waltham Book of Dog and Cat Nutrients is a fantastic source of information on what is actually in cat food and what is vital and missing from it.Most pet food comes from large international companies that also deal in human food. This allows them to profit from what is effectively waste products by turning them into pet food. This process starts by rendering the animal carcusses to remove fat and fluid. This is then mixed with the skin, organs, brain, stomaches etc. It is possible for the euthanasia drug pentobarbital to still be present in these. Condemned slaughter house waste, including animals who have died and reason unknown, heads, hooves, more internal organs, and all meat unfit for human consuption. Before leaving the slaughterhouse this meat is denatured to prevent it ending up in the human food chain. In Canada the denaturing chemical is Birkolene B (composition of which is secret). In the USA they use any of the following, carbolic acid (corrosive, disinfectant, toxic), creosote (wood preservative, disinfectant, toxic), fuel oil, kerosene or citronella (insect repellent made from lemon grass). In the UK it is dyed blue or green. These all end up in cat food.Animals breed as a food source are routinely given antibiotics due to the increased infections of cramped accomodation and walking about in there own mess. The later causes e-coli. Both are passed into the food chain and into pet food. (As my battery is about to die I will charge it and continue as a reply)

[Howlinbob]

Well I knew some of this but certainly not all the detail. I find it fascinating how big the gulf is between what actually happens in pet food manufacture and the glossy blurb on the packs and on the websites. That we are now so conditioned to think that feeding this rubbish is the best way is a masterstroke of marketing. I am certainly much more comfortable with feeding raw meat than with feeding any commercial pet food. Of course there are risks involved with raw feeding but it is quite easy to minimise those risks with good supplies and good practice.

Looking forward to your continuation, Catslave! Thanks.

[Antonia]

I find it fascinating how big the gulf is between what actually happens in pet food manufacture and the glossy blurb on the packs and on the websites.

That’s exactly what bugs me. No pet owner knows what happens inside those plants. They keep their doors closed. The public are not allowed access.
Not only the ‘cheap’ brands are tight-lipped, but the so-called premium/high premium/super premium (or whatever marketing term they will come up with next) are equally secretive.

Now, I feed a frozen raw mix made by a Dutch company. They welcome visitors and are happy to give you a tour around their facilities. No secrets, nothing fishy… except for the mackerel that goes into some of their mixes.

Makes you wonder.

[catslave]

Continuation ... and I now have a laptop back so this is going to be easier, first post was made on a mobile phone so apologies for the lack of paragraphs and spacing, I will try and correct it.

Waltham who make Whiskers website states that they add more nutrients into their food than the minimum recomendations to compensate for the losses in the processing of the food. However, this itself can cause problems and be potentially dangerous to cats and leads to hypervitaminosis.

Vets have also found a link between canned foods, particularly fish varieties, and hyperthyroidism in cats.

Some contaminents may survive the rendering process, therefore a tin of cat food can conttain antibiotics, hormones, the chemicals used at the slaughterhouses and barbituates. Even more less desirable contaminents can be found as well.

To make thhe naturally bland kibble appealing to cats it is sprayed with fat mixed with flavour enhancers. This fat will have been treated with ethoxyquin to stabilise it. This product has never been certified as safe for cats. Antioxidants are also added - yeah more chemicals. High wheat content kibble is known to cause vomitting and diahroea in cats, Persians appear to be most susceptable to this.

Have a look at the ingredients in cat food, do you find cellulose or cellulose pulp, any idea what it is? Blood soaked sawdust. So your feeding your cat wood. Sawdust is a by-product and the timber will have been treated with chemicals.

(As I keep getting logged out I will coninue in another reply, cheating this time going to type it in Word and copy and paste it as I've lost about five times whats here)

[Antonia]

Waltham who make Whiskers website states that they add more nutrients into their food than the minimum recomendations to compensate for the losses in the processing of the food.

So what they are basically saying is: they process the meat to such an extent that they need to add lost nutrients.
Or they use so little meat that they need to add nutrients that weren’t there in the first place.

Wouldn’t it be simpler to just feed the cat the … ehmmm… meat?

[catslave]

I really should have put this as the start of the thread but I am not posting this to try and get everyone to raw feed, I am posting it as information that is not easy to come by so people can make informed choices and draw their own conclusions.

[catslave]

Candes I appreciate your input and agree you too have done your homework and made your own ddecisions. I really am not trying to start an arguement, as above this thread is for information that took me many years to find. Both the kibbles that you recommend contain chicken meal / turkey meal. These are the rendered bits that I mentioned earlier. Out of curiosity I will e-mail both companies and ask them for details of the "meal" and the proccessing of it, or have you already done this during your own research? Again not wishing to argue just want info as if these are manufactured in a different way I would give consideration to using them.

[catslave]

Cats evolved to eat bacteria. They dig about in soil etc. Also they have a nasty habit of grooming themselves, including their bottoms, and occasionally other cats bottoms; I don't care how clean your cat is, its going to get bacteria from there.

There are a number of factors that prevent pathogenic bacteria from taking a foothold in thecat’s body. The first defense is saliva which kills bacteria entering with the food. Saliva is often referred to as a gatekeeper because of its protective role against harmful pathogens.

The stomach is highly acid (pH 1-2) and contains strong hydrochloric acid (HCL). HCL creates the right pH for enzymes to work efficiently and it kills bacteria that have escaped the protective enzymes in the saliva. Bacteria that survive the high acid content of the stomach then pass into the small intestine. Compared to the stomach, the small intestine is a relatively hospitable environment. The first section of the small intestine is called the duodenum. The pancreas and liver deposit their digestive enzymes, bicarbonate and bile salts, respectively, in this part of the small intestine.

The digestive enzymes from the pancreas digest the cells walls of harmful bacteria. The bile salts from the liver are primarily used for fat digestion and transportation and also potent antimicrobial agents. In addition, lysozyme is secreted by cells that line the digestive tract. Lysozyme is a potent enzyme that attacks bacterial cell walls, and is believed to be another primary control preventing bacterial overgrowth in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Bacteria that are able to survive need to be able to stick to the lining of the intestinal wall. To hold on they must contain adhering proteins, have their own means of locomotion, and be able to multiply rapidly enough to overcome the forward peristaltic movements of the small intestine. Bacteria that fail to meet the criteria for attachment, motility and propagation will pass on into the fecal matter and into the large intestine. The large intestine collects and processes undigested material that passes through the small intestine. The bacterial population of the large intestines is much greater than that found in the small intestine, with a higher number of gram-negative bacteria. These bacteria are very important to normal large intestinal physiology.

[dave]

Enough already !!!!!!!!!

[Helen & John]

Thanks, this thread is balanced and has lots of factual info instead of hysterics. Both Catslave & Candes apear to have a good grounding in both factual info and research.
It shows both sides in a non emotional discussion giving info in a easy to read way (once Catslave was on a laptop!).

Edit: I have now discovered that this is a cleaned up thread (for want of a better phrase) I know this is an emotive subject but each to their own..........everyone is allowed to hold their own ideas and if it works for you fine but please don't be too forcefull when getting your point across..............