When evaluating a cat food, the first five ingredients can tell you a lot about the quality of a product as they make up the bulk of the product.
Ideally, you're looking for quality protein sources with a minimum of cheap starches, fillers or by-products. Continuing down the
ingredient list, look for ingredients that resemble real food with a minimal number of unpronounceable chemicals - the same as you would for human food.
Note - a bolded ingredient in the above tables indicates it is one of the first five ingredients listed by the product manufacturer.
In this case, Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Hairball Management Chicken & Rice Formula's
most plentiful ingredient listed
is chicken,
which is considered a quality protein source.
However, this product also lists poultry by-product meal within its top ingredients. By-products are typically
considered inferior, lesser quality ingredients.
Additionally, Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Hairball Management Chicken & Rice Formula also contains as
top ingredients
corn gluten meal, brewers rice and soy protein concentrate.
These types of ingredients are typically used as bulk-adding fillers and are not required in your cat's diet.
However, they are sometimes used to help maintain the kibble shape in dry foods.
Allergen alert:
This product contains fish meal, corn gluten meal, soy protein concentrate, soybean meal, soy protein isolate, soy lecithin and dried egg product which may
be problematic for cats who suffer from seafood, corn, soy or eggs food allergies.
significantly less moisture than an equivalent wet food
In general, cats have been shown to do better with a higher protein, medium fat, lower carb diet with sufficient moisture. However, specialty diets as recommended by your
veterinarian may prioritize a different nutritional breakdown.
All the product information on this page is based on data collected from
the manufacturer's product website as retrieved on
February 23, 2018.
The authoritative source for ingredient lists and nutritional analysis for any pet food is always the pet food manufacturer.
Ingredients
Ingredients as published by the cat food manufacturer:
Chicken, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, poultry by-product meal, soy protein concentrate, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), dried egg product, soybean meal, wheat flour, soy protein isolate, powdered cellulose, fish meal, animal liver flavor, inulin, gelatin, soy lecithin, phosphoric acid, salt, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, choline chloride, Vitamin E supplement, taurine, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), and sodium selenite
Guaranteed Analysis
Nutritional information as published by the cat food manufacturer.*
Protein:(min)
40.0%
Fat:(min)
16.0%
Fiber:(max)
5.5%
Carbs:(est)
26.5%
Ash:(est)
0.0%
Moisture:(max)
12.0%
Dry Matter Analysis
The manufacturer's published guaranteed analysis values normalized for moisture content.
Protein:(min)
45%
Fat:(min)
18%
Fiber:(max)
6%
Carbs:(est)
30%
Ash:(est)
0%
Calories:(est)
369/100g
*Note that some nutritional percentages reported are only estimated values, and are indicated as such as (est). Each cat food
manufacturer is required by law to publish a Guaranteed Analysis, which defines each product's maximum values of fiber, moisture and ash in
addition to the minimum values of protein and fat contained within. Exact nutritional percentages are not
available and hence all calculated values (including carbohydrate percentages and calorie amounts) are determined
using these minimum and maximum published values and therefore may differ from actual values.
Although a high score may be indicative of a higher-quality product it is not a guarantee. Similarly, a low score may or may not
indicate an inferior product. The best food for your cat is the one that meets their
individual needs.
