Hello Pups and Kittens we have a very exciting show for you. This is part 2 of our expose on our pets food. This week we're talking about "CAT FOOD".

RECALL ALERT

NAME: Science Plan Feline 11+ Healthy Ageing Chicken and Salmon Multi Pack

SIZE: 12 x 85g

SKU: 2190V

EXPIRATION: 09/2017

WHY WAS IT RECALLED?

The initial recall was undertaken after high amounts of iron were discovered in six Hill’s “Science Plan” products. The increase in iron was believed to be an ingredient supplier error.

This product was available for sale in the United Kingdom and Ireland as early as May 2016.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

If your cat has consumed the affected product, keep an eye out for the following symptoms of excess iron:

Depression

Shock

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Diarrhea

Vomiting

Abdominal Pain

Tremors

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

If you have purchased a bag of Hill’s Science Plan Feline Healthy Ageing, call the company’s consumer helpline at 0800-282-438 to inquire about a replacement or a refund. If your bag has been opened, dispose of the food as soon as possible, ensuring your pet won’t find it.

INGREDIENTS TO AVOID:

In both dry and wet food, there are certain ingredients to watch out for and avoid like the plague. The reason these ingredients are even used is because they are cheap and increase a pet food company’s profit margin. Ingredients to avoid include:

CORN – Cats are obligate carnivores and can’t process carbohydrates the way we do. Grains, in particular, corn, are terrible for their health. Corn and other grains are the leading cause of overweight, obese, and diabetic cats (corn is naturally high in sugar). In addition, since corn is not a sufficient source of protein, your cat will eat even more of the food because it feels malnourished. This can lead to unwanted eating habits such as gorging and vomiting. If corn or anything corn based (i.e. corn gluten meal) is listed as one of the first 5 ingredients of the cat food, that cat food is garbage for your cat’s health. Consumers are catching onto this, and pet food companies have responded by listing corn as “maize.”

ANY TYPE OF GRAIN – This may include brown rice, cracked barley, and oatmeal, which are higher quality grains than corn, but still not great since cats shouldn’t be eating grain at all.

BREWERS RICE/ BREWERS YEAST – Another useless additive. As the name implies, these ingredients are used to process beer which are later dried and sold to pet food companies as a cheap source of carbohydrates.

MEAT BY- PRODUCTS / MEAT BY-PRODUCT MEAL – Parts of slaughtered animals not including meat. This includes organs such as kidneys, intestines, brains, bones, etc. Under this definition, meat by-products are not necessarily bad for your cat, but the problem is you don’t know what the source of the meat by-product is. It is in fact legal for meat by-products to contain, quote: “4D animals (dead, dying, diseased, down), road kill, euthanized cats and dogs, including their collars. These source products are rendered, the fat is siphoned off to be used as “animal fat,” and the remaining material is extruded to form “meat by-product meal.”

If the meat by-product is described as a meal, this means that the by-products were ground and rendered (cooked under high heat and reconstituted).

POULTRY BY-PRODUCTS / POULTRY BY-PRODUCT MEAL – Same definition as meat by-products, except using poultry. It may include the use of feathers, beaks, and feet.

ANIMAL DIGEST – Similar to meat by-products, except that it may include refuse from restaurants and supermarket] It’s a poor source of protein.

GOOD INGREDIENTS TO LOOK FOR:

CHICKEN or CHICKEN DEBONED- Chicken meat from muscle meat.

TURKEY or TURKEY DEBONED – Turkey meat from muscle meat.

DUCK or DUCK DEBONED – Duck meat from muscle meat.

RABBIT or RABBIT DEBONED – Rabbit meat from muscle meat.

CHICKEN MEAL – Ground and rendered chicken meat; not as nutritious as chicken deboned, but still quite good.

TURKEY MEAL – Ground and rendered turkey meat.

SALMON OIL and/or FLAXSEED OIL – Good for your cats fur (shiny and soft coat) and eyes (bright and clear).

CRANBERRIES, ACAI BERRIES, or BLUEBERRIES – Good source of antioxidants; good for maintaining your cat’s urinary tract system. Should be listed after the top 5 ingredients.

TAURINE – May be listed as a supplement. This is critical to your cats overall health. If the ingredient list is full of good proteins, it may not be listed as the taurine comes from the protein.

PERCENTAGES:

According to veterinarian and cat foster mother, Dr. Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, a cat’s diet should be composed of:

Protein calories = 50 – 70%

Fat calories = 10 – 30%

Carbohydrate calories = 5%