Cat food labels and advertisements are full of stunning photos of cats, artistic designs, and a lot of words — some of which sound meaningful, but are actually not very regulated.
Becoming a knowledgeable pet owner and knowing the differences will help you choose a cat food that is not just good but actually good. This guide will help you understand what natural cat food and holistic cat food are, and whether these are actually regulated terms.
What is natural cat food?
To use the word “natural” in relation to pet food, manufacturers must Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) definition:
A feed or feed ingredient derived exclusively from plant, animal, or mined sources, either in the raw state or after having undergone physical processing, thermal treatment, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymatic degradation, or fermentation, and which has not been produced by or subjected to a chemical synthetic process and does not contain chemically synthesized additives or processing aids, except in amounts permitted by good manufacturing practice.
“Natural” can refer to a specific ingredient (for example, “wild salmon”) or to the entire product.
If an entire cat food is labeled as “natural,” all of the ingredients must be natural, with the exception of vitamins, minerals, and a few other essential nutrients that are difficult to include any other way.
To make this distinction clear, manufacturers must label foods as natural (or all-natural, or 100% natural) with added vitamins, minerals and micronutrients.
Naturally, a cat food that contains only one natural ingredient will be less “natural” than a cat food that is labeled “all natural with added vitamins, minerals and micronutrients.”
To better understand the difference between natural and “regular” cat food, let’s compare two canned salmon cat food examples.
Natural Salmon Canned Cat Food: Salmon, liver, chicken, chicken broth, natural flavors, minerals [omitted for simplicity]Guar Gum, Taurine, Salt, Choline Chloride, Vitamins [omitted for simplicity].
“Regular” Canned Salmon Cat Food: Salmon, meat by-products, liver, chicken broth, fish, artificial and natural flavors, tricalcium phosphate, color, guar gum, minerals. [omitted for simplicity]salt, taurine, red 3, vitamins [omitted for simplicity]sodium nitrite (to promote color retention)
By choosing natural salmon cat food over “regular” cat food, you are avoiding feeding your cat artificial flavors, colors and preservatives, and there are other differences, too, that have no bearing on the AAFCO definition of “natural.”
What ingredients are in natural cat food?
Most of the ingredients in cat food meet the definition of natural because they are “derived exclusively from plants, animals, or mined sources.”
Natural cat foods are made from a variety of meats, carbohydrates and fats. Meat meal, meat by-product meal and mixed tocopherols (a type of preservative) are among the ingredients that may be found in natural cat foods.
Natural cat foods may contain trace amounts of synthetic compounds, but if they are included as part of “good manufacturing practice,” they must not contain certain ingredients, such as:
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Propylene glycol
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Calcium Ascorbate
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Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
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Butylated Hydroxy Toluene (BHT)
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Artificial Flavors and Colors
What is Holistic Cat Food?
Unlike “natural,” the word “holistic” has no meaning when applied to cat food.
While the word “holistic” certainly conjures up images of high nutritional value and whole-body health benefits, the term is completely unregulated. Manufacturers can apply it to any cat food, regardless of nutritional value or ingredient list.
What ingredients are in holistic cat food?
Holistic cat foods may or may not contain ingredients that are prohibited in natural foods, such as artificial flavors, artificial colors, and artificial preservatives. Before you buy, review the ingredients list to better understand what’s in your holistic cat food. Check out our pet food ingredient glossary to better understand each ingredient and what it does.
Which is better: natural or holistic cat food?
Natural cat foods are free of controversial ingredients that are artificially or chemically modified, and while holistic foods may contain them, there has been little research into the potential health risks these substances pose to cats.
That being said, the only downside to choosing natural cat food over other options is the cost. If you have the money and want to be on the safe side and take control of your cat’s nutrition, natural cat food may be a good option.
But keep in mind that the words “natural” and “holistic” in no way mean that the cat food provides all of the nutrients your cat needs in the right proportions to thrive. To be sure a cat food is complete and balanced, look for the following AAFCO statement on the label:
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Cat Food A is formulated to meet the nutritional levels set out in the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for the maintenance, growth and reproduction of adult cats throughout all life stages.
or
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Animal feeding testing using AAFCO procedures has demonstrated that Cat Food B provides complete and balanced nutrition for the maintenance, growth and reproduction of adult dogs or for all life stages.
If you’re not sure what to feed your cat, consult your vet – together you and your vet can explore all your options and choose a food that will support your cat’s health, happiness and longevity.
Featured Image: iStock.com/marieclaudelemay
