Why I Don’t Recommend Feeding Fancy Feast Cat Food

Image credit: Purina.com

Probably the most popular grocery store brand cat food, Fancy Feast is by far one of the most common foods cat parents feed their cats.  Certainly you can’t beat the price.  However, you’ve probably heard the expression, “You get what you pay for.”  Purina prides itself on their slogan “Every ingredient has a purpose,” but in my book, along with many pet nutrition experts, they fall far short of providing the best nutrition for cats.  Let’s take a closer look at why Fancy Feast cat food should not be on your cat’s menu.

Fancy Feast cat food labels are all about marketing

Marketing is all about finding ways to appeal to consumers, and pet food manufacturers are VERY good at this.  The beautiful images, creative language and descriptions of  their cat food products, are meant to appeal to pet parents.  Cats could truly care less–they can’t read nor do they comprehend the images on labels.  

Purina has developed 18 different lines of wet food for cats; however, when you read the labels the ingredients don’t really vary all that much. Using descriptive language like grilled, marinated, minced, roasted, shredded, sliced, savory centers, flaked, medleys, gourmet, gravy lovers, creamy delights, chunky, classic, Senior 7+, and with cheddar makes each seem special.  Unfortunately, in order to create such recipes many of the ingredients Purina uses are not species appropriate or healthy for cats.

Image credit: Purina.com

Fancy Feast ingredients your cat should not be eating

Many of the ingredients in Fancy Feast cat food are toxic and genetically modified.  Despite how “healthy” Purina touts these, they are from it.

• Sodium nitrite–a known carcinogen
• Meat by products–animal parts other than meat, often sourced from rancid, dead, dying, diseased, & disabled animals, lower quality protein sources
• Soy protein concentrate & soy flour–genetically modified (GMO), common allergen; plant protein is not biologically appropriate for cats to build muscle & lean body mass
• Wheat gluten–used as a cheap source of protein, likely contaminated with glyphosate, linked to food intolerance & allergies, linked to kidney failure in death
• Artificial flavors–synthetic chemical additives derived from petroleum
• Red 3 & added colors–made from synthetic chemicals with links to cancer and other health problems
• Corn starch, corn oil–used as a filler and likely genetically modified (GMO)
• Vegetable oil–unnamed source of omega 6 oils than may be genetically modified with unknown fatty acid make up, can offset the correct balance of omega 3 to 6 ratio 

When reading the ingredients keep in mind that these are listed in order by weight.  Even if it appears that the amounts are small you must remember that the accumulated load over time adds up. In other words, you may not see the negative affects on your cat right away but they can lead and contribute to negative and unwanted health conditions eventually. Are you willing to take that chance?  

There are better options to feed your cat

Instead of feeding a low quality cat food that uses so many undesirable ingredients, feed your cat a species appropriate diet.  This can include fresh, raw, freeze-dried, or a canned food that doesn’t contain any of the negative ingredients listed above.  This will provide better nutrition and ultimately better health for your cat.  The bottom line is you simply have to read the labels.