Cat Expert Explains How to Read Cat Food Labels
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- Опубліковано 26 тра 2024
- Have you ever read the label on a can of cat food and felt totally lost? Trust me, you're not alone! In this video I’ll guide you through the mysterious and confusing world of cat food labels, so you know how to choose the best food for your budget. Keep in mind that this is just an introduction to a very complicated topic, so if you have any more questions (I'm sure you will!) be sure to comment below so I can answer them in future videos!
For more information, check out Dr. Jean Hofve's website!
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:29 Rat-in-a-Can
2:45 What the Front of the Can Means
4:16 What the Back of the Can Means
5:20 Dangerous Ingredients
8:37 Expensive Cat Food Can Review
11:56 Midrange Cat Food Can Review
15:52 Value Cat Food Can Review
20:37 Conclusions
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Thank you all for tuning in- please let me know if you'd be interested in doing a deeper dive! Have a great #Caturday!
Totally in for a deep dive! I appreciate the hard work that was put into this episode!
Please do a deeper dive! There are so many cat foods out there and we need an educated opinion as a consumer!
Yes, please please please do a deeper dive! This episode was extremely needed. Would appreciate analyzing dry food, too 🙏
Raw pet food
Definitely a deeper dive! Thanks, Jackson.
I like that he made sure to not make people feel inadequate if they can only afford the cheap food. Thanks for being wholesome!
I have found some of those so-called cheap foods are actually more expensive than some of the better quality. Especially if you compare ounce to ounce, the price might surprise you. I know it was a wake-up call for me. Have to admit, that was many years ago.
Yes like me ,I'm on a low fixed income. All I can afford is friskies. Not all of us are celebrity's.
I guess I could have left them on the streets & then I wouldn't have to pay any money out,but I care about animals to much.
@@straycat5695 when I had 5cats, when my children were growing. They were fed friskies wet and dry.
They all lived to be around 14 /15 most of them died of kidney failure. They went to the vets once a year. All shots. Two had to have their teeth cleaned,in their whole lives.
They were all indoor cats. And I fed many strays, around 2 to 3 a year for 20 years
I so appreciate this video full of valuable information. Also I want all pet parents to remember; you are doing the very best you can. Think about that, be proud of that!
@@debraragsdale3199 Thank you! I appreciate that greatly!
I can recognize the cans of cat food because i spent so many hours reading the labels in the pet store. (I also work at one!) Here's the brand list for anyone that wants to buy the products in the video on the list. I know he doesn't want them in the video, but as a consumer it's great to know which exact products that were being spoke well about we could try, and which to avoid. Keep in mind, just cuz one brand was spoke badly about and I'm now telling you the brands, that doesn't mean the entire brand line is bad. Ex 3 in the most expensive category, Weruva, has other recipes that are better than the one in the video! But it's great information to know which brands you should look more closely at based on Jackson's review.
Expensive
Example 1: Instinct Ultimate Protein - Pate Real Chicken Recipe
Example 2: ORIJEN - Regional Red Entree in Bone Broth
Example 3: Weruva - Mideast Feast with Grilled Tilapia in Gravy
Mid-Range
Example 1: Wellness CORE - Whitefish Salmon & Herring Pate
Example 2: Tiki Cat - Puka Puka Luau Succulent Chicken in Chicken Consomme
Example 3: Wellness Complete Health - Pate Chicken Entree
Value Cat Food
Example 1: Blue Buffalo Tastefuls - Chicken Entrée Pate
Carrageenan discussion can 1 18:07 Natural Balance (This is not a value brand!)
Example 2: Friskies - (im not sure which specific flavor and can)
Example 3: Made by Nacho - Chicken Recipe in Bone Broth Pate
Thank you
Don’t get friskies. Nestle company is BAD BAD BAD
Thank you!!! Wow!
I am both thankful and amazed with your ability to tell those brands judging from the can
I would say Tiki cat's after dark line is better than their luau line. Like I can actually see the pieces of chicken liver in there. In the quail egg one there's even half a quail egg in the can (though I will say if you are a real penny pincher, just buy quail eggs and hard boil them with the chicken eggs you eat, that's probably cheaper, just takes slightly more work)
Jackson….. why doesn’t someone (like you) start producing a cat food that meets all the best requirements? They would make a mega fortune! Even if I couldn’t afford it every day, I would buy it to supplement the others.
After viewing this was my first thought.
Make it as affordable as possible for all cat parents without going broke
ALMO NATURE is a very good cat food brand ! Most of the time its only meat and meat broth, without any filling !
There're already expensive brands you can find online were they get you frozen raw meat+something packs that you defreeze when needed, but it's a lot more expensive than just buying meat at the store.
Jackson,how about giving the Brands of the wet food you compared that were best?
As a veterinarian, I SHOULD know more about feline nutrition! I learned a lot from this video!
Grateful that you recognise a deficiency and are willing to learn. That makes you great! Always learning with a touch of humility.
Well, you're likely not specializing in nutrition, so I would not expect you to know anything about diet. That's why I never discussed diet with my vets. Aside from a holistic vet who is a certified feline nutritionist. 😊
Should I feed my cats just can food?
Please never change. I wish more veterinarians were like you ❤.
I find it really upsetting that vet schools don't spend more time teaching vets about nutrition when it plays SUCH a huge part in animal health. Perhaps bigger than almost anything else. You really shouldn't have to be responsible for educating yourself independently on a subject you went to school for. Especially for so many years!
Jaxon, can you do a segment on kidney disease and food? I think it would be most helpful for cat parents.
You can reverse Creatinin levels by upgrading your cats diet and giving Kidney Glandulars. That is how I did it with one of my cats and I have the blood tests before and after to prove it
Same here! The vet recommended we go with "urinary" health food as a preventative. I have been finding it hard and confusing. Are cranberries and blueberries really good for cats? Some foods aren't clearly labeled as urinary health food, but they show up on the search online. How do I know they will support my cat's health?
@@wetlandkeeper It is best to feed your cat what it would get in the wild. A sick cat can only benefit from a fast. In fact this applies to all mammals.
Most people have heard the famous quote by Hippocrates -"Let food be thy medicine and medicine by thy food" But few people know what he said right after that which was "...to eat when sick is to feed the sickness".
This is the opposite of what the orthodox allopathic vet will tell you BUT we can help our cats TREMENDOUSLY by not stressing out when they don't want to eat and if we can't handle letting them water fast themselves to wellness, we can give them a day or two at a time of giving them a liquid high calcium chicken broth fast discussed in Anitra Frazier's books about natural cat health, before offering them a high quality home made raw diet.
Probably a bigger killer of cats than carrageenan.
When my cat was diagnosed with kidney disease the vet wanted to put him on a special kidney diet but it was a dry and canned food that was lower in protein. It seemed weird to me being dry food. So I went to a holistic pet food store and they really opened my eyes. So I put my guy on a high protein good quality meat diet. I bought him Wiruva canned food and he thrived for several years on it. Of course it is more expensive but not as much as I thought it would be. You can get it from Chewy if you don't have a special pet food sore in your town.
Hi Jackson,
I'm going to be super honest here.
Since I have NEVER EVER had cats (not even close), I had no idea who you were.
However, about 15 days ago, a feral cat started coming to my front door. Thanks to your loving, compassionate, and professional approach, our life is now full of beautiful kitty moments.
Your book "Total Cat Mojo", as well as your videos, have enriched my life in a wonderful way.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving SO MUCH!! And for doing it with so much love.
I am also very grateful that you have the media exposure so you can pass on your knowledge and whole philosophy.
You are making a great impact in this world and inspiring us to pay it forward.
My best wishes for you and your loved ones
Ethel Tame
Congrats on the kitty adopting you! They're pretty wonderful
You are amazing, Ethel. I'm absolutely certain that God, loving everyone of us, empowers us with unique gifts which we can choose to use for good. His earth angels can reach out & comfort those who are suffering, wrapping them up in our God blessed hearts❤.We each give love & strength to those hurting & in need on this tired earth. We can reach out & with God working with us, make the life of His innocent critters, animal & human alike, a little more tolerable, a bit more comfortable, less painful. And in turn we are blessed by their amazing love.
This is so wholesome. Everyone needs a cat! ❤
Glad you were the chosen one!! Take good care of kitty through the good and bad!!! Sometimes strays and or feral are that way bc of behavior issues... ITs most likely NOT THEIR FAULT! I promise with a little TLC most cats can make a huge turn around especially kittens
What a lovely comment! 😊🐈
I'd love a video on homemade cat food
YES
Totally!!!
This is what I was thinking as I watched the video. Part of my problem is my cat won’t eat everything.
there is one on You Tube about homemade catfood by a vet
can it be made witout being a rothschild pggtcnt?
YES, please, a deep dive is very much needed!! After watching the video, I looked at the ingredients of the food that I have been feeding my cats, and I can see that they are shit. The trouble is, one of my cats is on a prescription diet, and there is no other option.
The cat who requires the prescription diet, prefers the other cat’s food, the other cat prefers the prescription diet. Now mealtime is a negative event, I sit close and shoo them off the food they want to eat, neither cat is getting what they need.
I want to be able to choose for myself: follow the prescription or choose a better food, one that both cats can live with. This video does not go deep enough to make that decision. And, in this instance, money is not a barrier, the prescription diet is not cheap, even though it is full of fillers.
Prescription diets are the WORST!!! there’s nothing in them that makes them a prescription….they are full of the same crappy ingredients in the food on the grocery store shelves.chances are your cat wont have health issues if you get them off that food!
He’s not mentioning brands either.. I found some really good kinds of canned at pet stores.. Almo is a really good brand.. I have to babysit mine at dinner too to make sure my male doesn’t bully the girls out of their goodies haha he eats all left overs though
@@izzydeadyet7336I had that problem before and to resolve the it that cat had to eat their meals in the bathroom so the other cat(s) could eat at their pace & not be stressed.
Holistic vets keep telling people to switch to raw or home-made cat food using human-grade meats to address diabetes and kidney issues. If your cats don't like raw, you can cook those meats instead and let them try eating them with the broth.
I follow Dr. Andrew Jones, a holistic Canadian vet and he has a lot of videos about home remedies and home-made recipes. I follow his remedies and they work on our cats and dogs. He also sells supplements and pet food he formulated himself.
His channel is Veterinary Secrets. Check him out.
Hi, the best thing you could do is find a Holistic Veterinarian, they are very knowledgeable of nutrition as we know…Search under AHVMA ( American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association)
You can find someone near your home.
Changing foods saved my cat's life. When my cat was 2 she was in stage III renal failure and given 6-24 months to live. She got put on a prescription cat food. I started to really struggle affording this food, and a pet nutritionist told me to try Fromm dry Game Bird Recipe. I had my vet check the food out with me (since I was very young and stupid) and she really liked the food. My cat is now 17 with perfectly healthy kidneys.
Wow! Stage 3 renal failure? Having managed lots of cats with renal failure with vets on prescription diet, that is almost miraculous! Wound live to see the sodium and phosphorus in that Fromm diet! Very impressive!
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy research it !
Yep. We adopted two cats at 6 and 7 years of age. The older one had some health problems, which probably scared people previously from adopted them (bonded pair). First thing I did was give them both high quality prescription cat food to help them get healthy, put on weight, etc. That "sickly" cat lived to be 19 years old. :)
@@PetFoodPuzzleGuy your cat could've had acute renal failure. A little different than chronic. My cat got acute renal failure, we never figured out what caused it. But from that day forward, he has eaten raw or canned and absolutely no kibble. It's the moisture they need. He has been doing that for the last five years. He is 18 years old now. The vet is amazed. I refused to put him on any sort of prescription food. And I will never ever feed kibble to my cats again. it's b
@@nogames8982 good point on acute vs chronic. That would explain it.
"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" is a FANTASTIC point. I really have been trying to embrace this philosophy in multiple areas of my life. Thanks for the reminder!
First I've heard this. I could use a daily reminder
Awesome advice ❤
Also, don’t let fairly good be the enemy of all bad or not even trying.
Try not. Do or do not. Yoda
@@analiviaminsk1171 It's almost as if Star Wars isn't applicable in all real-life circumstances. I've lived a lot of years with a black-and-white all-or-nothing approach to life, and I refuse to go back. Sometimes our best has to be good enough.
You are important to us cat lovers. You are also a terrific young man. Thank you for your guidance.
I have been studying cat food for awhile now, taking out ingredient by ingredient, finally I learned about synthetic phosphates. My cats have been synthetic phosphate free now 4 months, and I noticed my older cat has more energy, she had stopped jumping up on high areas like the island, she still jumped up on lower things. We just thought it was her age she is 10, but in the past few weeks she is jumping up on the island and is chasing our younger cat. Thanks so much for your video.
Food is your cat on?
@@CheriseBarbe-cs1bv it’s really a few different brands, I also do not want any fish in the food, so I feed them Dry from Natures Logic (Rabbit lowest in carbs), wet I have a few brands Hound & Gatos(Chicken,Turkey,Duck & Gamebird). Weruva(Laugh out Loud Lamb, Take a chance Duck Turkey Chicken, Chicken & Duck Destiny, & Chicken & Beef Best Buds) Orijen (Duck & Chicken Entree), Feline Natural (Chicken, Chicken & Lamb, & Chicken & Venison Feast, Tiki Cat After Dark Pate (Duck & Chicken Liver, there are 3 other recipes but are out of stock(Beef & Beef Liver, Rabbit and Chicken Liver, Venison & Beef Liver). I give them freeze dried as treats(Quest) Orijen(Tundra Treats) Feline Natural (Lamb Green Tripe) I also give them Raw Goats Milk and Bone Broth mixed with their wet food. But I am constantly checking ingredients because they can change. I was giving them Rawz 98% Turkey & Turkey Liver, but no more, they changed the recipe it now has synthetic phosphates, I checked my cans and they do not contain the phosphates. So that change was made recently.
Yes please share what brand. I just adopted 3 feral kittens that will be house cats. I've already worked them twice and tested for fleas. I've had them 3 months and they eat like they are wild lions. I feed wet and dry.
I genuinely didn't even know what phosphates were until I had to learn a little about them when my mom went on dialysis. Didn't even occur to me that they might be in my cats food too!
Jackson once said that the worst canned food is better than the best dry food, so that gives you some leeway.🐱
I try to remember this when I get discouraged. Im switching my guys over now and the cost is so much more for wet food and then trying to find something they’ll even eat. One of mine is refusing wet food so after 2 weeks I finally got her to eat a thin layer of wet food with hard food pushed in on the top.
That's a relief! The first ingredient on mine is meat by products! That doesn't sound good!
It kind of depends on whether the cat throws it up.
You must start your kitten with wet food from the beginning.
@@jaimieconroy36 We transitioned our kitties to wet food in a very short time. They are rescues, 3 & 8 years-old, new to us 6 months ago. They were eating dry food at the rescue place, and presumably ate dry their whole lives. It took a lot of trial and error, but the transition is complete and they've been wet only for months now. It can be done!
Huh. This whole time I thought my cat was being a picky eater not eating the shreds in the canned cat food, turns out he's just a discerning consumer 😂
And I’m like oh that’s why they love the shreds so much, darn kitties like the unhealthy food😂😂❤
It's basically junk food for cats. Some cats LOVE it but others may find it makes them sick and avoid it.
Yeah totally! Me too!
My vat adore the cheap food... don't want the more high brand food. And only with chicken... nothing else... no beef or fish... 😂
I noticed that one of my cats didn’t care for the juicy shredded so I buy the pate but didn’t know how to understand the labels
It's worth noting that a lot of (especially smaller) cans say you have to feed a larger cat two or three cans worth to equate ONE meal. Be aware of 'serving size' even for cat food!
That's an interesting point. I suppose that is a reflection of the minimal amount of nutrition in each can.
Exactly. Years ago I said this to a friend bc she was underfeeding her large dog by only giving one can. You have to read the cans or box of cans to see the feeding recommendations per the weight of the dog or cat. My large dog required 3 1/2- 4 cans of wet dog food.
I supplement my cat’s diet with both freeze dried dry kibble and wet food to help with the cost. I also give them unseasoned, pearled barley, fish and cooked chicken meat and aspic.
In Australia they just put gelling agent and dont say what it is... when I asked a company they said it is their secret ingredient and can't divulge it... after more digging it was carrageenan!
I would love a series on choosing cat food because this shit is so confusing. I would also love something on calculating how much food your cats need and how/when to change their food as they age. Also, how to feed picky eaters! We have to have multiple boxes of food open at once to switch up the flavors for our picky cat and then I usually have a box of higher end tuna food (only three ingredients 😱) to give them as an occasional treat. My cat Fae will do anything for fish and I found she will eat the higher end food when she sticks her nose up at her regular food
how much your cat needs depends on the food you buy. Some are very high in protein and fat and thus a little goes a long way, others contain more water and maybe rice and thus have a lower calorie and protein count so you need to feed more of it. it should be written on the packages how much you need for a certain weight.
I totally agree! Would love a series on this, especially looking at multiple flavors from single brands. The brand itself might not be all bad, but certain flavors or kinds are sure to be better than others. Maybe go more in depth with a video a piece on the premium, mid-grade, and affordable wet foods. Also, agree that a video for how much wet food to feed would be helpful. I grew up with my parents only feeding dry food with a spoonful of wet food once a day, so I genuinely don’t know how much to feed. I’m actually fixing to switch to all wet with dry left out for snacking overnight if they get hungry, but I’m floundering on how much
Yes!!! I am so confused about HOW much food to give my cats. They would like me to think they are always starving.
@@hannajung7512 this is solid advice :) I have my first cat, he is two now. Ever since I got him I started watching Jackson, and every food I buy I read the package, look at the caloric density, and do a bit of math with his weight tbh.
I think humans are so used to not paying attention to the serving sizes on our own food that we can't really believe the serving sizes on pet foods lol. I remember weighing out what he calorically needed in a meal (we do 3x/day) and thinking oh my god he's only eating like two bites at a time, I must be underfeeding him, he must be malnourished... I was so nervous! Nope, I was just buying incredibly nutrient dense kitten food LOL once he was on adult food I realized how much cat foods can vary in their nutrients.
Jess caticles on you tube has fantastic advice on cat foods. She has studied how to read labels and how to switch to better foods.
Wow. I thought I was a food snob for my cats, and then I started reading labels in my pantry-back to the drawing board for me! Thank you, Jackson! You are truly God's gift to cats!
Take food recalls into mind. It’s not good ingredients if it contains pathogens! Once is too much. I only do fancy feast for this reason, in all it’s years it’s never been recalled
It’s difficult to find a food that actually is the best parts of an animal.
But when you do, the first thing you will notice is that the food actually smells like something a human will want to eat.
In a couple of months your cat friends will be soooo happy and healthy.
now if could just get the rothschild RCON password so we can spawn money like them eh?
I love what you are doing here. Thank you. One thing to realize while talking about this...They don't have to tell us the quality of the meats. That beef or chicken can be crap meats not proper decent meat. Same with seafood products. There is so much that the companies can put on those labels to lie/trick people. And while we are checking out the cat nutrition, know that much of this wisdom applies to us as well. Healthy fats and proteins, low carbs.
So true the meat is most likely all of the leftover parts that humans don't eat.
The trick is to get the cat to eat it.
I would love a video delving more into phosphates in food! It isn’t really explained why to watch out for it like Carageenan was and I’d love to learn more. Thank you so much for making videos like this. They really really help us in the Vet Med field learn AND teach more about pet nutrition. It is such a vastly under discussed topic that helps pet owners understand WHY to avoid certain brands and ingredients rather than simply avoiding based on “ oh don’t feed that brand, it’s bad”. We in vet med appreciate you so much Jackson for talking to actual DVM’s about these topics and giving us easy to share materials with pet owners ❤
Carrageenan is an additive from a red algae that is used to make food look like flakes or to make it paté like. The problem with this additive is that there is evidence of it causing cancer to animals and humans too. I learned about it when my cat vet recommended a super premium wet food. And after reading what it does I insta stopped feeding that things. Still be careful. reading human food labels I have seen carageene in food like ham and cheese brand. I stopped buying those.
Ditto. When I went out to apply my new knowledge from this video in the real world, I was seeing "pyrophosphate" and "triphosphate," and was wondering if those were just as bad, or better, or worse...so confusing!
This. Phosphates appear to typically be bound to calcium which is important for bones and teeth, so if we try to find a food with zero phosphates, that nutritional need has to be supplemented with something else - but what would that ingredient be, what are the downsides of THAT ingredient, etc etc? High phosphorous harms the kidneys, but it's not necessarily something to cut out *entirely* (Not an expert by any means but I'd argue that the lower down the list these "harmful" ingredients appear, the better. Most of us can't find the PERFECT food but we can find the lesser of all the evils)
My thoughts exactly 🙌
The key is “multiple phosphates”. Phosphorus and calcium displace each other in mammals (including humans!). Too much phosphorus can pull calcium out of an animal’s bones and teeth. Like wise, too much calcium create deposits (ie, kidney stones, etc).
Whoaaa this was so cool. I realized we definitely aren’t feeding our cat the BEST, but we also aren’t harming him. It’s challenging to balance wanting to give them the best but also needing to be conscious of spending. Thanks for this and I’d love more detail!
To be honest ive discovered that feeling them raw is way cheaper. Buy the discounted meat that expires in few days and freeze it. Atleast you know whats in it. Then again you can buy some kinda good wet food to serve when you don't have time. Quality dry food soaked in water can also help out when things are hard.
@@sallyibrahim9135 There is no such thing as "quality dry food". It's all carbs. Not good for cats even if you add water because it doesn't have enough protein and too many carbs.
@ShroomyK there's definitely high quality dry foods, even if they're not very cheap. They're waaaay better than the majority of wet and dry foods out there. Ideally raw but in reality not all cats will be willing to change to raw or wet food. Some are just too old.
Hi Jackson, me and my daughter (cat lovers) are very fond of your tv shows my cat from hell as these are very informative in cat behaviour and how to keep them entertained with exercises, playtime, etc. Very pleased to see your contribution to cat food as well. Good job! Thankx a lot and keep on the good work.
I immediately went to my cats wet food collection and read the ingredient lists as I followed along with the video. Tried to see if you read the back of my brand too. And you’re right, there are affordable brands that are still good for them, and are far better than a constant dry food diet!
I would be really interested in seeing a deep dive in the vet clinic exclusive foods like PVD, hills, or Royal canin. And maybe a comparison of specifically urinary food found at vet clinics vs pet stores since male cats have a fairly substantial chance of urinary blockages.
YES, me too! I think the majority of these "prescription diets" are over priced garbage and worst of all we have vets telling us to switch from the higher quality food our cat is on to these.
@@DCARA06 I know in a lot of cases especially with urinary blockages the compounds found in the prescription diet can help a lot with breaking down the crystals but I would want to see his take on it for sure.
@@talyssateagan Wouldn't it be nice to have those compounds in a tin of high quality ingredients, the price certainly should allow for it. Or better yet have a balanced food and then a supplement to give cats with a blockage.
@@DCARA06 oh absolutely I'm just saying there is a reason why vets recommend them.
Going kibble only is one of the worst things you can do for a cat struggling with crystals because you need to pump more moisture in and only kibble certainly does not do that. I’m surprised at how many vets recommend that route for those situations. Also tho Farmina N&D Urinary is an awesome product and comes in both wet and dry.
“Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” I love that!
I would like to see an in depth look at the safety and health concerns/benefits of feeding your cat tinned seafood products. I give Finn albacore tuna or sardines packed in oil every so often, but I often worry about exposing her to mercury or other heavy metals since even we humans are only supposed to have tuna twice a month.
Make it a treat, not a daily affair. IMO, a couple of spool fulls every two weeks (one meal) certainly isn't going to hurt her. It's a matter of proportion. When we eat tuna, it usually isn't the entire meal. So, kind of the same thing here. Personally, I'd worry about the sardines more than the tuna but that's just my gut inclination. I tried feeding my cat sardines and she didn't care for them at all, so it's not a worry here! 😁 (Didn't like the salmon either, but she loves tuna!)
@@bwhogyou can find sardines in water way healthier I make it a treat too
@@Jenny-uv4dlThat's what I did. She still didn't care for it. :)
Thanks for the video! After I watched it, I looked at all the labels of catfood here in germany and the things that are dangerous to your cat that you shown in this video are in no catfood here. The "worst" thing that is in catfood here, are grains and added sugar, but thats about it. I know that catfood (and petfood in general) is heavily regulated in the EU, I am happy about that.
Would be swell to see a reboot of the "Food, the Bad, and the Ugly", but including what you learned here and freeze dried catfood such as Stella and chewy, bixbi rawbble, nulo, vital essentials, to name some of the types of freeze dried out there 👀
agree
Does freeze-dried food need to be rehydrated before feeding it your cat? Considering cats get most of their water from their food, I would expect so.
My kitties LOVE the rabbit Stella and chewys freeze dried
@@fredericapanon207 It's recommended. I have two who will eat it rehydrated, and one who looks at me reproachfully and walks away., so I give it to her dry. (She's a torti; are we surprised? Lol)
If your cat doesn't like rehydrated food, the manufacturer recommends putting a bowl of water nearby when feeding, so they are more likely to drink with their meal.
@@fredericapanon207 i personally do not rehydrate it exactly, i loosely crumble it with canned pate + some health supplements sprinkled in. several fosters that passed through my home didn't like wet-food until i started doing this and it sort of stuck since. i also have a non-plastic water fountain nearby to make sure they have enough hydration.
Jackson, I’d love if you would also do a video about cat treats. What to look for in those and what to avoid, etc.
Cats are obligate carnivores so I give only freeze dried meat as a treat. The ingredient is often just chicken breasts. When you check it's also lower in calorie and 100% protein. Its the best snack you could give.
@@NoeulKang I agree with this very much.
@@percymarshall2479 Have you tried other meats such as duck or fish? Obviously freeze dried is more coinvent but you could also cook some meat, cut it up, and keep it in the fridge for treats.
Also have you tried baby food? You'd be looking for the stage 2 kind that is mostly meat.
With the treats it's basicly the same idea. Get the better treats with high quality protein and avoid the ones with the same ingredients he mentions to avoid in the canned food.
I still need to try the freeze dried treats. Have always thought they seemed like the healthiest ones. I need to get a bag and see if my cat will take to them. He's not remotely picky, so I think he probably will.
I just get a different kind of cat food and only put it down like I would treats. Saves a ton of money and gives much better nutrition.
This was so informative, and absolutely great for someone like me who doesn't even know where to start when researching something like this. Love how accessible and simplistic this information is presented, as well as how understanding Jackson towards those who can only afford the bargain stuff. I've been there before, and it's heartbreaking to know you simply can't buy your pet what they need. Great video!
I must say, though, that after watching this, I am absolutely HORRIFIED by what I have been feeding my cats!! The brand Royal Canin has been my go-to for nearly a decade, as it is the "premium health brand" that my vet sells almost exclusively and recommended highly. It's very expencive, but I always justified the price to myself because I wanted to give my cats the best nutrition. But looking at the label? Not only are the protein levels low, and the only meats being by-products, but both the senior and indoor foods have carrageenan about midway through the ingredients list. If this was a cheaper brand, I wouldn't be so shocked, but since my vet has recommended this to me for so long... I'm concerned.
No hate to the brand or my vet - the weird stuff that goes into all food in general is a messy business these days - but still, what an eye-opener! And that's just the wet food... I'm almost too scared to look into the dental and urinary kibble my two boys have been eating almost exclusively for most of their lives. Needless to say, I'm going to be doing some research and going shopping sometime soon.
I’ve worked at the three largest pet retail companies… Royal Canin and Science diet are very light on protein, mostly just by-product. This is fine for pets that are sick and needing an easy food to entice them to eat without issues, OR when its the medicated. Otherwise, definitely look into better brands! I generally recommended based on the value you’re getting. Absolutely go down the rabbit-hole! I just say, stay away from Blue Buffalo… its expensive and yet barely better than Iams or Meow Mix, plus all the recalls.
@@Loveofmisery That's good to know! I'm adopting a 5 year old cat in 3 days who is currently on prescription Science Diet due to having bladder stones removed in the past, so I know my options will be much more limited on what I'm able to feed her. All of the kidney support foods seem to have 2+ grains listed as the first 5 ingredients, which I'm a bit uneasy about.
@Loveofmisery thanks for the info! That makes a lot of sense!
I've heard a lot of terror stories concerning blue Buffalo, so I've stayed far away from that one for a while xD
I was thinking about this too. We feed my cat almost exclusively dry food that our vet recommended, and I’m a little scared to look at the ingredients. I plan to get a cat in the next couple months and want to supplement dry with wet. You’d better believe I’ll be looking more carefully at ingredient labels after this. Hopefully I can find something in the medium to low price range that’s decent quality.
One thing my vet told me was to stay away from Rachael ray. They've been known in the past to sometimes use animals that have been euthanized in their food. The chemicals stay in the food and can cause major problems or death in fur babies
I’m glad for this information. In the past, I have spent a lot of money on expensive wet cat food brands. My cats ate it once and never touched it again. They prefer a less expensive name brand that’s found in most grocery stores and pet stores. If they eat it, I buy it. But I will be more vigilant about avoiding phosphates and other harmful ingredients.
ever wonder why they don't touch it,,, probably because its garbage
@@freetheworld12 altho actions of humans on oreos, hot cheetos, or celery and most choose oreos or hot cheetos says somethign diffrent.....
Jackson thank you so much for touching on this topic! One of the things that has always bothered me is how brands like royal cainin and hills science diet are “vet recommended” and accepted by the AVMA but their ingredients are absolutely terrible! Riddled with Carageenin and phosphates that are totally unnecessary…. Thank you for bringing this topic to light! I am big on reading all my ingredients… Honestly I care more about ny cats food than I do mine, LmFAO!
I have noticed that the crap in "vet recommended" foods guarantees that you will be paying hefty vet bills - thus keeping both the food companies and the vets in business. It's virtual loop theatre. 😝 Please bear in mind that most vets get very little in the way of classes on pet nutrition while in college - and get sweet financial deals from the typical vet recommended brands (like the ones you mention) by selling them at their clinics.
I made the same conclusion. And my cat didn't even eat it!
@@moorspede I understand. My son's cat has fading health, and his vets are all telling him to buy the medical food. It's frustrating, to say the least. Not to mention heartbreaking.
It bothers me too. Our cat we adopted from the SPCA when she was 10 years old had to have surgery for struvite stones. Now the vet insists that she can only have the Hills Science Rx Uninary Health food or she'll get them again. Are the vets just saying that to make money off of me or is that true? I was feeding her TikiCat After Dark before and she loved it, now she's having to eat this pate that looks and smells like crap. I don't want her getting more stones but at the same time I'm not convinced that this Hills Rx crap is the best for her.
@@morganquilts I'm not a vet nor a nutritionist, but just typing in "food for cats with struvite" in google search brought up many many foods from different companies, as well as cranberry products for pets with urinary tract infections. Just gonna go out on a limb, and say Hills is not the only brand that caters to this problem, though it may be the brand that caters to your vet's profit margins. You might want to do some research of your own...? Good luck!
I hope this is helpful: When my 6mo kitten came along to accompany my 9yo, I began exploring these questions about the best nutrition. After a search, learning only SOME of the criteria Jackson mentions - top 5 should be protein or right amount of water, organ meats, etc. Then, DUUUHHHHHH planning to buy by the case, but the point is the variety.
So true and kitties can be picky. We are sticking with pate' also.
Definitely need a video on treats and supplements! And one on prescription/health support foods!
Hi-vite drops:) kitten lady approved. Freeze dried chicken is a great treat:)
NOT like this one, you still have NO idea which one is better/worse
Yes supplements, please
Agree!!!
So many Prescription diets are garbage 😢
@@larsonfamilyhouse, except my cat snubbed her nose at freeze dry chicken and never looked back! I thought it was so weird but maybe I'll try it on the young one - Theo.
One of my cats ( Mr. Midnight ) got sick from supermarket cat food; he had a build up of silt in his bladder, a life - threatening condition.
I cut out dry food, and switched to a brand of wet food with no fillers.
Treats are 'Pure Bites' - ONE ingredient cat treats.
He is now healthy, and living his best life.
It seems like male cats tend to get urinary issues more than females, not sure why. I forgot about those "Pure Bites", aren't those the freeze dried real meat ones? I have a good dehydrator, maybe I'll experiment with making freeze-dried salmon bites.
@@LazyIRanch I don't see why it wouldn't work, it's essentially the same process.
Watch out for the fish skin, even though the scales have been removed, I find the skin to be extremely tough and so poses a choking hazard; I cut the pieces down to cat size ( about the size of a piece of supermarket dry food )
I'm not sure why we males are prone to all these problems which females seem never to suffer from, but it's like no matter if we're talking about Humans or animals it seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
I neglected to mention in my first post the $$$ Vet bill to remove the silt from his bladder; please believe me you don't want to go there.
Huck the supermarket garbage should be your first step.
My cat ate 1 month ago contaminated food. Had to go to the vet. The cat threw up everything it had eaten and it was pooping blood.
@@samketonen4789 I'm very sorry to hear this, Sam; I hope your cat is better now.
What brand food was it, where did you get it, and did you keep the container with the lot / batch number with the receipt?
I had to confront Pure Bites over a stale bag of treats where the 'best before' date was 2 years from now! - the bag didn't have a hole in it, either, so I don't know what's going on there, and I'm still waiting to hear back from them.
This happened once before, and the store ( Pet Pantry ) exchanged it for a fresh bag, but I want to get to the bottom of this situation because it's ridiculous.
That's common sense, but not all ppl have $ to do that.. is the point, no matter how much they starve their own selves. And actually all of my cats have lived on supermarket food since the only alternative would be to go back in the streets from whence they were rescued, and my oldest ones lived to be 20.5 years & 18.5 years. Not bad for cat longevity.
I saw this video when it first aired.
I shared it with everyone I know who has a cat.
My parents 12 year old Turkish Van named George was diagnosed with thyroid problems right before the video aired.
This past week he has also been diagnosed with a aggressive type of lymphoma cancer. And has been given 2 weeks -1 month to live.
(He is taken to the vet each year and kept updated on vaccines and blood work)
He has been given canned seafood wet cat food his entire life that contained a few of the ingredients in this video.
The vet also stated it was a rare cancer to find in a cat so young.
I know it's easy to point fingers at causes when you're grieving.
However for his age the ingredients in his food are the most likely culprit.
I have three 2.5 yr old furry daughters and will be ditching canned cat food all together.
Using the tips on homemade cat food From Jackson Galaxy and vets on UA-cam! (Vitamin and mineral additives)
I hope George's story will help someone else make the switch before it's too late ❤️
Thank you soooo much for this. I want to make sure my cats are as health as possible and they right food is so important but I never knew how to adequately read can labels!! God bless you Jackson for all your videos and for all you do for cats and the people who love them!!
Jackson this was a wonderful video and I thank you so much from all of us pet parents out there!
In your video you mentioned that you don’t want to call out brands for being bad or good and I respect you for that. Everyone is out there doing the best they can.
Might I suggest a video where you list a couple cans from each price point that you WOULD feed your cat? That way you’re highlighting the good and not calling out any brands for being “bad.”
Please like this comment if you think that would be helpful for you! (:
Happy belated caturday everyone! ❤
Ditto!
Would love this! Thanks Jackson’
Great idea! I don't know if he can do that, but if he can, it'd be enormously helpful to many cat guardians.
Agreed but be-ware, if the cat food is manufactured in different places ie, USA and Thailand for example, there may be different ingredients with the very same label. They can be sneaky.
@@annel.190lots of canned cat foods are made in Thailand because that’s where all the fish are. And a lot of these cat foods are made in the same factory conditions (sometimes even the exact same facilities) as a lot of canned tuna brands like Starkist.
I work at a natural pet food store, and owe 3 cats of my own. It's SO good to see wet foods be talked about more! This is great info for people and I'm sure it will help cats everywhere.
Do you have an online store? Looking for wet cat food that has no carrageenan and has only 1 or 0 phosphates. Thank you
My cat likes dry foods more than almost any wet foods. Go figure
I like many others have two feline friends that rescued me. And they are very particular about what they will eat.
One will not eat moist food and the other won't eat much dry food. They kind of eat a combination. The male likes more wet his favorite however I'm afraid is tuna fresh canned. And the female likes more dried foods however my mother in law was smart enough to provide them with freeze dried chicken as Christmas treat. And now it's Missy's favorite, the most pickiest eater. And it's weird neither of them will eat 100% protein like salmon or chicken anything made by me directly. Even my mother-in-law's tried to make them cookies that they won't touch. They are store-bought cat food eaters. He the male cat will try little bits of meat if you hold it for him but don't put it down. Which then causes other problems. So for the most part they've trained me I haven't trained them when it comes to food stuff.
What do you recommend? I'm currently on fancy feast, but I really wanna upgrade!
I covered all of this in my course and our homework was to look at the information on the cans when shopping. This was a great refresher for me and when I go to get food this afternoon I’ll definitely be checking everything. It will also help me find a good good for my friends cat since he is on a very strict budget and can’t afford the best food.
I absolutely love these videos. So much information that is actually helpful and really helped me to find the best quality food for the right price. It's not always the most expensive brands either. Definitely done with the "Riskies" after looking at those labels.
Remember: this video is not about brands, but the recipe! Please look at ingredients and the guaranteed analysis (but also know that this is only minimums and maximums, not percentages on a dry matter basis!)
However, a lot of people where curious so here are the recipes shown:
4:20 - Instinct Original Pate: Chicken, Liver & Turkey Recipe
5:00 - (?) Purina Pro Plan Urinary Tract Health: Turkey & Giblets Entree; Beef & Chicken Entree
5:15 - (?) probably a turkey and chicken recipe, white label w/ hot pink borders; reminds me of Nulo, but the colors don’t match
7:10 - Tiki Cat display
7:13 - Weruva display
7:30 - brands above + Friskies, Merrick, Fancy Feast, The Honest Kitchen, Made by Nacho, Rachel Ray Nutrish
8:45 - Instinct Original Pate: Chicken, Liver & Turkey Recipe
10:05 - (?) Orijen: Regional Red Entree
11:10 - Weruva Pate: Tic Tac Whoa! Tuna & Salmon Dinner
12:20 - (?) Wellness Core Pate: Whitefish, Salmon & Herring Recipe
13:10 - Tiki Cat: Ahi Tuna & Chicken Recipe
15:25 - ???
16:55 - (?) Blue Buffalo Tastefuls: Chicken Entree
18:10 - ???
18:35 - Friskies Shreds: With Salmon In Sauce
19:40 - (?) Made by Nacho: Chicken Recipe
15:25 is Wellness Complete Health Pate Chicken Entree
Your comment needs to be stickied. Thanks!!!
I don’t think the Wellness one is correct ( at least the first one). I looked at the wellness label and the guar gum, phosphate, and a laundry list of other things are in there. The crude protein is 8%
18:10 is Natural Balance Indoor Chicken Formula
Thank you all for this...I looked through mine and I was speechless as I'm paying a premium price but they all had the crappy ingredients in them. 😓😓😓
Thank you for holding the cat food industry accountable by teaching people how to look for safe and healthy products for their cats!
Hopefully people can identify and advocate for market discontinuation of harmful cat food products.
Your disclaimer at the end was the absolute right thing for me to hear. I was starting to get nervous for the switch, but I'm ready for it now!
Thank you Jackson, so much, for everything you do for us and our Kitties 💝💝 We love you 🥰
I was skeptical going into this video about paid promotion of specific cat food brands. there was nothing like that! I appreciate so much that you didn't share the brands and just broke down how to pick a safe food for our cats! Thanks for your amazing content. 😊❤️
I wish he would have shared the brands. 😟
@@dmc898 i worked at a pet supply store and recognize most of those brands. My best advice - if you’ve seen a tv commercial for it or your vet sells it, it’s probably poorer quality. But if you follow the method he is displaying here and use good judgement, you’ll find a brand you and your cat will love 💕
@@dmc898 I do to
@@dmc898i agree I see both sides but I think saying the brand would’ve helped more than not saying them in the long run, obviously we can go read the labels ourselves but this would be a time saver plus maybe it could start some initiative to change these ingredients
@@malinanen what is the last one under medium 15:38
I'm here because our 16 year old needs to be changed over to a Kidney Support diet and the vet said to choose foods low in sodium and phosphates. The vet said that eventually all cats will have kidney disease so, I think it's a great topic to do a video regarding not only senior diets but lifelong supportive diets. Thank you.
I switched mine to a dry kidney food with a water fountain. He used to like wet food but no longer does. He does get Churro cat treats though. He’s 19.5 now. Recently I was able to get him back on both wet and dry. He does a can of wet during the day, as lo no as it’s warmed up with hot water added every few hours. And he eats a kidney dry food at night. Plenty of water. And I was able to get him to eat a good quality wet foods, as recommended by Jackson.
Churu or churros lol @@slc1161
The 2 kittens are almost 3 years old now. The long haired ginger lion is not especially greedy however the short haired tortoise is a glutton. She came from a shelter to complete our family and she was extremely thin with her ribs showing. They're eating canned food 2 or 3 times a day, mainly because of her. My boy lives his treats, but Kamei has a serious appetite and will clean her bowl and then check his!
I'm really glad that you made this video. There's so many things to consider when caring for these precious little predators. And I don't think I'll be able to cook for them like my mother used to cook for her cat, so thank you, Jackson for all your help. Bless you and your family, too.❤
I absolutely loved this video!!! I love your content and this has to be my top one so far! I am a new cat mommy of not one but two adopted kittens and they are my joy. I want the absolute best for them as they struggled so much in their earlier stages and one of them nearly died of multiple health conditions hence, I want nothing but the best for the both of them. As a Dr. I know the extreme importance of gut health and good nutrition as a preventive measure for illness, so thank you for this you did saved me from that really deep rabbit hole I was in chasing after the best to feed them! Totally up for a deeper dive! 😻😽💚
Here in the UK there used to be a great brand called Lily's Kitchen. After building up a great reputation they sold the business to Nestlé who immediately changed the recipe and sourcing of ingredients. Now it's garbage tier poison, but sadly some people still think it's good food.
That's one thing to keep in mind as well when looking for food for your pets. Some companies that used to be considered top tier are now on the lower end of quality.
This happens so much, I hate it! Good on you for staying on top of what is going on instead of falling into the brand loyalty trap.
Nestles is evil for a number of reasons.
Omg I never knew they sold! I stick to high meat content foods from Zooplus, but LK was our emergency food of I've run out. I will make sure to avoid it now 🫢
What the oods of Nestlé turning everything they touch into garbage... 😞
This was great! How about a video with advice on how to convince fussy kitties to accept the good brand that they don't want.
Just mix it into the old food adding just a little of the new food increasing the amount each day so after a week or two he or she is eating 100% of the new food.
@@emilybh6255 thank you! I'll try that.
Look for videos by jess caticles she has a lot on cat nutrition and how to transition their food
I'm fairly confident he already has videos about transitioning cats to new food. You don't just switch it completely. You do a gradual transition for as long as it takes.
@@carr0760 thanks!
I appreciate Jackson's approach to analyzing a wide range of cat food brands. I also appreciate him suggesting that the cheapest wet food will generally be better for a cat than expensive dry food.
Thank you, Jackson! Very informative. We have 2 feral kittens that we adopted a couple years ago and they are on wet & dry food. I so appreciated the information regarding what ingredients to avoid, i.e., multiple phosphates and carrageenan. We want them to have a happy and healthy long life like our other kitties. The very best to you always!
As I have 2 elderly cats, I would love if you did a video on the renal support foods, why they are so expensive, and what makes them different. Maybe a bit on why kidney failure is so prevalent and is related to the food fed earlier in life? Thank you in advance!
I think it comes down to not enough moisture in their food. And that is over their lifetime.
@@jenniferhermanson8969 what I am curious about though is why renal support food is so expensive, and at least in the US needs a Vet prescription to buy. and come to think of it, there are dry food versions of renal food by most brands that make it. Thank you for your answer, I am hoping to get @JacksonGalaxy to answer this or ask his vet friend about this, however.
I agree I agree! I hope he answers this because I was wondering the same thing!
@@jenniferhermanson8969 well, that “ prescription” food vets are pushing is dry food. So what moisture
@@kisaia this is going to sound really cynical, but I imagine if someone cares enough about how their cat's kidneys are doing, they're more likely to be able to or willing to pay more (and I pray it's also because they're using better ingredients and have standards...) and the manufacturer is catering to a customer that's "expected" to pay more.
I would love to know more about cat food packaging itself - cans vs tetra paks vs pouches etc. With all the concern about forever chemicals being everywhere these days, I'd like to know if different types of packaging are better or worse in that regard.
@Mari, that is a very good question.
Was looking for someone asking this. Hopefully he sees it and makes a video!
I love your videos! Very informative! I'm glad you're spreading this important info. I went down this rabbit hole with both pet food, and people food. It's horrifying how many toxic/horrible ingredients are added to processed foods, and it's great to let people know, so they can make informed decisions for their pets diets. I started getting the most natural type of foods for my 13 year old cat (about 7 years ago) - where I had been mostly getting her the healthiest types of dry foods, but I noticed she would have upset stomach a lot.
I switched her over to a predominantly wet food diet (and mix in freeze dried fish/chicken/beef liver, etc) as well as other cat vitamins (like for joints, UT). At 13 years old, my cat is still lively and has a beautiful coat! She still plays every day, gets lots of attention, exercise, and stimulation. Whenever I take her to the vet for checkups, the vet always comments on how healthy she is for 13 (though she is still a little over weight from years ago of a poorer diet - and has lost weight over the last 7 years in a healthy way).
Another thing I did for our senior kitty that I think contributes to her health and happiness is a nice little stairs set by our bed. She can't jump as high as she used to and our bed is pretty high up - she likes to sleep with us in bed haha, so the stairs I got on Amazon helps her get up and down without the strain on her joints of jumping up and down from it. Anyways haha long cat rant. I agree with you about making your cat's diet a priority. It helps give your cat a happier and healthier life. Our cat never has health issues at 13 almost 14 years old. She gets decent quality wet food, freeze dried raw food, lots of toys and puzzles, and she actually really likes watching "cat TV" on youtube when she is feeling too lazy to play with her toys haha.
>>>>>Question::Jackson, do you have any recommendations for dental health for cats? That's one thing I've had trouble doing research on, and it's something that becomes a problem I've heard, in senior cats (along with UT issues) I use a vet recommended cat tooth paste type of thing, but tbh I don't know if it was just a gimmick thing or if it's even effective. I hope it's not harmful!!
I always feed my cat half budget food and half high end. Fancy feast for the budget and tiki or Ziwi for the high end. That way she gets the benefits of the high end while I only have to pay mid range per meal
Also buying in bulk can really cut costs
Love your work Jackson
More nutrition videos like this please - raw food next!
I agree. I would like to see a raw food one too please
He has done videos on raw food before. It's not particularly easy to do something like this with raw food though because brands tend to be more local, which is exactly what you want to guarantee freshness and quality.
@@carr0760 Personally I've only been able to afford grain free as an occasional treat and break from cheaper foods for a bit but..
I just trusted the brand enough to read the packaging. It was freshpet, I mean the packaging was easy enough to read, all the first ingredients are meat, and it's got good reviews in my area.
Idk there's a certain point where we have to trust other people with our babies health, you know? Like you say, it's very localized so there's not a whole lot Jackson can do other than telling us how to watch out for the core macros our cats need
Look up Paws of Prey on UA-cam. They have a lot of great information on raw feeding for cats and dogs, even ferrets.
Just checked my cats food after watching this video. 70% fish, none of the fillers or dangerous stuff and 39% protein! she’s been eating it all her life so I’m happy I’ve not been feeding her rubbish! Thank you for spreading the word Jackson, some of these foods should really not be sold!
PLEASE share what it is you have been feeding that has "70% fish, none of the fillers or dangerous stuff and 39% protein" I would LOVE to know so I can get some for my cats!
@@lisaleo6248 Thrive Pet Foods
Please share what it is so I can also look into it and maybe feed to my cat too
Drop the brand please. I'm curious how they can manage those numbers
@@justanotherdave. I cannot see where you stated the brand Thrive Pet Foods, but thank you for doing so here and for stating the percentages of the dry that you feed. I am going to look into that brand, again thank you.
Thank you so much for all the information and education. I watch your videos faithfully to learn to care for my feline family the best i can. Food is a concern of mine cause it is the root of all, health, quality life, no high vet bills and everything. Thank you so much. I share your videos on my FB, inst to educate people with your valuable lessons.
I am sooooo glad you came out with this series on cat food, what's good and what's not. I am going to go to Costco and PetSmart tomorrow to get more food armed with the information you have put out in this series. It's a real education on the topic, and thank you so much for all of the work needed to make these videos. 😻👍
If you don’t call these
companies out by name there will never be any change. We’re doing the cat community a real disservice by not advocating for them. You have a massive platform that can do that. GO DEEP! We need to hear this. I’ve been feeding my cat Jackson 9 lives wet food that is so bad for him and now I’m scared. He’s literally my best friend 😭Thank you 🥰
I don’t know I think he did right by not calling out any companies because people need to learn how to do their own research. Just as you should read the ingredients on the label of your own food, you should do the same for cats. We’ve seen how people jump to say “tiki food is great for cats!” “Fancy feasts is terrible for cats!” Even though it’s a recent trend and people rarely do their own research. I’m glad he put the power in our hands to do our own research.
One big reason why it's good he didn't name brands is that they each have different product lines. Like pate and shreds have many different ingredients. So even 2 cans from the same brand can have wildly different ingredient lists.
1. Instinct Real Chicken Recipe
2. Orijen Regional Red Entree
3. ?
4. Wellness Core Whitefish, Salmon & Herring
5. Tiki Cat Ahi Tuna & Chicken
If you can read whats inside and don't buy it. You do the change. Recepies can change all the time so naming a brand won't help much. It is not hard to take a look ak your food and yout pets food to see what you buy or not. If no one buys it, it will disapear or change on its own. No company will produce stuff that does not sell. It is a waste of money. (Sadly some are even to lazy to take these 5 min to look at the back of a can. Even here in germany. 🙄 but its such an easy task..)
@@Cttmn 3rd one is Weruva Mideast Feast, I think.
I cannot get over how cute the black kitty is! Every kitty should be this happy!
This kitty is waiting for a forever loving home
I am gonne search for a European cat whisperer to see if there is a similar explanation but then applied to European cat food rules. Very insightfull!
Jackson, really appreciate this valuable information. I think, 20 25 yrs ago, the importance of feeding wet food to your cat was not emphasized - sadly, my cats were only fed dry food. I've been a label reader for my food for decades, and somewhat for my cat's fud. From now on, much more attention will be paid to the ingredients on my babies fud. Would you consider doing a segment on cat litter? Thank you so much; stay well; please give your babies a kiss and a hug from me and my boys, Esme and Piper. Meow!
I've been implementing changes around the house based on your videos and I'm already seeing a difference in my cats. They seem happier and more relaxed. Working on being a better cat mom. :3
What’re all the things you’ve learned to make your cats relax.
Would love more advice on what you’ve done so I can do that to my cat in getting really really soon.
This is so wholesome ❤
My only suggestion would be to take your top pics from each category and give us the names of the brands you would suggest. I have read and read from different brands at different prices and it would be so much easier if you just told us your pics.
I'm not supirsed that wasn't done because brands change their products. So a cat brand could be great now but, crap some time after this video is out, making the video age poorly because someone took 2023 advice in 2025.
I would really like to know what brand it is also
He would never mention the brand as that would open him up to complaints from those labels who could at best wreck his day to at worst could become legal action
Looking over the different cans at the grocery store myself, I noticed that each brand had formulations that were better and worse. So it wouldn't be accurate to say which brands are bad or good. You just have to read the label of each can to find out.
@@Davidjune1970 most ALL other reviews on products do, this video was a complete waste of time, yea we already know different ones are better or worse, so w/o that info the video is pointless
Wow Jackson!! It’s so great to find you on UA-cam!!
Thank you SO MUCH for this great video!!
I’m so mad at commercial cat foods! But this video at least helps me pick foods in a more educated way. Thanks so so much.
I still want to make my own cat food but… haven’t got there yet.
I found this to be an interesting video!! I've always like reading food labels on my own food so learning about this was pretty cool. Now I can look for better foods for our cat. And I think it would be awesome to see a more in depth video for it!
Thanks for talking about carageenan and phosphates 🙀 Good to know!! In case you're wondering: the best ingredients can Jackson describes at 10:20 is Orijen but they've been bought out by Mars (company manufactures several garbage brands) I asked the pet store manager we'll probably start seeing changes in the food next year or so hopefully they can keep up this same high quality ingredients list! But in case they don't we're already prepared by feeding our boy a rotation of top quality brands daily! Luckily he loves everything we feed him!
I didn't realize Mars is acquiring Orijen & Acana, that's very concerning. When I do give my cats dry kibble, that's the only brand I've bought. I'd better keep an empty bag now for ingredient comparison in future. My girl kitty likes only canned food, but the boy prefers mostly dry unfortunately. Luckily he loves the water fountain.
@@Era515 I've never tried Orijen and Acana because of the extremely high price point. Two of my cats have IBD so I have to put them on the Royal Canin Hydrolyzed protein dry good. The ingredients aren't the best, and it's sooo expensive, but it's helped to control their IBD from flaring up.
But I have a new cat who hopefully won't develop food allergies. She eats Stella and Chewy's dry food. I'd consider it at a mid-range price point. Good ingredients.
They also have a freeze dried raw foods, and some wet foods. But idk if the brand is found nationwide? my Petco recently started to sell it. Nulo(not to be confused with Nutro) is another good brand, but idk if you can find it outside of Texas? as Nulo is a local brand
@@Era515 i dont want to scare you, but i gave both my boys 80% of daily calories from good quality wet food + only 20% of their calories from dry Orijen kibble + one of my boys just had PU/ cystotomy surgeries after 2 blockages/ bladder stones/ bladder crystals. sounds like you give yours less dry kibble than i did, but i was pretty shocked the orijen kibble still probably led to his bladder issues. him loving the water fountain should help though!
@@Chickengirl005 I live in a small community in Canada so some brands are not available here. I've never seen Acana wet food locally in pet stores, just the dry. For wet food they get fed Performatrin Ultra. So far no allergies, but my previous cat had CKD. She was on only wet food the last 9 years of her life. But it was a real challenge the final 3 years finding food she would eat.
@@hesherette Yes, it is a concern. I'd like to get him back on only wet food but he is very stubborn & is also an anxious cat. Changes in his routine lead to other problems like peeing territorially. I hope to work less soon and see if I can get him off the dry.
I wish I could make my cat's food the way I make my dog's food, but cats are way pickier. I have a border collie who is almost 13 years old. He got sick years ago when I was feeding him Pedigree. I did research about how to make his food myself, and now he gets turkey, chicken, and organ meats that I cook in a large pressure cooker. I mix that with cooked pumpkin, green peas, spinach, oatmeal, flaxseed meal and other human grade ingredients. I add a couple of salmon oil capsules just before I feed him. He has bright eyes, thick fur, and romps and plays like a puppy after eating real food for the last 4 years.
After I cook the chicken and turkey, I put the bones in a smaller pressure cooker for about an hour. The bones become so soft I can mash them and add them to his food. The bone broth congeals after it cools, and I give that to my elderly cat who is missing teeth and can't chew. It's basically poultry jello, and he loves it. I also cook white fish (pollock) and puree it for him, mixing it with the bone broth. My youngest cat won't eat canned food at all, but he loves real fish as long as it's not overcooked.
There so cool! Keep trying with your kitty! Transitions are tough, but if you keep at it and offer a species appreciate meal I bet they will love you for it! ❤
I am uncertain on the organ to bone to meat ratio you feed. You might want to check up if your cats get enough phosphor (from the bones) and taurine (from organs). These are the two things often lacking when people prepare their own catfood
you have to be patient with cats, i started with putting chicken breast since that's what my cats love the most and slowly add veggies boiled in the chicken broth
I thought only raw bones were safe. Because cooked bones become like razor blades & cut their intestines... Looking forward to learning the real science of feline nutrition.
@@calista1280 yes, exactly- BUT in a pressure cooker if cooked like this person does they become soft and mushy! If you can mash them like potatoes they're safe again :) but the ones that are, for example, from a chicken you cooked in the oven are NOR safe!
BRAVO!
Thank you for your research!
Wouldn't it be better to make fresh meat, chicken livers, heart etc with ground flax seed, egg, fish, olive oil combinations of some sort?
This was sooooo helpful! Thank you. I probably spent an additional 30+ minutes studying and taking notes from this video.
I always wondered why vegetables are sneaked into the list of ingredients on some cat foods. Got my answer now! This is a very valuable lesson Jackson! My cat is a very picky eater. It makes sense now why she refuse to eat certain brands despite they have the same main protein.
If you’re worried about the inconvenience of feeding wet food meals vs free feeding kibble, they do sell automatic pet feeders that will present pre-proportion meals throughout the day at the times you set. The one’s I have even have ice packs underneath so wet food can stay fresh all day. I work a lot and can’t be home to prepare and feed my 2 kitties 2x-3x a day so this has been a game changer for getting them off of hard food and on a more routine feeding schedule (including a small nighttime snack & treats after I play with them right before bed to prevent 3:00am zoomies!) I got the fancy ones with 5 compartments & ice packs for about $40 each which is a bit pricey, but you can find cheaper 3 compartment ones for around $20. I think they’re very worth the investment though, especially since I live somewhere hot so I want their dinner to still be fresh by nighttime so I splurged for the ice pack ones with extra packs I can easily switch out. Total game changer 🙌
thanks for sharing this!
Where do you recommend getting one?
@@heathergeisen3212 Amazon has automatic pet feeders for wet food.
yes! My fav is called CAT MATE by Pet Mate brand. Has 5 compartments w digital times you set. Battery operated with ice packs on bottom.
thanks for all your effort. I brought home two stray cats from Russia when I was teaching there in 2018. Annie and Molly say thank you!
Just a heads up: I get my groceries delivered and via my store’s app, the shopper can click on the picture of the product, giving the list of ingredients of said product. (don’t have to be in the store to read the can)
Excellent video! Thanks Jackson 👍😆🐱❤
The first two from the mid priced were Wellness core and TikiCat. I thought Tastefuls was better, first one right off the top of the lowest costing ones! The yellow box was Nacho brand, one of few foods still made in the United States, avoid products from Thailand! Great video Jackson.
I love tiki cat but i stick with the tiki cat after dark series which uses non fish proteins
BTW, china recently bought Tiki Cat.
whats wrong with products from Thailand?
I watched it again, & sat closer to the tv, trying to make out the cans.😄
@@Kellykittymom I recognize almost 95% of the cans he had selected for the video.
👍 Wellness Core & Tiki Cat. I’ve stared at canned cat food for so long over the years to try to appease my cat’s princess palate that I recognize two of the winners he went over 😆
And weruva
Pretty sure tiki cat has dicalcium phosphate. That’s what I’ve been feeding mine and am thinking I should stop.
@@wielandsmith i think they said one phosphate is ok. (hopefully, my cat loves tiki cat)
I recognized Wellness Core, Weruva, and Wellness Chicken pate
I just read my can of wellness core and it's the one with phosphate as the third or fourth ingredient.
FANTASTIC!! Thank you sooo much for this video. I've struggled with trying to choose good quality cat food and this was so helpful!
This was one of my favorite videos! It was so informative!!!! Thank you!
Extremely helpful, thank you! A video on gums, starches, powders and all those “chemical” ingredients (phosphates, nitrates, sulfates, etc). would be amazing. Just want the 101 - what they are, what they’re used for, do they effect the animals overall health? You’re awesome!
Nitrates are carcinogenic, I've not eaten preserved meats with it for many years. In Europe they are trying to ban it, we constantly see warnings about it.
Can you do a video of how to have conversations with your vet regarding wet food diets? I see vets still guiding patients incorrectly saying dry prescription food is best. How do we vet our vet? Or how do we professionally provide information to them that wet it better?
Yes this would be helpful!
I asked the same question! Two of my cats had UTIs (male and female).
I was told they are both on Royal Canin SO for life. I just checked the ingredients & the can food has carrageenan as the 16th ingredient. It’s not even at the very end of the ingredients list 😢
They dry food has a lot of corn and by products.
A lot of vets recommend those brands because they are getting some kind of kick back for the sale.
@@yazzybananas3106 if your cats actually need special food is not something I can tell. Maybe a cat fountain to animate them to drink more would solve the problem of the UTIs.
But carrageenan is actually not as bad as some make it out to be. The whole thing is based on a misreporting on multiple studies showing that a degraded form of carrageenan causes inflammation in intestinal walls of multiple species, humans included. But because of that this degraded carageenan must not be present in food great carageenan. So there is no worry. Its just an algea extract that makes food thicker, like starch would do, or gelantine.
I would love to see a deeper dive, this is fascinating. I'd be really interested in a review of the freeze dried foods. I know you are trying not to name brands, which I get, but I'd just be interested in the same kind of non-named side by sides and info about freeze dried.
Just got my cat meow mix. He's my first kitten and he hasn't been eating so I got him that. Before then he's been eating canned food resembling this video. He's just so picky! Meow Mix is definitely not the healthiest, but he needs to eat! I still plan to continue searching for cat foods. I've gone through at least 5 brands. And I havent even had him 3 months. This video was extremely helpful.
I’m sorry I don’t agree with Jackson Galaxy. We give our 2 adopted kitties what they like, not what’s on the label. It’s ridiculous buying a certain cat food just because it’s expensive, mid price or inexpensive and your cats won’t eat it. If our cats turn up their nose at a food, then it gets crossed off the list. And if they like a food and eat it, that food goes to the top of the list. It would be great if our kitties loved an inexpensive cat food, but that’s not always the case. The dry food they love, and the only one they’ll eat, is Hills Science Diet for Sensitive Stomachs. It, by the way, is pretty pricey and we’re feeding 2 cats. If we couldn’t afford the care and maintenance of 2 cats, we wouldn’t have adopted 2 cats. We love these little guys and want what’s best for them.
I think Meow mix has lots of sugar, it is cheap and no food value my cat loved it but I just gave it as cookie but don't buy it any longer
I would love a series delving into what to look out for with dietary restrictions. Having had a CKD cat as my first cat, it took hours of research on what food ingredients were dangerous and what I could give for rare treats as well as what I could potentially try as safe flavour enhancers to his food to get him and keep him eating.
I know this is a monumental question that pretty much needs a channel on its own, but even just a basic what to really look out for might help others a lot in finding answers.
I genuinely want to go deeper into this Jackson!
Hey Jackson! This is a wonderful video and I’ve been binge watching tons of your other videos as well. From what I’ve watched, I haven’t seen a video that talks about how to transition your cats to another brand of food or how to transition them off of dry food completely. If you happen to see this comment, I think making a video on how to transition to different foods for your cats would be a great topic!
Jackson, thank you so much for everything! All the best!
In my personal opinion I think an entire series about different cat foods and the intricacies of the different ingredients would be really helpful. Thank you for your videos, have a great day
My grandma fed her cat chicken livers and milk and water. Puff ate canned cat food once in awhile and crunchy cat chow once in awhile and chicken or turkey cooked giblets once in awhile. She was an indoor, outdoor cat and lived to be 23 years old. God rest them both.
I do a bit of a hybrid diet, but the dry food is mostly used for toys, games and puzzles. I don't give them a bowl of dry food. I scatter it around, use paper bags and things as obstacles and make them "hunt" for their food. Or I'll take a kibble and throw it across the house. My cats will chase it down. The wet food is for meal time after a good hunt where I make them play hard. Sometimes they even let me have a full night sleep after!
Totally enjoyed this video. Saw the brand that I recently purchased that got a good score. Thank you for the education … nothing but the best for our Phoebe !
Been feeding my cats a local raw since they were kittens. One of them gets an occasional can of food like Rawz or Nulo or Feline Natural. The series he made The Food the Bad and the Ugly is a great watch along with this.
But he says cats must have taurine and I think vit B and E and something folic acid. How do you know if your raw food has that? I started my cat on raw, and after a little hesitation he liked it, but I stopped because I didn't know if it was everything he needed.
@@veramae4098 supplements!
I’ve accepted the fact that cats are predators and carnivores. I buy whole raw chickens and cut them up into bite size bits, including the bones and giblets. Occasionally
they get egg yolks. It’s a chore but physically they’re in magnificent shape. They are used to raw so they occasionally capture a mouse, which they promptly eat! They’re hunters!
glad to find someone just like me, I learned about how to read cat food label and the ingredients we should avoid about 2 months ago, my cats are on raw too and the 3 canned brand you mentions are also my wet food rotation brand for them, rawz and feline natural has really simple ingredients, clear labels. Nulo has chickpea in there but still overall a really good brand. I'll also recommend ZIWI peak, it's a bit richer but same - good brand too
Great video. People should also do some research on human food, fresh, frozen and prepared. We need to keeps ourselves healthy , too. There is a lot of junk out there for humans, as well as cats.
For those of you who, like myself, are on a budget, I highly recommend a grocery store house brand available at Albertsons-Safeway supermarket stores called Open Nature. It's grain-free, carrageenan-free, and the first four ingredients are all promising. For instance, the Shredded Salmon Dinner's first four ingredients are fish broth, salmon, chicken, and chicken liver. The cost? Well, here in Washington State in July 2023, it's $1.25 for a 5.5 oz can. They also have shredded chicken dinner, and two or three pates, including chicken and whitefish, my cats' favorite.
Thank you so much! I’m searching online to see if I can find this name brand cat food and find out if I can purchase online!
THANK YOU FOR THIS!! I’ve been up and down the internet trying to figure out what is best for my cats while also having to look at what is feasible price wise. This video was so helpful and I will be sharing it with all of the cat parents I know!
Thank you for this great video! I loved especially that you really went through the examples instead of just simply stating „look out for this and this“. I just grabbed my cat food packs and looked through all the ingredients while you were explaining, and I am really happy to more or less be able to see what it‘s doing for my cats. Though the main ingredients are chicken, turkey and meat by-products (which I believe to be a decent base), I now think that with only 9% protein I‘m pretty low on the bar and should start looking for some extra protein for the fluff-monsters. So thank you for that! You‘ve helped me so much already to make their life well livable and there‘s still new things to learn!
For the future I‘d really be interested in seeing some more about other nutrients than protein and to what extend they should be included in the diet - though cat food or maybe supplements. (If you‘ve already made a video about that and I just haven‘t seen it yet, I will dig it out immediately)
Warm greetings from Berlin, Germany! :-)
Thank you Jackson for a great topic. I went through the research because my 18 yr old baby had constipation problem. And yes it's a must especially when you have an older kitty. I'm trying extra hard to keep my baby healthy and strong....good protein is a must.