Health tip of the week: Should you avoid carrageenan in cat food?

There are a lot of cat foods on the market, and I would gladly eat every single one of them. Whether it's a can of tuna or chicken shreds in gravy, I won't turn down a fat bowl of meat. My mom, on the other hand, is very picky about what cat food she buys me (I don't blame her, I deserve the utmost top quality). She always takes a second at the store to read the ingredients on the label before throwing it in her basket.

A lot of the main pet food brands are filled with preservatives, additives, and chemicals that can cause health problems over time. One ingredient that has caused a lot of controversy is carrageenan, which is found in a large majority of canned pet food. Made from seaweed, this ingredient is used to thicken and emulsify both human and pet food. There is a lot of concern that carrageenan is not easily digestible by cats like it is in humans.

After digging into this subject for longer than I dig in my litter box, I wanted to learn more about this ingredient and whether or not it should be included in my can of tuna. According to several sources, there are two forms of carrageenan: degraded and un-degraded. Degraded carrageenan is already well known to cause inflammation in cats’ digestive tracts, and it is not allowed in pet food.

However, a study by Cornucopia in 2013 revealed that un-degraded carrageenan may potentially be harmful to cats as well:

My conclusion: It’s best to avoid pet food with carrageenan, if possible. There are plenty of options that do not include this in their ingredients.

Some of my favorite foods and snacks:

1. Nulo Freestyle Signature Stews (The Chicken, Duck, & Pumpkin is *chef’s kiss*)

2. Sheba Perfect Portions (Any flavor - The packaging makes it very easy to serve and maintain portion control for chonky cats like myself)

3. CRAVE Dry Cat Food (I love a little bit of kibble with my wet food)

4. Nulo Lickable Cat Treats / Tiki Cat Stix (Nulo or Tiki - Both brands are delicious. Great to put over dry food or in the bowl as a snack)

5. Sheba Meaty Tender Sticks (These meat sticks are easy to break off in sections)

Other ingredients you should avoid

Keep an eye out for these ingredients in your pet food as well. They are not easily digestible and can potentially lead to health issues over an extended period of time.

1. Animal by-products

2. Grains and fillers like corn, wheat, and soy

3. Artificial colors and preservatives including BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, artificial colors, and propylene glycol

(Source)

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