This is just a tip of the iceberg on what treats to avoid. This doesn't even touch chew bones, rawhide, toys etc. Most EVERYTHING (99%) made as far as toys, rawhides etc. are from China. PLEASE check ALL packages before purchasing these items that are from other countries. And everything that may say "tested" or "made in USA" doesn't mean it is from the USA. Most all vitamins are sourced from China or other countries that are in pet foods and treats. DO NOT BUY products sourced from China.
I personally refuse to buy ANY store bought treats and I also filter out small mom and pop shops that THINK they are offering healthier treats and really aren't because they didn't do the research on ingredients. When purchasing from mom and pop shops, ask questions and do not buy a treat from them if they contain GMO and Glyphosate contaminated flours and eggs that are not pasture fed and/or organic.
Read this on pet treats.
The ingredients below in red are ingredients to avoid. For example, you see wheat and you think..ah wheat is good. No it isn't! The preference to flours is gluten free. Gluten is highly allergenic and causes gastrointestinal fermentation and other GI upsets to pets. Throw Glyphosate in with that and you have a recipe for disaster of cancer and poor health.
Avoid SOY, WHEAT, CORN and POTATOES. These are full of GMOs and although a lot of wheat doesn't that we know of, it is still processed in the same factory as corn and soy and may contain traces. All of our crops are being sprayed with the toxic cancer causing pesticide called Glyphosate (Roundup). ALL corn in the United States is GMO corn as well as soy. Potatoes when high heated are carcinogenic. These break down into sugar as well and cause obesity and cancer.
I personally refuse to buy ANY store bought treats and I also filter out small mom and pop shops that THINK they are offering healthier treats and really aren't because they didn't do the research on ingredients. When purchasing from mom and pop shops, ask questions and do not buy a treat from them if they contain GMO and Glyphosate contaminated flours and eggs that are not pasture fed and/or organic.
Read this on pet treats.
The ingredients below in red are ingredients to avoid. For example, you see wheat and you think..ah wheat is good. No it isn't! The preference to flours is gluten free. Gluten is highly allergenic and causes gastrointestinal fermentation and other GI upsets to pets. Throw Glyphosate in with that and you have a recipe for disaster of cancer and poor health.
Avoid SOY, WHEAT, CORN and POTATOES. These are full of GMOs and although a lot of wheat doesn't that we know of, it is still processed in the same factory as corn and soy and may contain traces. All of our crops are being sprayed with the toxic cancer causing pesticide called Glyphosate (Roundup). ALL corn in the United States is GMO corn as well as soy. Potatoes when high heated are carcinogenic. These break down into sugar as well and cause obesity and cancer.
Cats do not need or require iodized table salt or sugars of any form. Avoid all! Water listed in the ingredients although water isn't bad for you, it is the unfiltered water. You should always provide filtered water to your pet as well as yourself.
"Natural flavors" can contain artificial flavors and MSG and almost always do. ANY onion in a dogs and cats diet can be highly toxic. Avoid all products with onion or onion powders...no matter how small the amount is. |
Not all ingredients that should be avoided are highlighted in red. Please refer to the list at the bottom for more information. While some of the listed ingredients are not deadly, they CAN be over time.
Stay away from food colorings as well. And eggs: Eggs that say GMO free or cage free mean absolutely nothing. They must be pasture fed and/or organic. Pasture fed chickens are eating insects and bugs like they would on a healthy living farm. Our eggs in stores may say cage free, but they are still in a barn or huge metal building and crammed in wing to wing eating GMO grains. There is nothing healthy about this. You want pasture fed and organic.
If a pet receives the same food day in and day out, your pet WILL began to have health issues. Whether it be from lack of the balanced nutrients to allergic reactions, or if the same ingredient..like garlic or liver is given daily, it can become toxic and the results can be fatal.
Always change up your foods (every 3 months) and treats and PLEASE learn to read labels.
High Fructose Corn Syrup contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA.
Stay away from food colorings as well. And eggs: Eggs that say GMO free or cage free mean absolutely nothing. They must be pasture fed and/or organic. Pasture fed chickens are eating insects and bugs like they would on a healthy living farm. Our eggs in stores may say cage free, but they are still in a barn or huge metal building and crammed in wing to wing eating GMO grains. There is nothing healthy about this. You want pasture fed and organic.
If a pet receives the same food day in and day out, your pet WILL began to have health issues. Whether it be from lack of the balanced nutrients to allergic reactions, or if the same ingredient..like garlic or liver is given daily, it can become toxic and the results can be fatal.
Always change up your foods (every 3 months) and treats and PLEASE learn to read labels.
High Fructose Corn Syrup contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA.
My recommendation is to purchase treats (and pet food) made and sourced in the United States.
Many pet owners assume feeding things like organic brown rice, organic barley and organic millet is just fabulous for their dog or cat. However, organic grains are much better suited for a vegetarian animal like a rabbit, horse or cow. For dogs and cats, they do not require grains and therefore organic or not, you're not doing your pet any favors.
Many pet owners assume feeding things like organic brown rice, organic barley and organic millet is just fabulous for their dog or cat. However, organic grains are much better suited for a vegetarian animal like a rabbit, horse or cow. For dogs and cats, they do not require grains and therefore organic or not, you're not doing your pet any favors.
The best treat you can offer your pet is unadulterated, dehydrated meat. The package or label should say 100 percent natural and pure, USDA inspected. Excellent protein sources include chicken, beef, turkey, goat, bison, venison, and any other protein source your pet enjoys.
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I hope this is a guide of what to look for and how to read a label. Learning each ingredient is vital to your cats health. If your pet has a compromised system already, some of these can become fatal ingredients. Know your cat! Have regular blood work done every 6 months to 12 months according to age and health of pet. Reduce the vaccines and focus on Titer testing. Yes, the cost is a little more but if your cat becomes ill, think of what it will cost then. Spend more now, pay less in the long run along with a long happy healthy pet.
FYI-Most ALL vitamins included in commercial pet foods are synthetic vitamins. The body does not recognize these and they are of no use to your pet for nutritional purposes.
Be aware of the difference between synthetic and natural vitamins. Synthetic supplements are manufactured with unnatural ingredients and chemicals. They are made to mimic natural vitamins but not everyone is convinced of their efficacy.
Just a few ingredients to avoid:
Just a few ingredients to avoid:
Potato (carcinogenic)
Potato starch Pea fiber Corn (GMO/BT(Bacillus thuringiensis), Wheat (commercial wheat is doused with cancer-causing glyphosate herbicide right before harvest) Barley Rye Sorghum Fish meal Animal digest White and brown rice (GMO, arsenic, glyphosate) Soy (GMO) Meat By-Products Rice (any kind) Meat Meal (any kind) Animal Fat Caramel Color Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Citric Acid (contains corn) Hydrochloric Acid Grains (allergies and joint inflammation) |
Brewers rice
Salt Sugars (dextrose) Brewers yeast Rosemary extract Beet pulp (glyphosate) Natural flavorings Carrageenan Xanthan gum Propylene glycol Sodium bisulfate Food dye colorings BHT BHA Ethoxyquin Menadione Onion Powder High Fructose Corn Syrup Dried Egg Product Rosemary Extract Vegetable Oil Animal Digest Garlic (daily) |
Whiskas Temptations Mega ChickenIngredients:
Corn Flour, Chicken Meal, Wheat Flour, Corn Gluten Meal, Poultry Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols), Dehulled Soybean Meal, Turkey meal, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Poultry Digest, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Parsley Flakes, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Tuna Flavor, Color added (Titanium Dioxide, Blue #1), Choline Chloride, Maltodextrin, Lecithin, Rice Hulls, DL-Methonine, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Vegetable Oil (Preserved with BHA & BHT), Copper Sulfate, Mineral oil, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Sodium Selenate, Ground Corn Cob, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine, Hydrochloride, Phosphoric Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Cobalt Carbonate, Ethylenediamine Dhydroxide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Citric Acid (A Preservative), Folic Acid. |
Hartz Dentist's Best Dental Treats for CatsIngredients:
Liver, Chicken By-Products, Poultry By-Product Meal, Corn, Gelatinized Corn Flour, Fishmeal, Glycerin, Fructose Corn Syrup, Wheat Flour, Phosphoric Acid, Salt, Titanium Dioxide, Calcium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate and Citric Acid and BHA (Preservatives), Natural and Artificial Shrimp and Tuna Flavor, Artificial Color (Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40). |
Catty Shack: Shrimp & Tuna Flavor Cat TreatsIngredients:
Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols - form of vitamin E), Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Liver Flavor, Powered Cellulose, Malt Extract, Salmon, Fish, Turkey By-Product meal, Natural and Artificial flavors, Phosphoric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Dried Yeast, Salt, Choline Chloride, Crab Meal, Shrimp Meal, Tuna Meal, Parsley Flakes, Added Color (Yellow 5, Blue 2, Red 40 and other color), Taurine, L-Ascorbyl-2-Phosphate (source of vitamin C), Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Manganese Sulfate, Citric Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitaimin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), BHA (a preservative), BHT (a preservative), Sodium Selenate. |
Wysong Cat TreatsIngredients:
Chicken, Poultry Fat, Ground Corn, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Whole Wheat, Extruded Whole Soybeans, Poultry Bone Meal, Dried Digest of Poultry, Whey, Dl-Methionine, Taurine, Dried Kelp, Yeast Culture, Salt, Sage Extract, Rosemary Extract, Garlic, Artichoke, Citric Acid, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Lactis Fermentation Product. |
Friskies Crispies Pouch Cat TreatsIngredients:
Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols (Form of Vitamin E), Natural Flavor, Chicken, Malt Extract, Phosphoric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Choline Chloride, Dried Seaweed, Sunflower Meal, Dried Carrots, Dried Peas, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Manganese Sulfate, Citric Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Sodium Selenite. |
Friskies Natural Sensations Pouch Cat TreatsIngredients:
Chicken, Wheat Flour, Soy Flour, Water, Petrolatum, Corn Syrup, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Gluten, Animal Digest, Dried Whey, Phosphoric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Dried Cheese Powder, Glycerin, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Sorbic Acid (A Preservative), Dextrose, Added Color (Yellow 5 and Other Color), Glycine, Propionic Acid (A Preservative), BHA (A Preservative), Citric Acid. |
Friskies Tender Hairball Remedy Pouch with Chicken Cat TreatsIngredients:
Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols (Form of Vitamin E), Animal Liver Flavor, Malt Extract, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Phosphoric Acid, Brewers Dried Yeast, Added Color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5 And Other Color), Salt, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Citric Acid, BHA (A Preservative), BHT (A Preservative), Calcium Carbonate. |
The Goodlife Recipe: Salmon & Garden Greens Blend Treats For CatsIngredients:
Wheat flour, ground yellow corn, soybean meal, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, beef tallow preserved with mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E), tuna meal, tuna, brewers dried yeast, phosphoric acid, calcium carbonate, animal digest, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, choline chloride, added color (red 40 and other color), salt, taurine, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, l-alanine, niacin, vitamin supplements (E, A, B12, D3), calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, folic acid, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, citric acid, menadione sodium bisulfate complex (source of vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, sodium selenite. |
Whisker Lickin's Crunch Lovers Tartar Control Cat TreatsIngredients:
Chicken By-Product Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Dried Tomato Pomace, Flaxseed, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Liver Flavor, Coconut Oil, Pork Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Lactic Acid, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Dried Carrots, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Minerals (Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, Mixed Tocopherols added to retain freshness, Citric Acid added to retain freshness, Beta-Carotene, Phosphoric Acid, Rosemary Extract. |
Hill's Prescription Diet Feline Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution TreatsIngredients:
Hydrolyzed chicken liver, brewer's rice, starch, soybean oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), hydrolyzed chicken, powdered cellulose, chicken liver flavor, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, gyceryl monostearate, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, DL-methionine, calcium sulfate, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid, iodized salt, taurine, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid, beta carotene and rosemary extract. |
Hill's Prescription Diet Hypoallergenic Cat TreatsIngredients:
Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Flour, Ground Rice, Soy Flour, Animal Fat preserved with mixed tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Animal Digest, Fresh Tuna, Ocean Fish, Fresh Salmon, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Egg Product, Dried Cheese, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Fish Meal, Salmon Meal, Titanium Dioxide, Alfalfa, Phosphoric Acid, Choline Chloride, Salt, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Red 40, Manganese Sulfate, Niacin, L-Lysine, Yellow 6, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Blue 1, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), BHT (a preservative), BHA (a preservative), Citric Acid (a preservative), and Rosemary Extract. |
Meow Mix Tartar Control Ocean Explosion Cat TreatsIngredients:
Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, ground wheat, animal fat (preserved with BHA and citric acid), brewers dried yeast, animal digest, dried fish protein digest, calcium sulfate, wheat flour, sodium tripolyphosphate, phosphoric acid, potassium chloride, choline chloride, salt, titanium dioxide, tuna meal (source of tuna flavor), minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), taurine, yellow #6, vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, vitamin A supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement). |