only available by prescription?

Well, despite the prescription diet's designation of this for obese or diabetic cats, his highness consented to lick at it.  In the meantime we discovered a fact that will amaze every cat lover:  a cat will eat still warm fresh white meat roast chicken!  The m/d prescription diet says it requires a prescription from a vet, but I was able to purchase it at the local vet w/o any questions asked.  Let the record show that cosmo is neither obese nor diabetic.  The vet says he is "just right."  principal ingredients in this one are pork fat, pork liver, and soy protein.  there's a little corn starch too.  Tends to break apart a little too much for cosmo's liking.  He's vigorous today:  jumping up on the sink, chairs, table.  No vomiting--yet.  (paws  crossed)

best feline friends--tuna and chicken chuckles

I've been veering away from fish flavored foods (f.f.f.s?) since Cosmo has himself veered away from liking them, but this one has some chicken, so I thought it might pass muster.  And it did more or less, perhaps because it had more of the firm texture he likes.  Or maybe he likes the cute picture??  though it seems marketed toward female humans....  He is reminding me by a slight pawing of the ankles that if he is to be my muse and accompany me in my insomniac musings, he'll need a snack...  He still is responding to this mixture, with tuna, water and chicken as the first three ingredients.  It advertises itself as "natural" and made in a human food factory.  No grain.  I'm trying not to be swayed by marketing bullshit, but all the little pictures and pawprints and things appeal to my inner crazy cat lady.

pumpkin in cat food?

Cosmo showed mild interest in this flavor, which calls itself "Steak Frites."  It isn't the consistency he likes, but evidently the peas and suchlike didn't entirely put him off.  The description of it is a bit chichi for my taste:For all you French lovers out there . . . even the finickiest of cats don't turn their nose up at this all beef treat . . . mixed with hearty potatoes, tomatoes and green peas . . . chez magnifique! (GRAIN FREE)

And here are the ingredients

---

Beef, Water Sufficient For Processing Balance, Pumpkin, Tomato, Green Pea, Potato Starch, Sunflower Seed Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Nicotinic Acid (Vitamin B3), Ferrous Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Folic Acid

It even advertises itself as having a more desirable consistency than paté, which is precisely

the consistency he prefers, particularly if it has that aspic thing going on.  Not sure I'd get this again...

fancy feasting

When I had run out of other options, I opened the last can of "Classic" fancy feast chicken flavor, a pinkish paté consistency offering.  It usually runs 89 cents for a small can.  (It was less at Don Quijote's, but the Kailua Don Quijote closed down, no doubt because they sold cat food too cheap).  This brand's ingredients list chicken in the first three.  It may have a bit of chicken in it.  I also picked up some exotic cans at the Marina pet supply place.  People were crowding in there to get cases of Instinct Dog Food.  The truck was late.  As I left, one of the waiting people had heard that the truck was due in five minutes.

I left with my cat food before it arrived.

Hostility to Pasty Gray Food

There is little doubt that Cosmo does not like this food, chosen at random at the Vet's.  Closer examination (always an issue with my aging eyes) revealed that it was a cat food intended for diabetic cats.  He was insulted, no doubt, that I should presume him to be diabetic.  Back to Whiskas, until we can visit the Marina pet supply store, near my apartment, to buy a few overpriced healthier options.

Cat Gingivitis: The Root of My Kitty's Eating Problem | Blogs about Dogs, Cats and Pets | Petside.com

Cat Gingivitis: The Root of My Kitty's Eating Problem | Blogs about Dogs, Cats and Pets | Petside.com

filet mignon whiskas

Back to the filet mignon whiskas.  Unwholesome, but uneaten by the cat who was kept awake by a thunderstorm and is now back in bed as I prepare for work.  Gee, how do they manage to sell filet mignon for only 89 cents a can?  filet beef biproducts is more like it.  At least the crepuscular feline alarm clock let me sleep till 5:30.

feline bladder health

Perhaps not surprisingly, the cat evinced little interest in "Feline Bladder Health," an offering from

the prescription diet which is exclusively found in Veterinarians' offices.  Although it is called "With

Chicken,"  the first ingredient is pork by products, which should reassure the people who wrote into the straight dope worrying about why there was no pork in cat food (see previous posting).  Nonetheless, I 

hope he tasted enough of it to ensure his feline bladder health.

We have boycotted Newman's own turkey formula for cats (Cosmo has, and I haven't extended my personal explorations of catfood to actual tasting).   As is usual, it not only contains "turkey liver" but unrelated items like "Ocean Whitefish" and intriguing additions like "organic brown rice" and "dried kelp."  It was unsightly, grayish in color, but I haven't seen Cosmo avoid ugly colored things if they're smelly and have the right texture.  After that one was over, we've gone back to the optimistically named Whiskas "Alaskan Crab."  Managed to hold him off till 5:30 today, though he did move from gentle batting to actual scratching.

Roasted Turkey Flavor in Meaty Juices before five

So a 4:30 wake-up was a little early, even for a "morning person," but I finally gave up on sleep a little before 5.  A tablespoon of whiskas was administered and swiftly consumed, to be followed by a teaspoon or so.  Now I'm writing this as the cat is nested on a recycleable cloth grocery bag.  Why does Cosmo enjoy this consistency so much?  It is a gel, a little like an aspic, and it promises :  "We guarantee you cat will enjoy whiskas food for cats.  If not satisfied, copy code from side and state price paid."  It is asserted that he food meets national standards, containing  water , meat by products, poultry by products, turkey, liver, natural flavors" and all the rest are chemicals good (taurine, vitamins) and bad (?).  This container cost about 89 cents, considerably less than the turkey Newman organic, which he licks at but mostly disdains.  consistency of the Newman is tuna-fish salad.  It costs 1.89.

Here is Cosmo, an 18-year old fixed Tom, with my 22 year old son Alex.

why is there no pork in cat food

Why are there no pork cat foods?

Canned cat foods come in all sorts of flavors, but you never see any pork flavored cat foods. Why is that? Is pork bad for cats? Or is just it too delicious for us humans to share?

• 3 years ago  From Yahoo answers
• Report Abuse

messy_be...

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

I did a thesis on cat foods back when I was at University and this was one of the questions that came up. Whiskas produced a Pork variety for a short while (available only in the small size cans), but it wasn't around for long. According to the PFMA (Pet Food Manufacturer's Association), they use pork - it's in cat foods that have an ingredient of "meat byproducts" "meat derivatives" "animal byproducts" where the type of meat isn't specified.

There are several varieties that contain ham or bacon (which is also pig of course) e.g. chicken-and-bacon combinations.

Historically, pork had a bad reputation because it was associated with tapeworm (though the tapeworm eggs are killed off by the high temperatures used in cat food manufacture). These days there are lots of people find pork offensive for religious reasons which might be why it doesn't appear on the label, but is still in there as an ingredient, just not labelled as pork.

Source(s):

University thesis research!
Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA)

Cosmo seeks change

A cat, a doting owner, some common cat foods.  I am trying to see what cats really like to eat, or at least what my cat likes.  On the way, I will consider anything relating to cat food, even cats as food (if that comes up).  Today we have gone off "Fancy Feast Classic" which used to be a standard favorite.  Cosmo has shown some interest in Newman's organic turkey, but really went for the new Whiskas Filet Mignon, so I am going to try other Whiskas flavors today.