I'm sure it applies to cat food as well: How to grade your dog's food: Start with a grade of 100: 1) For every listing of «by - product», subtract 10 points 2) For every non-specific animal source -LRB-» meat» or «
poultry», meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points 3)
If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points 4) For every grain «mill run» or non-specific grain source, subtract 5 points 5)
If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. «ground brown rice», «brewerâ $ ™ s rice», «rice flour» are all the same grain), subtract 5 points 6)
If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points 7)
If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points 8)
If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points 9)
If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points 10)
If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil, subtract 2 points 11)
If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points 12)
If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points 13)
If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points 14)
If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog is not allergic to beef), subtract 1 point 15)
If it contains salt, subtract 1 point Extra Credit: 1)
If any of the meat sources are
organic, add 5 points 2)
If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist, add 5 points 3)
If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points 4)
If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points 5)
If the food contains fruit, add 3 points 6)
If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points 7)
If the animal sources are hormone - free and antibiotic - free, add 2 points 8)
If the food contains barley, add 2 points 9)
If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points 10)
If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point 11)
If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point 12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than the first one; count «chicken» and «chicken meal» as only one protein source, but «chicken» and «'' as 2 different sources), add 1 point 13)
If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point 14)
If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide - free, add 1 point