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
Aside from the fact that major pet food companies are still selling predominantly cereal - based cat foods (e.g. combinations of corn meal, corn gluten meal, brewers rice, wheat, and
soy flour), as «complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages according to AAFCO
animal feeding
tests» which, for documented health reasons, is unethical, dog and cat foods can include the following non-nutritive additives: