"We're delighted to have worked proactively alongside the UK's regulators to showcase that Meatly chicken is safe and healthy for pets. We can now continue our mission to give consumers an easy choice; ensuring we can feed our beloved pets the real meat they need and crave, in a way that is kinder to our planet and other animals."
Thursday, 18 July 2024
Britain is first country to approve lab-grown meat for pet food
Saturday, 5 March 2022
"Ocean fish" and "white bait" is shark meat in cat food. Do you care?
A research study tells us that endangered sharks are being used as "white bait" and "white fish" and "ocean fish" in cat and dog food. These are generic terms. There is no attempt to specify exactly what this food is. And the question is whether cat owners would stop buying cans of cat food if the products were properly labelled and shark meat specified in the labelling.
Blue shark. Photo: Joost van Uffelen / Getty Images |
A lot of people nowadays are concerned about the environment. They are concerned about marine wildlife and overfishing. The argument is that the pet food manufacturers should be more transparent and honest.
This is particularly so since the shark populations have declined by more than 70% over the past 50 years. They found through DNA testing that some of the shark meat in cat food comes from sharks which are endangered. The sale of their bodies and body parts are under some degree of control in terms of their trade as specified under CITES or through classification by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The most common identified shark in cat and dog food was the blue shark. The species is not listed in CITES or classified as threatened by the IUCN but scientific research indicates that it is overexploited and the fishing of it should be regulated.
Another commonly encountered shark species in cat food is the silky shark. This species is listed under appendix 2 of CITES.
The fact that there is mislabelling on cat and dog food which misleads purchasers also leads to the unsatisfactory state of affairs that many environmentally conscious customers are contributing to the overfishing of endangered sharks.
The study that I am working off in writing this article suggests that many "pet owners and lovers would be alarmed to find out that they are likely contributing to the unsustainable fishing practices that have caused massive declines in global shark populations".
Overfishing of sharks has a negative impact on ecosystems' stability and function. Separately, a study found that the removal of sharks from the oceans has been linked to the "amplification of detrimental climate change effects".
In the United States, the most commonly encountered shark species in pet food was the short fin mako. In the current study all the pet food was produced, canned or packaged in Thailand.
In all, through DNA analysis, they found nine species of shark in pet food. One proposition is that the shark fin trade is contributing to this. Sharks are caught for their fins only and the bodies are thrown away as I understand it. Perhaps these bodies are being used in pet food. It is suggested that this might be beneficial because the bodies are being wasted. I would suggest that the better course of action would be to stop killing sharks for their fins.
Silky sharks are often caught as bycatch i.e. they are not targeted fish but they are caught in nets and killed when fishing for other species. This occurs during tuna fishing for example. Once their high-valued fins have been removed their carcasses make their way into the pet food industry chain which possibly account for the high prevalence of the meat from this shark species in pet food.
In conclusion, they state that "seafood fraud and the deliberate mislabelling or substitution of products is an increasingly recognise global problem".
Would you change your purchasing habits if they listed shark meat on cat food ingredients? Do you read the ingredient listings? Do you care? Are you concerned about the endangerment of many shark species? What do you think about killing sharks for their fins and throwing the rest of the shark away? Lots of questions. I would like you to comment on this if you have time.
The study referred to is: DNA Barcoding Identifies Endangered Sharks in Pet Food Sold in Singapore (04 March 2022 ).
Friday, 12 November 2021
Taiwan's silkworm cat food for less smelly cat poop!
Miaoli Agricultural Research and Extension Station have created a cat food from a waste by-product of the silk producing industry. They use silkworm pupae (grubs) with added immune protein as the raw material for this novel cat food.
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Photo: Miaoli Agricultural Research and Extension Station |
A Café owner, Rosa Su, said:
"They have more energy and less smelly faeces, which is more than I expected."
She should know because she's looking after a lot of cat on a daily basis. She will know cat poop very well. 😉
There could be no better endorsement. You can buy the food in a variety of flavours. The research team say that the feedback has been positive.
It's an example of improving sustainability in manufacturing. It is also an example of a modern trend in trying to improve the ingredients and nutrients in cat food while also minimising waste in manufacturing processes.
The world has changed. There is greater focus by consumers on the environment and in this instance on cat food ingredients. Also pet food manufacturers damage the planet.
Cat owners are more demanding because they are more knowledgeable thanks to the internet. A lot has been written about the, often, poor quality of many cat foods based as they are on poor raw products.
Silkworm pupae is an excellent raw product because it is high in protein, fat and minerals. And, in any case, domestic cats eat insects naturally. Pupae are part of the life cycle of an insect; the silkworm. The silkworm is economically important insect as it is the primary producer of silk and it is clever to use it to create cat food as well.
The scientists who created this food say that it helps eliminate harmful intestinal bacteria which in turn reduces the odour of cats' waste products i.e. the poop smells nicer!
ASSOCIATED PAGE: Why is cat poop so smelly?
Quite a lot has been written, also, about smelly cat poop. It's a target of informed cat owners to reduce the odour of cat poop as it is indicative of a healthy gut and improved gut flora. This should benefit the health of the cat. Homemade raw cat food is a tool used by some cat owners. IBD is an increased cat health problem ostensibly because of poor quality foods.
ASSOCIATED PAGE: Venezuela: pet food costs €44 while average salary is €5 per month
Silkworm grubs live inside silk cocoons. The grubs are high in the kind of nutrients which are healthy for domestic cats. And they boosted the quality of the food by stressing the silkworms to make them think that they are in danger. This technique boosts the content of immune proteins in the grubs which kills harmful bacteria inside the cat who has eaten the food.
ASSOCIATED: Krill harvested for pet food damages Antarctica’s marine wildlife
One motivator for silkworm cat food is that it is no longer economically feasible, apparently, to cultivate the insects for fabric production alone. The cocoon can also be used in cosmetics. If manufacturers are able to use every part of the silkworm life-cycle there is an economical benefit. They can keep the costs down and be more profitable and sustainable.
Apparently, a can of silkworm cat food sells for US$2.43 which is a bit more than average canned wet food in Taiwan (NT$68). They believe that the product will be accepted even though it's more expensive because it is environmentally superior and arguably the ingredients are better.
In a crowdfunding campaign they reached their fundraising preliminary goal within 24 hours, indicative of the potential for this novel cat food.
In comparison, China has plans to turn industrial exhaust waste from gargantuan factories into animal feed which I will presume includes cat food eventually. It looks ghastly by comparison but if they can make it work so much the better provided the food is of decent quality. We don't want to go backwards in terms of food quality because it's often bad enough already.
Saturday, 14 August 2021
Dog food destroyed by the manufacturing process causing ill-health and shortened lives
I am discussing dogs again today! Forgive me. There is an overlap with cats. Dr. Michael Lazaris has an axe to grind, he wants to promote his dog food supplement but he is worth listening to. He says that dog food is destroyed by the high temp cooking process. Reminds me of dry cat food. Perhaps the same issues relate to cats. A good reason why it is worth having a look at the issues.
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Dog food destroyed by the manufacturing process causing shortened lives. Screenshot. |
First dog food destroyer: extrusion cooking process
Dog food is always brown because of the 320 degrees F cooking for hours on end to burn food to a crisp to stop it going off. It allows foods to sit on shelves for 2+ years before sale to boost profits. But this 'significantly reduces nutrients'. The cooking process destroys vitamins like vitamins A, E and the B vitamins. It reduces protein and makes it harder for dogs to digest food. Probiotics and digestive enzymes don't get to the food bowl. These are important for digestion as the gut needs good bacteria. Dogs eat grass to acquire good bacteria to their gut to make up for its lack in pet food. But grass can be contaminated and create additional health problems.
He recommends: good probiotics and digestive enzyme foods for increased energy, better immune system and healthier digestion.
Second destroyer: creation of AGEs
Advanced glycation end product (AGEs) form in the cooking process as a byproduct. They are not on the label. They are a health hazard leading to faster aging and diseases. Toxic AGEs are one hundred times more common in dog food than in the human diet. AGEs cause inflammation in dog's body leading to itching. And cancer. There has been an increase in cancer in dogs. Over half of dogs over 10 get cancer. They age dogs faster. Labradors used to live to 17 years but now have a 10-year lifespan.
Ther are zero requirements by law for pet food manufacturers to include: antioxidants, polysaccharides, pre and probiotics, omega 3s and digestive enzymes in their foods
He claims that pet food laws are shocking and shortening dogs' lives (presume he means in the UK). One dog he treated changed his views on dog nutrition. He fed the dog, Champ, who'd be involved in a car accident, through tube with his special supplements and his health improved greatly improving his life chances.
Vital foods for health: superfoods, probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals, super-nutrients. Create better digestion and immunity.
He created Canine Prime which contains all these nutrients destroyed by the super-cooking process. It is a supplement to sprinkle on dog food.
Expectation management
Bio
Dr. Michael Lazaris studied at the University of Edinburgh and is certified by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. At the forefront of pet health and wellbeing he practises treating animals with a heavy emphasis on nutrition. His goal is to help dogs live long healthy lives through education and proper nutrition.
Monday, 8 February 2021
One of our two-year-old cats, Monty, has developed a liking for Weetabix and scones. Why?
Tuesday, 15 September 2020
Food portion size for domestic cats
You don't have to be worried as a cat owner about the food portion size for your cat and neither do you have to be concerned about the amount of food your cat should eat over a 24-hour period. This is because pet food manufacturers tell you how much to feed your cat, dependent upon the size of your cat, on the box. It is part of the labelling and you simply have to find it and read it. It can be hard to find it!
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Sheba food portions and daily feed for domestic cats as indicated on the packet. Photo: Michael |
- How many calories does an elderly cat need?
- How many calories does my cat need to lose weight?
- How many calories does a cat need?
For instance, with the fancy British pet food manufacturer Encore, they say that for a domestic cat who is lighter than 3 kg you should feed her one can over a 24-hour period. Each can weighs 70 g. This seems like a very tough diet to me! I am sure that this is incorrect and their instructions are poor. They seem to be advising adding dry cat food for a complete diet but once again the labelling is poor because this is not specified clearly. So much for relying on the manufacturer's guidelines!
Another box of cat food: Purina® Gourmet™ Perle states that for an average cat of 4 kg in weight you should feed her or him 3 to 4 pouches per day in at least two separate meals. This applies to an averagely active cat under normal environmental temperatures. The amount fed should be adjusted as required. Each pouch weighs 85 g.
A third cat food that I have is Sheba. These are 50 g pouches and the manufacture tells me that for a cat weighing 3 kg you should provide her with four pouches over a 24-hour period. For a cat of 4 kg, five pouches is applicable and for a 5 kg cat, give her six pouches. They advise feeding the pouches which is a wet cat food with dry cat food and under these circumstances you should provide a 3 kg cat with three pouches +10 kg of dry cat food. For a 4 kg cat you should provide her with three pouches together with a 20 kg amount of dry cat food and for a 5 kg cat it is four pouches +20 kg of dry cat food.
Who reads the box to decide what portions you should give your cat? I have rarely done it. But it might be a good idea to read the box in future except for Encore. Crappy instructions.
Japan's leading cat doctor, a veterinarian, Dr Yuki Hattori, advises that cat owners should calculate portion size carefully. He recommends that you read the daily portion size, as determined according to the cat's weight, on the back of the packet. All you need to do is to measure the right quantity for her size. A cat's energy requirements depends upon their weight, age and body mass. As the calculation is complex it makes sense to refer to the pet food manufacture's guidelines.
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Employees at Mars Petcare kibble manufacturing facility exposed to pesticides on pet food ingredients?
How can employees of a company manufacturing dry pet food (kibble) be exposed to pesticides and other toxins? Well, what they're saying is that the raw materials coming into the factory from which the dry cat food was made had been fumigated. But the raw material was not listed as having been fumigated. It went straight into making the pet food.
The word “fumigated" in this instance refers to being treated with phosphine gas. Phosphine is a pesticide.
So pesticides were being introduced into the facility. There are monitors in the factory to detect these pesticides. This by the way proves that it is commonplace to have carcasses treated with pesticides.
The employees claim that the monitoring of the presence of pesticides was illegally or fraudulently tampered with to hide the high levels of phosphine. The records were incomplete.
In addition some records indicate levels of phosphine at 30 times the safe upper limit at 5.85 parts per million.
Further there appears to have been high levels of mould.
One Facebook visitor commented that the factory had killed his/her father.
“I always said that placed killed my dad…”
There appears to have been quite a lot of chat surrounding the hazardous nature of working at this facility.
The hazards were reported to the authorities and no action taken.
There was also a hole in the roof. I am guessing but this is also claimed to be a source of contamination.
The Missouri Department of Agriculture says the plant is now closed.
The law suit is in court on January 2nd 2017.
Clearly interested parties to this legal action are concerned about the rights and welfare of the factory workers. However, all cat and dog owners are also concerned at the claim that pesticides went straight into dry pet food. An astonishing claim.
Not only were the employees in danger of being poisoned so are pets in the long term.
The case may blow the lid on the opaque practices of the pet food industry. It may shed some light on the murky methods employed by the big pet food manufacturers.
We know that animal welfare is not their first concern. It may be worse than that.
This is a heavily summarised post. The source is the Truth About Pet Food.
Thursday, 31 May 2012
Purina Pet Treats Made In China Killing Dogs
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Photo by Nestlé (on Flickr) |
Dog owners should be warned as these products haven't undergone an official recall and are still on the shelves at retailers across America. Readers, keep in mind that just because a product is available for sale it doesn't mean it's safe!
Another reason I'm writing on this issue as it brings to mind an article I wrote last year about Purina One® cat food. Its at http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/potential-purina-one-cat-food-problem.html. While no mandatory recall has been made, comments continue to trickle in on this article from cat owners whose cats have become ill or died after eating Purina® products.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea and fever. This leads to kidney failure and death for the dog or cat eating the Purina® product.
This has been going on for several years. The same holds true with Purina Beneful Dog Food. Symptoms from eating the tainted dog food (it sometimes has a mold like growth on it) are glazed eyes, weakness, white gums, lack of appetite and loss of control of bodily functions. This information has been verified by on Snopes.com.
Although the symptoms are totally different for the Purina One® cat food than for the Purina dog foods, Waggin' Train and Canyon Creek Ranch dog treats, I would use caution before feeding any Purina products.
Purina has stated they consider the safety of their dog and cat foods as their top priority, yet the cases continue to mount and neither the FDA nor Nestle Purina is doing much about it other than taking down information and testing samples. I'm not sure how many deaths it will take before a recall is issued. If it's your pet, then it's one to many.
Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, recently blasted the head of the FDA over the situation back in April of 2012. Brown criticized Dr. Margaret Hamburg at a Senate Appropriations hearing over the concern Chinese made treats were tainted yet allowed to remain on store shelves.
Until the FDA has found the cause as to why so many pets are dying, dog and cat owners both need to be vigilant about the food they feed their pets, as well as any treats. If you plan on changing pet food brands, do a little Internet research and be sure there are no health concerns linked with the food you plan to feed your pet.
If any of you have experienced any health problems with any brand of pet food or any treats, please be kind enough to give everyone a first hand account of your experience. You could be saving a life.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Animal Shelter Conspiracy USA
You don't have to look far to find high kill rates, particularly of cats at shelters. They still call then no kill shelters bizarrely. Yesterday I wrote an article about a lack of proper assessment of cat and dog temperament at shelters, referring to the Jackson County Animal Control Shelter where 80% of cats are "euthanised". I know that this is not untypical.
The obvious reason why such a high percentage of cats are killed at shelters in the USA is because there are not enough people willing to adopt unwanted cats.
But that seems simplistic to me and there are enough people. When there is no proper feline temperament profiling and a lack of networking and coordination. I make the argument in this post that there is no need to kill any cats on the grounds of temperament because if the cat's temperament is unsuitable for living with people it must be suitable for living as a feral cat - without people! In which case the cat could be neutered and placed with a feral colony. That is probably not politically correct but it is technically correct.
Some shelters are genuinely no kill - no cats are killed. If they can do why not the rest? There would seem to be only a small number who achieve this perfect score - 100% cats saved.
A shelter has to find an outlet for a cat. If there is no outlet for a living cat, there is an outlet for a dead one: pet food or some other manufacturing process.
It makes financial sense. This possibility is never talked about except by me and it is a highly unpleasant argument. I recall a visitor to my site saying that he had seen lorries taking dead cats for processing so even if there is not a statewide or nationwide conspiracy to kill cats for profit, it does go on somewhere.
When the numbers of killed cats and dogs are as high as they are nationwide (4-10 million?) and when the situation never changes no matter how cogent the arguments are, I have to come to the conclusion that there is a hidden agenda, an underlying reason that is not in the equation that we can see. This hidden agenda is the conspiracy to sell cat carcasses for profit to the manufacturing industry and the first choice is the pet food manufacturers as we know that pet food is made from rendered down dead animals from any source.
Can someone from the animal shelter business come forward and make a comment to tell me that I am writing a load of rubbish?
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