Salt is used to
increase palatability but excessive salt intake
causes hypertension and kidney problems. A balance
of sodium is vial for cellular health, but
excessive amounts can damage these structures.
Salt is added to dry food to stimulate the cat to
drink and reduce likelihood of urinary blockages.
Where the salt used contains iodine, this may be
linked to the increase in hyperthyroidism in cats.
Cat food, and cat
food ingredients, contain various additives.
No-one yet knows how all these additives react
together or whether they are toxic when combined.
Below is a list of pet food additives; it is not
comprehensive and it varies from brand to brand
and from country to country.
Pet Food Additives
Anticaking
agents - Keeps
dry ingredients (flour, salt) free-flowing,
prevents clumping Antimicrobial agents - Prevents growth of
bacteria Antioxidants - Preservative, prevents
spoiling Coloring agents - Turns murky brown
slurry/meal a more appetizing color! Curing agents - Preservative Drying agents Emulsifiers - Binds water and fat together
so they do not separate Firming agents - Turns slurry into a meaty
or jelly texture Flavor enhancers - Modifies flavor, may do
this by chemical effect on brain itself! Flavoring agents - Adds flavor to unappetizing
slurry/meal Flour treating agents Formulation aids - Help at various stages
in recipe Gelling agents - Turns slurry into a meaty
or jelly texture Humectants - Makes the food taste moist. Leavening agents - Raising agent used in
flour Lubricants Non-nutritive sweeteners - Sweetener which
adds no nutritional value. Nutritive sweeteners - Sugars! Oxidizing and reducing agents - Used in
rendering, processing and cooking. pH control agents - Control pH of food or
modify pH of urine. Plasticizers - A texturizer - for chewiness
and some reformatted meat products Processing aids - Used only to aid or ease
the manufacturing process Sequestrants Solvents, vehicles - Dissolve flavouring or
colouring so they are evenly distributed Stabilizers, thickeners - Stop food
separating, curdling or breaking down; thickens
food Surface active agents Surface finishing agents Synergists Texturizers - Modifies texture of food e.g.
by affecting proteins
Good
Litter Box Manners
Cats are extraordinarily fastidious creatures. Outdoors they tend to
urinate and defecate in relatively open and previously unused areas. More...
Anticaking
agents - Keeps
dry ingredients (flour, salt) free-flowing,
prevents clumping
