Complete Vs. Complementary

[-Mia-]

I've read that we should be feeding our kitties foods that are "complete and balanced" as opposed to those that are complementary. I have seen some cans says "complete and balanced", but I don't think I've seen any that say "complementary".

And then, I have seen cans that don't say any of those things at all. If they don't say "complete and balanced" or "complementary", how do you know whether it is complete or not? Is it fair to say that if it doesn't claim to be complete, then it is not?

 

[Neo_23]

I always look for a statement that it meets the nutritional requirements set by the AAFCO.

 

[Ladewyn]

It will say something like "formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog (or cat) Food Nutrient Profiles for adult maintenance" (or growth if it's for kittens). If it doesn't have that statement on there somewhere, then it's not complete.
Also complementary foods include most cat treats.

 

[maggiedemi]

Those Fancy Feast Broths are complimentary, meaning they are just a treat, not a balanced meal. It says: Fancy Feast Broths are intended for supplemental feeding only. This product may be fed daily along with a complete and balanced cat food diet.

 

[-Mia-]

Okay, now that ya'll mention it, I have seen the supplemental/complementary phrase on things like treats, toppers, etc. But I knew/know that those aren't complete. I was just confused about the canned foods. Because I have seen some canned foods with the phrase "complete and balanced..." on the can, but that phrase is not on everything I've picked up, even on cans of cat food with lots of ingredients.

What I didn't realize (until now, after reading your replies) is that the statement about meeting the AAFCO requirements is actually an indication of a complete and balanced meal. I thought the requirements were fairly minimum standards. Now that I know this, I can confidently say that most (if not all) of the cat food cans I've picked up DO have this AAFCO statement (yay!).

Now, I know what to look for, and this is very helpful, because shortly after getting my kitten, we started buying different foods to try out (some from small specialty pet nutrition stores, and some from Petco), but did not do any research prior to buying them. It's not bad though, because even not knowing what I was buying, I was intentionally staying away from cheap food, so most of the stuff I got is good food, but I have too big of a variety, and am now trying to pare it down some by deciding which foods to continue to buy and which ones to leave off our list.

I still have a lot of questions, but I'm getting a better understanding of it all... Thank you all!

 

[LTS3]

Some canned foods are not complete diets. They are only supplements / complements aka treats. The Applaws canned and pouched foods sold in the US is one such brand. There's a teeny tiny statement on the can that says "Applaws is a complementary pet food for adult cats, feed alongside a complete wet or dry cat food including Applaws complete dry cat food, for a balanced diet. This product is intended for intermittent or supplementary feeding only."

In Europe, Applaws has a few canned and pouched foods that are complete diets in addition to the supplement only ones.

Pet food labels in the US should have an AAFCO statement and/or a statement indicating if the food is a complete diet or not. The exact wording may differ among brands. It's in teeny print usually near the ingredient list or bar code.

It's ok to feed a supplement type canned food as a treat or a small amount mixed into regular complete food.