Question On Nutrients

[Tommaso_Maia]

Hi, i recently (about a week) started to feed my old female cat with "natures:menu Country Hunter". The description claims it to be nutritionally balanced, but i have doubts on some ingredients. I don't see any vitamin B for exaple and maybe i'm missing something else. I'm not an expert, so can someone who knows if nutrients here are fine? Or should i complement with something else? Also if you have anything to say about this brand i'm all ears Thx.
I'll show you the ingredients:

COMPOSITION

Chicken (75%), Chicken Heart (21%), Raspberry (1%), Cranberry (1%), Spirulina (0.5%), Catnip (0.01%), Yucca Extract, Green Tea Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Rosemary Extract.

ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS

Protein 10.7%, crude fibre 0.3%, crude oils and fats 6.2%, crude ash 2.5%, moisture 79%
95 kcal/100g

ADDITIVES (PER KG)

Vitamin A 3000iu, Vitamin D3 200iu, Vitamin E 30mg, Taurine 1.5g. Trace Elements: Zinc sulphate monohydrate 15mg, Manganese sulphate monohydrate 3mg, Calcium iodate 0.75mg, Sodium selenite 0.03mg.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi and welcome!
I think I would complement this food with another food. This one isn't terrible but your cat could benefit from the addition of other brands'. She needs all the protein she can get, plus if the manufacturer changes something you'll have an easier time of it if you have other foods on the menu.

 

[abyeb]

Good catch noticing the lack of Vitamin B. Vitamin B1, also called Thiamine, is essential for cats: Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Deficiency in Cats

I would recommend using this food more as a treat for once in a while if your kitty likes it.

 

[Willowy]

Hmm, that brand claims to be "complete and balanced". I'm not sure what kind of oversight exists for pet food in the UK, or what their requirements are.
Country Hunter Cat Food Pouch Free Range Chicken - Buy Online at Natures Menu


You could try calling/emailing the company, see what they say.

 

[Willowy]

OK, after a bit of Googling around I found that spirulina is very high in a bunch of B vitamins, including thiamine. So that's why the food can claim to be complete. Whether cats can process spirulina to get the nutrients, I don't know.

 

[orange&white]

It looks pretty healthy to me; better than the majority of processed food choices on the market. Looking at their website, they package the food raw then "gently" cook the food (which would minimize loss of nutrients).

It never hurts to rotate a few different foods for reasons furballsmom mentions.

 

[duckpond]

I agree with what everyone else is saying. I try to feed several different foods, from different brands. That way i feel they don't miss out, or get too much of something at every meal if one brand is a bit off.

 

[Saf]

Nature's Menu is one of the best foods in the UK. They can't describe it as complete and balanced unless it is, otherwise they have to describe it as complimentary. They don't necessarily need to add vitamins seperately because they exist organically in various organs - a mouse in itself is a complete and balanced meal. For example, liver contains vitamin A. In this case they've used spirulina for the B vitamins. Brewers/nutritional yeast is also sometimes used. Organic sources of nutrients are generally preferable in my opinion and are often more palatable. B vitimins added seperately are generally quite bitter tasting.