Understanding Your Cat
Unsure what to look for when reading a cat food label? The following guide will help you navigate and locate the information you encounter when selecting the food that’s right for your cat.
Government Regulations
According to government regulations, the label on every bag or can of cat food shall contain the following information:
Overview
This section contains a branded name, , along with an indication of the primary ingredient or a formula name such as chicken and rice.
Net Weight Statement
This indicates how much food is contained in the bag or can.
Manufacturer’s Name and Address
Identifies where the product was made in case you have questions or comments about the product.
Ingredient List
Just like human food, the ingredients are listed in descending order of content weight.
Further down the list, you’ll see many chemical-sounding names that correspond to vitamins and minerals.
Guaranteed Analysis
State regulations recommend a minimum level of certain nutrients. The guaranteed analysis shows the cat food’s minimum or maximum level of essential nutrients.
Nutritional Adequacy Statement
To substantiate claims, cat food must be complete and balanced to meet or exceed the standards of an established profile, or be proven to meet certain nutritional recommendations.
Feeding Directions
Follow these instructions to determine how much food to feed your cat each day. These are just guidelines, and you may need to increase or decrease the amount of food you feed to help maintain your cat ideal body condition.
Calorie Statement
It’s important to know how to navigate the information contained in a cat food label. Just know that any time you choose a cat food from Purina, you can be confident you’ve selected a cat food that provides complete and balanced nutrition.