Lora Lee 
Lately, I have been seeing the commercials for the new Purina One Microbiome Cat food. I have to say that each time I see that commercial, I get more and more frustrated with the Pet Food Industry. Watching it, I find myself agreeing with the concept. Yes, we need to pay attention to our cat’s gut health. As with humans, a strong and healthy gut can help ward off disease and infections. However, seeing this commercial knowing what I now know about dry food just infuriates me. In my opinion it is nothing but a marketing ploy used against pet parents. It is one of the biggest scams out there. A healthy dry food scam.
Scam Alert
Pet Food marketers know exactly what they are doing. They put pictures of real food on the bags, use words like “microbiome” and “high-protein” and make promises to help with issues like weight management and sensitive skin. Exactly what a cat parent is looking for in a food for the baby. However, a look at the ingredient list and I find myself questioning a lot of the ingredients in connection to the promises on the front of the bag.
A look at the ingredient list above proves to be a fallacy to the promises made. Yes, the 1st ingredient is chicken, but you can see that it only makes up 34%. The 2nd ingredient is chicken-by-product-meal. Now, their website claims that this is organ meat, which is actually great for your cat. Organs are full of nutrients that are beneficial for your cat. However, after watching the documentary, Pet Fooled, I know what is included in this by-product-meal and it is definitely not anything that I want to feed my cats. Corn gluten meal is the 3rd ingredient. Um, when was the last time you saw any cat of any kind chowing down on a corn cob? And the list of horrible ingredients continues.
So, yes, we need to think about our cat’s microbiome and we should feed them a diet that will support their gut health. I am just really confused how any of those ingredients are going to do that. It would seem to me and my common sense that ingredients like those listed above with in fact harm the gut more than help it. Dr. Katie Woodley, The Natural Pet Doctor, has a great video on How Nutrition Affects Your Pet’s Microbiome.
The Raw Truth
The absolute best thing you can do for your cat is to feed them a species appropriate raw diet. A well-balanced raw diet will give your cat exactly what he needs to eat. Most of the time, when a cat is eating a diet that is appropriate, then the conditions like weight and sensitive skin will rectify themselves. They are easy ways to add raw to your cat’s diet. Please be aware that what is being marketed by the big Pet food Companies are not a guarantee to help your cat overcome any health issues or become healthier. In fact, in most cases, these so-called “prescription diets” may actually cause more harm to an already sick cat. Don’t fall prey to the healthy dry food scam. Always pay attention to the ingredient list. If you wouldn’t eat it or feed it to your family, why would you feed it to your cat?
“Nearly 40% of foods did not contain what was stated on the label.” – Dr. Katie Woodley, The Natural Pet Doctor
