I’ve always had a cat or two over the years and was quite content to feed them what I thought was healthy, appropriate food. Companies like Natural Balance, Wellness, and so many others claim that your cat is getting all of its proper vegetables, brown rice, etc.; they basically project the scientifically unsound opinion that cats should be eating what we eat. Surely since those of us who consider ourselves healthy would eat a diet that’s rich in whole grains and vegetables and cranberries and blueberries, our cats will benefit from our well-researched knowledge, right? The carefully crafted packaging that has anything from beautiful mountain vistas to eyes of a wildcat lure us into believing that this what Nature intended for our little friends.
On the other end of the spectrum we have companies like Science Diet, who have completely fooled pet owners into thinking that they are paying a premium to get nutrition formulated specifically for their animals. Who wouldn’t be hoodwinked with packaging like this? It’s clean, angular, and appears to be honest and professional with its layout and word choices:
After all, it’s “Veterinary Recommended” and has a “Unique antioxidant blend.” Let’s talk about what that means. “Veterinary Recommended” means either they are paying to have vets carry their products (which absolutely happens) and/or a vet or two gave their recommendation to Hill’s. In other words, it means nothing. “Unique antioxidant blend”? Great marketing catch phrase that somehow makes us think that this food will help our cat stay healthy and live long, and that the massive amount of money we’re spending is worth it. It’s “superior”, even! Well, superior to what? Key words like this help switch your brain into a positive gear without even knowing why.
I won’t go deeply into this, but if you look at the ingredients of any of these foods, you will find things that are not at all what cats (who are obligate carnivores — they receive nearly all of their nutrition from meat) should be or need to be eating. Cats do not naturally eat any kind of grain or vegetable or fruit; if they do, it’s mostly “through” the meat of their prey. There are a number of studies that clearly illustrate the health benefits of a raw diet, for example, which is what cats would eat in the wild, as well as showing the dangers of the typical diet that we buy in stores. This information would put almost all of the cat food companies out of business, except for some of the wet/canned varieties; it would also cost veterinarians a lot of money by not having the support of these companies.
I’ve only done research into the feline side of things, but I’d bet that it’s exactly the same for dogs. Just because a pet food claims to be “holistic” does not mean that it’s healthy and appropriate for your pet. Just because marketing makes a bag of dry kibble seem scientifically appropriate for your little Fido does not mean that it is. Marketing works by bypassing the logical side of your brain, and it often encourages you to believe without researching on your own. It’s up to you what you’d like to do with this information, but I choose to make my own informed choices as much as I can.
