By-Products and Meals in Cat Food: What the Label Really Means

By Tailwisp Editorial TeamUpdated October 20, 20264 min read

Few words on a pet food label provoke as much concern as by-products. Social media and marketing have taught many owners to avoid them. But by-products, and the meals made from them, are not automatically bad. Understanding what these words mean helps you read labels with a clear head.

What are animal by-products?

In pet food, by-products are the parts of an animal that are not skeletal muscle meat. They can include organs such as liver, kidney, spleen, heart and lungs, blood, stomach and intestines, but not hair, horns, teeth or hooves. Many of these are highly nutritious: liver has vitamin A, heart has taurine, and organ meats have minerals and vitamins. In the wild, cats eat the whole prey, including organs, so by-products are not alien to them. People may not eat these parts in many countries, which is the main reason for the stigma.

What is a meal?

A meal, such as chicken meal or fish meal, is made by rendering, cooking the raw ingredients to remove water and fat, then drying and grinding them. The result is a dry, concentrated powder, about 60 to 70 percent protein. Meals are efficient sources of protein, and are used in most dry foods. A named meal, such as chicken meal, is made from chicken. By-product meal is made from by-product parts. Meat meal, or meat and bone meal, is from mammals, unspecified.

Named versus vague

• Named: chicken, turkey meal, salmon, beef liver. You know the animal.
• Vague: meat, poultry, animal by-products. The species may vary between batches, which makes it hard to manage allergies, and signals less transparent sourcing.

Cats with allergies should avoid vague terms. See cat food allergies and sensitive stomachs.

How the ingredient list works

Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight, as they go into the mixer. Fresh meat is about 70 percent water, so after cooking it weighs much less. A food that lists chicken first, then grains, may have more grain than chicken in the final product. A meal, with water already removed, does not lose weight in the same way. This makes simple comparison hard.

Ingredient splitting

Manufacturers may list a single ingredient in several forms, such as corn gluten meal, ground corn and corn flour, so that none appears first, even though together they outweigh the meat. Add related items together when judging.

Is fresh meat better than meal?

Both have a place. Fresh meat has appeal, but is mostly water. A high-quality meal is a concentrated protein source. The quality of either depends on the source, the processing and the quality control. What matters most is the whole diet: complete and balanced, high in animal protein, with good digestibility. See cat food aafco statement explained.

Risks to consider

• Quality variation. Low-quality by-products, such as feathers or beaks in unmonitored foods, would offer poor nutrition. Reputable manufacturers use controlled ingredients.
• Contamination. Rendering and handling must be safe. Recalls can occur with any type of food. See cat food recalls: how to stay informed.
• Allergens. Chicken, beef and fish are common triggers.
• Ethoxyquin and other preservatives. Check which preservatives are used.

What to look for

• A named animal protein as the first ingredient or among the first few.
• Taurine, either natural or added. See taurine: why cats need it.
• A complete and balanced statement.
• A company that has qualified nutritionists and publishes testing information.
• A food your cat eats well, with good stool, coat and weight.

What matters more than the by-product debate

Calorie control, hydration, life stage and health conditions matter more than any single ingredient. A well-made food with by-products can be better than a poorly made food with fresh chicken on the label. See how to read a cat food label and wet vs dry cat food.

Questions to ask a manufacturer

If you want certainty, contact the company and ask a few direct questions. Who formulates the recipes, and do they employ a board-certified veterinary nutritionist? Where are the ingredients sourced? What testing is done on finished batches, and are digestibility or feeding trials performed? Reputable companies answer clearly and promptly. Evasive answers are informative too. A transparent company with solid quality control is a better bet than any ingredient list read in isolation.

A note on marketing claims

Phrases such as human grade, premium or holistic have no single legal meaning in most places, and none of them tells you how well a food performs in a cat. Judge a food by its adequacy statement, its transparency, your cat's coat, weight, stool and energy, and your vet's view, rather than by words on the front of the pack.

When to see a vet

See a vet if you are unsure what is best for your cat's health. Use the US vet directory to find a clinic.

This article is general educational information, not veterinary advice. Every cat is different. If your cat is unwell, or you are unsure about a symptom, diet change or medication, contact your veterinarian.