9 Cat Food Ingredients To Avoid In 2026
Discover 9 controversial cat food ingredients many owners try to avoid, including carrageenan, meat by-products, artificial colors, corn gluten meal and synthetic preservatives.
9 Cat Food Ingredients To Avoid In 2026
Every cat food brand claims to use “premium ingredients” until you flip the bag over and actually read the label.
After spending way too much time comparing ingredient lists, Reddit threads, and contradictory advice online, I ended up building an app to scan and analyze cat foods more easily.
And once I started running foods through it, a few ingredients kept showing up again and again in lower-rated formulas, especially heavily processed foods packed with fillers, vague meat sources, and texture-focused additives.
Here are some of the ingredients that kept showing up in lower-quality formulas, and why so many cat owners try to avoid them.
1. Carrageenan
Why brands use it
Carrageenan helps wet cat food keep that thick gravy or smooth pâté texture instead of separating into weird meat soup.
Because apparently “slimy brown water” wasn’t considered a strong marketing strategy.
Why it can be problematic
Carrageenan became controversial after debates around inflammation and digestive irritation. A lot of the confusion comes from older studies involving degraded carrageenan, which is different from the food-grade version used in pet food.
While major regulatory agencies still consider food-grade carrageenan safe in small amounts, many cat owners still prefer avoiding it, especially for cats with sensitive stomachs.
If you want a deeper breakdown of the research and controversy, check out our full guide on carrageenan in cat food.
Cat food brands that use it
Purina
Royal Canin
Blue Buffalo
Wellness
Halo
Sheba
9Lives
Iams
2. Meat By-Products
Why brands use them
Meat by-products are usually cheaper protein sources made from leftover animal parts not typically sold for human consumption.
Which sounds a lot less premium once you stop reading the front of the bag and actually flip it over.
Why they can be problematic
The issue isn’t always by-products themselves, it’s the lack of transparency.
“Meat by-products” can mean very different things depending on sourcing and quality, which makes it difficult to know exactly what your cat is eating.
Cat food brands that use it
Purina
Friskies
Fancy Feast
Meow Mix
9Lives
Kit & Kaboodle
Special Kitty
etc..
3. Corn Gluten Meal
Why brands use it
Corn gluten meal is a cheap way to boost protein numbers on the label without adding more real meat.
A lot cheaper than using actual chicken.
Why it can be problematic
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they biologically rely on animal protein.
A lot of owners dislike seeing corn-based fillers heavily used to inflate protein percentages while reducing overall meat content.
Cat food brands that use it
Purina
Friskies
Fancy Feast
Meow Mix
Beneful Prepared Meals
Ol’ Roy
Gravy Train
Kibbles ’n Bits
etc...
4. Artificial Colors
Why brands use them
Artificial colors make kibble look brighter and more “appetizing” on store shelves.
Which is great for humans shopping the aisle, because your cat definitely wasn’t asking for neon red cereal chunks.
Why they can be problematic
Artificial dyes add zero nutritional value and usually show up in heavily processed foods.
Many owners simply see them as unnecessary additives that exist more for marketing than nutrition.
Cat food brands that use it
Friskies was one of the brands where these ingredients kept showing up repeatedly during scans. We break down the full ingredient list in our Friskies cat food review.
5. Animal Digest
Why brands use it
Animal digest is mostly there to make food smell and taste stronger to cats.
Because even the saddest ingredient list becomes more convincing when sprayed with flavor dust.
Why it can be problematic
The ingredient is extremely vague and gives very little information about what animal materials were actually used.
A lot of owners prefer clearly identified protein sources instead of generic flavor coatings.
Cat food brands that use it
Meow
MixPurina
Cat Chow
Friskies
Kit & Kaboodle
9Lives
Whiskas
etc...
6. BHA & BHT
Why brands use them
These preservatives help dry foods last longer on shelves without going rancid.
Fantastic for warehouse storage. Slightly less exciting when you’re trying to feed your cat cleaner ingredients.
Why they can be problematic
BHA and BHT have been controversial for years because of research questioning their long-term safety.
Even though they’re still legally used in pet food, many owners prefer avoiding synthetic preservatives when possible.
Cat food brands that use it
Purina
Meow Mix
Whiskas
Royal Canin
Friskies
7. Soy Protein Concentrate
Why brands use it
Soy protein concentrate is a cheap plant protein used to inflate protein percentages at lower cost.
Because “high protein” sounds much better on packaging than “mostly soy filler.”
Why it can be problematic
A lot of owners prefer protein coming from clearly identified animal sources instead of concentrated plant proteins.
Soy-heavy formulas can also push carbohydrate and plant content much higher than many cats naturally need.
Cat food brands that use it
Purina
Friskies
Fancy Feast
Halo
Royal Canin
8. Wheat Gluten
Why brands use it
Wheat gluten helps improve texture and consistency while also boosting protein numbers cheaply.
Basically the ingredient version of stretching one pizza slice into dinner for six people.
Why it can be problematic
Wheat gluten is often used more for manufacturing convenience and texture than species-appropriate nutrition.
A lot of owners dislike seeing plant-based protein boosters replacing higher-quality animal protein sources.
Cat food brands that use it
Purina
Friskies
Fancy Feast
Royal Canin
Meow Mix
Iams
Whiskas
Cat Chow
9Lives
Kit & Kaboodle
9. Generic “Natural Flavors”
Why brands use them
Natural flavors help make foods smell and taste more appealing to cats.
Because cats become dramatically less interested in ingredient quality once something smells aggressively delicious.
Why they can be problematic
The wording is extremely broad and doesn’t tell consumers much about what’s actually being used.
A lot of owners prefer more transparent ingredient labeling instead of vague catch-all flavor terms.
Cat food brands that use it
Purina
Friskies
Fancy Feast
Meow Mix
Whiskas
Royal Canin
Iams
9Lives
Sheba
Catit
Want to check whether your cat’s food contains any of these ingredients?
You can scan cat foods directly in the app to instantly detect:
- controversial additives
- low-quality fillers
- vague protein sources
- artificial preservatives
- heavily processed formulas