Are there canned foods with no gums or chemicals?

Status
Not open for further replies.
LoCarbCat

LoCarbCat

Member Since 2022
I'm struggling to find foods that don't have guar gum (a polysaccharide), or other gums in it. Tiki Cat is the only one I've seen, but it has tricalcium phosphate. I have the guide that lists the low-carb brands but it's hard to find JUST meat, broth, and essential supplements with nothing else. So far, Agar agar seems the best as a thickener. It seems every food additive thickener I research, there is a study linking it to diabetes (mostly human studies). Here's an article about guar gum: http://catcentric.org/nutrition-and...-food-products-ingredients-to-avoid/guar-gum/
 
Last edited:
Hello! There are a number of folks here who cook their own food and freeze portions. ‘Completers’ are supplements that add all the vital nutrients for kitties. Searching around the site for that word may help if you are interested in trying that.
 
What chemicals aren't in food would be a better question. Beef cows, chickens and turkeys are generally over vaccinated, eat corn meal that's been grown with all kinds of nasty chemicals and cooking meat at higher temperatures releases heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The Center for Environmental Health says 40 percent of canned goods it tested still contain BPA, a chemical linked to birth defects and cancer.
Heavy metals in seafood is next. Food isn't what it used to be.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
What chemicals aren't in food would be a better question. Beef cows, chickens and turkeys are generally over vaccinated, eat corn meal that's been grown with all kinds of nasty chemicals and cooking meat at higher temperatures releases heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The Center for Environmental Health says 40 percent of canned goods it tested still contain BPA, a chemical linked to birth defects and cancer.
Heavy metals in seafood is next. Food isn't what it used to be.
Click to expand...
100% and now there are also microplastics to worry about. It’s been found in the lungs of humans and pregnant women’s placenta. We litter the ocean with plastics that the fish eat and then we eat the fish. I’m sure it also makes its way to cows, pigs and chickens via the water they drink. That’s one of the reasons I’m a vegan now but I doubt even the veggies are safe :banghead::banghead::banghead:
 
Last edited:
Check out Rawz cat food too. I contacted them directly and spoke with a very nice woman who sent me samples so I could see if the cats would like it
 
Last edited:
I use Weruva as Howie can’t have carageenan, etc. it’s been a lifesaver! We use the pates and BFF Play pates.
 
as others have noted, making your own food is just about the only way to avoid additives you don't want

I am going to be giving this a try for the first time. I just ordered EZ-Complete pre-mix for making your own cat food. I chose it because they use eggshells for calcium instead of bone, so it is lower phosphorus
 
Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
Check out Rawz cat food too. I contacted them directly and spoke with a very nice woman who sent me samples so I could see if the cats would like it
Click to expand...

I'm finding if they like it, there are carbs in it in some form or another. The zero cab, zero additive ones sit all night long while they wake us to feed them something more interesting. At this point, even guar gum or any thickener will excite them. They still pine for the kibble. No way am I going back to that!
 
Last edited:
My wife is a vegetarian but isn't a Nazi about it. I've known only one person to ever make the argument cats could live without meat which is a big mistake. At least they weren't making their own food.
Taurine is found exclusively in animal-based proteins and is critical for normal vision, digestion, heart muscle function and a healthy immune system. A taurine deficiency can cause blindness and dilated cardiomyopathy in cats.
 
Last edited:
Noah & me (GA) said:
My wife is a vegetarian but isn't a Nazi about it. I've known only one person to ever make the argument cats could live without meat which is a big mistake. At least they weren't making their own food.
Taurine is found exclusively in animal-based proteins and is critical for normal vision, digestion, heart muscle function and a healthy immune system. A taurine deficiency can cause blindness and dilated cardiomyopathy in cats.
Click to expand...
I’m not a Nazi vegan either. When I go home to Brasil I have to be vegetarian or I’d find nearly nothing to eat. My personal beliefs just don’t align with what the dairy industry does to the mother cows and their babies. But I’d never make my cats vegan. Dogs are accidental carnivores but not cats. I’m though fascinated by all the advancements in the alternative protein industry and I know at least 2 startups working on cell-based cat food using mice and pigeon cells. It may sound disgusting but those are the proteins they’d be eating in the wild. We only feed cats cows, pigs, turkey because that’s what we eat. Anywho, enough about me lol
 
I believe that Bron meant ZiwiPeak. It does not contain gums or additives other than what's necessary for a nutritionally complete diet for a cat.
 
So last night for the first time in my life I made homemade cat food. I boiled a chicken breast and then followed the instructions on the pre-mix.

I used this stuff:
https://www.foodfurlife.com/store/p3/EZComplete_Fur_Cats_225g_-_Makes_12.1_lbs_of_food.html#/
upload_2022-7-17_4-46-51.png



At first, some of the kids turned their noses up at it. Shylo was like wtf is this and went back to the kitchen bench to register his displeasure at full volume.

However, my wife and I were like let's give it time. And after a while Shy came back to his surefeed and started in. Ultimately, everyone ate well! I am so happy. I just pulled the boiled chicken apart with my fingers, used a knife and fork as well. I think I need a grinder thing though the chunks still ended up pretty large. Everyone did fine with it BUT i think it would mix better with the pre-mix if I ground it up or at least got it into smaller bits.

Overall though, a rousing success. I tell you what, the whole time I was working on all six dishes Shylo and Hendrick were in the kitchen keeping a close eye on my progress lol. They love chicken bits they get when I'm cooking and this time it was ALL for them.
 

Attachments

  • upload_2022-7-17_4-46-51.png
    upload_2022-7-17_4-46-51.png
    316 KB · Views: 442
tiffmaxee said:
Baking chicken keeps the nutrients in better than boiling.
Click to expand...

thanks for your input and encouragement, that is interesting -- and makes sense. I had googled 'how to cook chicken for homemade cat food' and found lots of instructions on how to boil it, for how long, etc

I did use the water from boiling the chicken for the water that I needed to add to the pre-mix and chicken to mix together. Only a tablespoon or two per serving though so most of the water went down the drain
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
thanks for your input and encouragement, that is interesting -- and makes sense. I had googled 'how to cook chicken for homemade cat food' and found lots of instructions on how to boil it, for how long, etc

I did use the water from boiling the chicken for the water that I needed to add to the pre-mix and chicken to mix together. Only a tablespoon or two per serving though so most of the water went down the drain
Click to expand...
Your welcome. I think I read that on catinfo by Dr. Lisa but not sure.
 
There are a couple of options if you don't want to invest in a grinder. You can use a food processor. A blender is a possibility especially if you're saving the broth. The other alternative is to use ground chicken which you could lightly sauté. You can also use the ground chicken in its raw form.
 
LoCarbCat said:
I'm finding if they like it, there are carbs in it in some form or another. The zero cab, zero additive ones sit all night long while they wake us to feed them something more interesting. At this point, even guar gum or any thickener will excite them. They still pine for the kibble. No way am I going back to that!
Click to expand...

how are things going with your diabetic kitty btw?
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
how are things going with your diabetic kitty btw?
Click to expand...

Great. She's in perfect health and went from BG 474 to 320 in under two months using just exercise, weight loss, and high-end canned food with less than 2% carbs (no insulin). Our vet says just keep it up, he was amazed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top