Cat Food Investigation Finds Heavy Metals, Other Contaminants in Popular Products

A new investigation into some of the nation’s most popular cat foods is raising questions about what may be hiding alongside the ingredients listed on the label.

The nonprofit Clean Label Project tested 100 top-selling cat food products, including wet, dry, air-dried and freeze-dried varieties. The products represented 62 brands and were screened for more than 120 potential contaminants.

Researchers reported detecting substances including heavy metals, pesticide and herbicide residues, and chemicals associated with plastics.

The findings do not necessarily mean that every food containing a detectable contaminant is unsafe for cats. The amount of a substance present — and an animal’s exposure to it over time — are important when determining potential health risks. Still, the widespread presence of several contaminants prompted researchers to examine which types of foods tended to have higher or lower levels.

Among the most common findings were three heavy metals: lead, cadmium and arsenic.

According to the investigation, lead was detected in 99% of the cat food samples tested, while cadmium appeared in 96% and arsenic was detected in 94%.

Cadmium is of particular concern because prolonged exposure can affect the kidneys and bones. Lead and arsenic can also cause health problems at sufficient levels or with long-term exposure.

The investigation looked not only at whether contaminants were detected, but also at differences among foods based on ingredients and how the products were made.

One of the clearest differences involved the primary protein source.

Fish and seafood-based foods — particularly wet varieties — generally contained higher amounts of mercury and cadmium than poultry-based products.

Chicken-based foods, meanwhile, tended to show higher levels of lead and herbicide residues.

Using its own purity standards, the Clean Label Project reported that nearly 85% of poultry-based foods met its benchmark, compared with only about 25% of fish and seafood products.

That does not mean all chicken-based foods are safer than all fish-based foods. Individual products and contamination levels can vary considerably, and the percentages reflect the nonprofit organization's own testing and standards.

Rather than recommending that owners immediately throw away their pets' current food, the report suggests reducing repeated exposure to the same potential contaminants.

One recommendation is dietary variety. Rotating among appropriate foods and protein sources may help prevent a cat from continually being exposed to contaminants associated with a single ingredient or product.

The investigation also found that wet and air-dried foods generally resulted in lower lead exposure than conventional dry foods.

For owners concerned about pesticides, the report suggests examining ingredient lists. Products containing plant ingredients among the first 10 ingredients were associated with greater pesticide exposure in the testing.

Changing a cat's diet abruptly can cause digestive problems, however, and cats with medical conditions or special nutritional requirements may need a specific diet. Major dietary changes should be discussed with a veterinarian.

The findings contain an important distinction for pet owners: detecting a chemical is not the same thing as proving that a particular food is toxic.

Modern laboratory testing can detect substances at extremely small concentrations. Determining whether those levels pose a meaningful health risk requires considering the concentration, frequency of exposure, the animal's size and other factors.

The investigation nevertheless provides cat owners with additional information when choosing among foods — particularly those who feed the same brand, formula and protein source every day for years.

For many owners, the practical takeaway may be less about panic and more about paying attention to what is in the bowl: read ingredient labels, consider appropriate variety and talk with a veterinarian when deciding what diet best meets an individual cat's nutritional needs.

Source: Clean Label Project cat food investigation, as reported by CNN Newsource/WKYT.