9Lives Cat Food Chicken & Tuna Dinner

Top 10 Ingredients:

1. Meat by-products (Minus 1 point): Non-descriptive indicates 4-D meat, cheapest source, can include diseased tissues (tumors) and organs. Does not contribute to best pet health.
2. Chicken (Plus 1 point): Contains water in the muscles, adds weight to dry food, less protein nutrition! Best used in can food. Trace amounts of chicken when listed lower on list of ingredients.
3. Water sufficient for processing (Minus 1 point): Cheapest, non-nutritive filler in can food, should use a meat broth instead. Does not contribute to pet health.
4. Fish (Minus 1 point): Non-descriptive, probably rancid and of poor quality. Can have high levels of mercury.
5. Poultry by-products (Minus 1 point): Ground up carcasses, can include dead, diseased foul, all internal parts void of healthy meat, includes feet and beaks, concentrated.
6. Chicken broth (Plus 1 point): Source of flavor, excellent if used instead of plain water for processing can food.
7. Tuna (Plus 1 point): Good source of protein and fatty acids.
8. Guar gum (Minus 1 point): Cheap, non-nutritive filler in can foods. Does not contribute to pet health.
9. Salt (Minus 1 point): Used to cover up rancid meat and fat, can cause kidney and heart disease, hypertension -- used to encourage cats to drink, source of sodium chloride. Does not contribute to pet health.
10. Potassium chloride (Plus 1 point): Standard source of potassium, balances acid/alkaline levels.

Healthy Pet Food Total Score:

4/10

 9Lives Cat Food Ingredients:
MEAT BY-PRODUCTS, CHICKEN, WATER SUFFICIENT FOR PROCESSING, FISH, POULTRY BY-PRODUCTS, CHICKEN BROTH, TUNA, GUAR GUM, SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE, NATURAL FLAVOR, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, CARRAGEENAN, VITAMINS (VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, NIACIN SUPPLEMENT, D-CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, RIBOFLAVIN SUPPLEMENT, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, MENADIONE SODIUM BISULFITE COMPLEX, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT), MINERALS (MAGNESIUM OXIDE, FERROUS SULFATE, ZINC OXIDE, MANGANOUS OXIDE, COPPER SULFATE, CALCIUM IODATE, SODIUM SELENITE), TAURINE, SODIUM NITRITE (TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION).