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Feline Instincts Natural Cat Food Brands – Ingredients Information
About the ingredients in our feline raw meat cat food diets…
The ingredients we use to manufacture all Feline Instincts® supplements are without exception of human grade quality. All raw materials are 100% natural and no preservatives, colors, or other artificial additives are added when making Feline Instincts. Our freeze dried egg yolk is manufactured locally for use in bakeries and restaurants; while the gelatin, organic kelp, dulse and Psyllium husks are distributed for the human health food market as nutritional supplements. The Taurine, freeze dried pancreas, adrenal and spleen glands, vitamin E, vitamin B complex and the Salmon oil are all of pharmaceutical quality meant for human consumption.
Click on each ingredient for more information on why we use it and why it’s good for your feline.
Egg Yolk (USA)
Our dried egg yolk is from a blend of organic, free range and USDA inspected chicken eggs and is the highest quality use by many good bakers and restaurants. Dried egg yolk contains essential amino and fatty acids and presents a rich resource for vitamins and trace minerals.
Eggs are a convenient way to get vitamin D. Vitamin D in an egg comes from its yolk.
Some studies say that an amino acid in egg white inhibits Biotin absorption. Therefore, we choose not to include the white of the egg in our supplements. felines in the wild will, on occasion, ingest whole eggs, and an occasional whole egg won’t harm. However, when feeding eggs on a daily basis you want to be safe. Besides, the egg white possesses nowhere near the nutritional completeness that the egg yolk does.
Taurine (USA)
Helps keep your felines eyes healthy. Taurine is naturally in raw meats. Cooked meats kills taurine. We add additional Taurine to improve the quality of our supplement and your felines health.
Vitamin B Complex (USA)
Vitamin B complex including Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Pyridoxine, Biotin, influence the health of nearly all bodily functions and plays a significant role in maintaining a healthy nervous system; combating signs of stress, depression, and anxiety. Due to their water-soluble nature, vitamin B complex resources are easily depleted in the body and must be replenished daily.
Natural Vitamin E (USA)
We us the best natural Vitamin E source. D- alpha tocopheryl succinate.
Vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant that acts to protect cells against the effects of free radicals; Free radicals can cause cell damage that may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Vitamin E is an important essential dietary element for felines, dogs and all other pets.
Vitamin E has some important roles to play in the body, including:
- It acts as an “antioxidant” and is important in stopping body fats from going rancid
- It is important for normal muscle function
- It may be important in disease resistance
Vitamin E is present in many foods (e.g. vegetable oils, cereal products, green plants, liver and eggs) as tocopherols or tocotrienols and the amount needed by an individual increases if fat intake in the food increases. If a large amount of unsaturated fat is eaten with only low intake of vitamin E – disease such as pansteatitis (also called “yellow fat disease”) can occur. This is seen most often in felines fed a mainly fish ration.
In the body vitamin E is stored in the liver and all body tissues.
A deficiency of vitamin E can lead to:
- Poor reproductive performance
- Muscle disease (dystrophy) and weakness
- Progressive retinal atrophy
- Inflammation of body fat (called pansteatitis) in felines
- Brown pigmentation of body fat (called lipofuscinosis)
Too much vitamin E causes a loss of appetite.
Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant and stabilizes carotene and other oxidisable substances (e.g. fats) in food or in the body, so it is widely used to prolong the shelf-life of pet foods. The amount of vitamin E we add to our supplements also serves as a preservative, preventing oxidation of the fats in the diet when exposed to the air during preparation or any time it is in the unfrozen state. Oxidation means that the fats turn rancid thereby destroying critical fatty acids .
Kelp (Organic)
There are several uses for Kelp in a feline’s diet. One mentioned in Anitra Frazier’s book The New Natural Cat: Kelp is to supply a source of minerals and helps to support the thyroid.
Among other holistic vets we talked to while putting together a recipe, Dr Swift and Dr Gardner commented on kelp use in my recipes:
Dr Swift, “Current farming practices have depleted soils of trace minerals so we need to resort to supplementing with high mineral foods.”
Dr Gardner comments, “Kelp is to supply a source of minerals and helps to support the thyroid. While there is controversy over the use of kelp in felines in the right amount it is beneficial. We have not had any issues with thyroid problems and a lot of felines with hyperthyroidism use the diet and have done very well along with appropriate veterinary care, both holistic and allopathic.”
Kelp is a vegetable from the sea and an excellent source of minerals. Kelp aids in the maintenance of good digestion, kidney, thyroid function, and healthy connective tissue.
Current farming practices have depleted soils of trace minerals so we need to resort to supplementing with high mineral foods.
Benefits of Kelp Contains over 60 minerals and elements, 21 amino acids, simple and complex carbohydrates and several essential plant growth hormones. Being rich in amino acids, vitamins, minerals and trace elements is one of the key reasons why kelp is known as a great promoter of glandular health, especially for the pituitary, adrenal and thyroid glands. Kelp also supplies a natural source of iodine, which acts as an antibiotic to kill germs. Since the thyroid and pituitary glands regulate certain functions of digestion, kelp is beneficial in balancing out the animal’s total system. Nature has offered us this marvelous “herb of the sea” in a complete and balanced form.
Gelatin (from pig skin, USA)
Our Gelatin is derived from pigs skin. Gelatin provides a unique blend of amino acids helpful for the formation and maintenance of healthy connective tissue.
Gelatin of any kind is good for joints and connective tissue, as well as so much more. All gelatin is collagen, whether it is extracted from the shin, bone or connective tissue. The amino acid chains that make up the gelatin are present in all.
Psyllium husks (organic, INDIA)
In the wild, animals get their fiber from their preys hair and feathers. Our Psyllium husk powder provides a pure natural fiber source that is free of flavors and carbohydrates. It is essential that Psyllium husks or Psyllium husk powder is ingested with sufficient water, otherwise it can lead to constipation. Therefore you should always follow our recipe instructions carefully.
Glandulars – Kidney and Adrenal (New Zealand)
Glands are naturally consumed by a cat or dog when eating a whole prey in the wild and help to support the glands and organs of the animals’ body, which also helps promote good healthy strong organs and good overall health.
Also involved in bone heath due to its role in Vitamin D metabolism. Kidney powder may be used in supplements to support good bone mineral density.
The glandular material processed by lyophilization of glands derived from government-inspected, range-fed animals, raised in New Zealand without hormones or antibiotics, as always. Although these practices are similar to the best practices used in the USA, New Zealand does not have a system of certification for “organic” animal husbandry.
Salmon Oil (cold pressed human grade)
We do not use powdered salmon oil or any kind of processed oils in our products. The processing that goes into making any oil into a powder is not natural, period. We prefer using ingredients as close to natural as possible. Some companies use processed ingredients because they want their product made as cheaply as possible for a bigger profit.
We do not use “krill” (to replace salmon oil ) from the pacific oceans because of the radiation leaks from Japan. Canadian waters are also part of the Pacific ocean.
Natural Salmon oil is a natural wholesome source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaneoic acid (DHA). These essential fatty acids are vital to health and support optimal function of body tissues and organs, notable the heart, blood vessels, brain nerves, eyes, skin and joints. Because EPA and DHA act as natural anti-inflammatory agents, studies have shown that they may be helpful in numerous inflammatory disorders. However, since the human or animal bodies cannot make omega-3 fatty acids, they must be provided in the daily diet.
Many studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids, found in cold water such as salmon, are especially beneficial for the cardiovascular system. These fatty acids are important in the regulation of blood pressure, reproductive health, muscle contractions, blood clotting, and inflammation. They help to keep cholesterol and triglycerides in check and prevent blood platelets from becoming too sticky. These fatty acids are recommended for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, arthritis and asthma. Fish oils may offer protection against some forms of cancer.
Research has shown the following positive results with salmon oil:
- Increases immune function.
- promotes healing and repairing of damaged tissue
- Helps to build muscle protein.
- Lowers high serum triglyceride levels
- Aids in liver functions
- Beneficial for arthritis and connective tissue disorder
All fish oils are an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids, with salmon oil being the most concentrated and more absorbed by felines then any other fish oil. The use of Cod liver oil as a fatty acid supplement is not recommended since it can easily lead to a vitamin A and vitamin D overdose.
Note: The most commonly used fatty acid supplements are fish and flaxseed oils, both of which contain omega-3s. Flaxseed oil actually has more omega-3s than fish oil, but in an inactive form; research studies have therefore indicated that the latter is most beneficial for both people and animals. For this reason, fish oil is generally recommended as the omega-3 fatty acid supplement of choice.
Chicken Liver Powder (USA) Beef Liver Powder From Belgium
USDA and Organic.
Calcium and Magnesium (origin; Belgium and The Netherlands)
We use only high quality pharmaceutical brands of calcium and magnesium.
Feline Instincts does not claim our supplements cure any feline or canine diseases.