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Cat Food Ingredient

Carrots

Our ingredient score: 3 / 5 · Fruit or vegetable · How We Score

Carrots are a vegetable that contains fiber and beta-carotene. In humans, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A, but cats cannot make this conversion; still, it may offer a small benefit as an antioxidant. Carrots also contain some natural sugar and starch. They are usually present in small amounts, and no harm is known at these levels.

Carrots also appears on labels as Dried Carrots, Organic Carrots, Whole Carrots.

Common Questions

Can cats get vitamin A from carrots?

No. In humans, beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A, but cats cannot make this conversion.

Are carrots safe for cats?

Carrots are a root vegetable that many dry cat foods add in dried form. They contain fiber and beta-carotene, the orange pigment. We found no FDA or Merck warning about carrots in cat food, and they appear on many complete and balanced recipes. If your cat has a medical condition, ask your veterinarian whether any of its food's ingredients need attention.

Why are carrots in cat food?

Carrots are added mostly for fiber and beta-carotene, and they make the ingredient list look familiar to shoppers. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that cats have no dietary requirement for fiber, though fiber can have health benefits. Carrots are usually present in small amounts compared with the meat and fat in a recipe.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

Is beta-carotene the same as vitamin A for cats?

No, beta-carotene and vitamin A are not the same for cats. Many animals turn beta-carotene into vitamin A, but the Merck Veterinary Manual says cats cannot do this. Cats need preformed vitamin A, which comes from animal sources such as liver or from added synthetic vitamin A. Beta-carotene from carrots can still be absorbed as a pigment and antioxidant.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

Do carrots improve a cat's eyesight?

There is no evidence that carrots improve a cat's eyesight. The idea comes from vitamin A, but cats cannot make vitamin A from carrot beta-carotene, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Vision depends on preformed vitamin A and taurine in the diet, and a complete and balanced cat food supplies both through other ingredients.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

How does Pettings score carrots?

Pettings gives carrots 3 out of 5 and lists it as a fruit or vegetable ingredient. It appears on 39 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Carrots are among the most common vegetables in the dry foods we track. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.

How Foods With Carrots Compare

Carrots is on the label of 39 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Their average Ingredients score is 63 out of 100. The 110 foods without it average 55.

An average describes the foods, not this ingredient alone: one ingredient is only a small part of a food's score.

Top-Ranked Foods Without Carrots

  1. Orijen Guardian 8 (91)
  2. Orijen Kitten (91)
  3. Orijen Original Cat (91)
  4. Tiki Cat Born Carnivore Herring & Salmon (87)
  5. Taste of the Wild Lowland Creek Feline Recipe with Roasted Quail & Roasted Duck (84)

Ranked the same way as our best lists: nothing on the Avoid List and a Nutrition score of at least 6/10 first, then by Ingredients score.

Foods With Carrots (39)