Ground Pecan Shells
Our ingredient score: 1 / 5 · Fiber filler · How We Score
Ground pecan shells are the hard outer shells of pecan nuts, ground into a powder. They are almost all insoluble fiber and add bulk to the food. They provide almost no protein, vitamins or energy. They are sometimes used in weight control and hairball foods to add fiber at low cost.
Common Questions
Why are pecan shells in cat food?
As a low-cost source of insoluble fiber, often in weight control and hairball foods.
Are pecan shells safe for cats?
Ground pecan shells are the hard outer shells of pecan nuts, milled into a powder that is almost entirely insoluble fiber. They supply almost no protein or energy. Tufts veterinary nutritionists explain that insoluble fibers enter and exit the body virtually unchanged. Shells are a different material from pecan nut meat. For a cat with a medical condition, ask your veterinarian about fiber in the diet.
Source: sites.tufts.edu
What are ground pecan shells in cat food?
Ground pecan shells are a fiber ingredient made by milling the woody shells left over from pecan processing. The powder adds bulk to a food with almost no calories or protein. It is sometimes used in weight-control and hairball recipes as a low-cost fiber source, and it appears on only one dry food Pettings lists.
Are pecan shells the same as eating pecans?
No. The shell is the woody casing around the nut, and it contains very little fat or protein. Pecan nut meat is high in fat. Ground pecan shells in cat food are a fiber ingredient used in small amounts, and their presence says nothing about whether a cat should eat whole pecans. Ask your veterinarian before giving a cat any nuts.
What does fiber filler mean on Pettings?
Pettings uses fiber filler for ingredients that add bulk fiber with almost no other nutrition, often as low-cost by-products of other industries. Ground pecan shells fall into this group, as do several kinds of crop hulls. Fiber has uses in cat food, so the label does not mean the ingredient does nothing. It means a fiber source with more nutrition could do the same job.
How does Pettings score ground pecan shells?
Pettings gives ground pecan shells 1 out of 5 and lists them as a fiber filler. They appear on 1 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. They are almost entirely insoluble fiber and provide almost no protein or energy. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.
How Foods With Ground Pecan Shells Compare
Ground Pecan Shells is on the label of 1 of the 149 dry cat foods we list.