Lentils

Lentils are pulses, the dried seeds of a legume plant, used in grain-free foods for starch and plant protein. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy appears linked to diets high in pulses, that the cause has not been identified, and that cats appear susceptible but seem less sensitive than dogs. For a cat with a heart or other medical condition, ask your veterinarian about the diet.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Lentils take the place of grains such as rice or corn as the starch that binds kibble. They also add fiber and plant protein. Their protein also lifts the label protein percentage without meat. A high position on the ingredient list means more of the food's protein and starch come from lentils.

No. Lentils are legumes, not cereal grains, so a food can call itself grain-free and still contain a lot of lentils. Grain-free only means there is no wheat, corn, rice, barley or similar cereal in the recipe. Tufts veterinary nutritionists note that both grain-free and grain-inclusive diets can be high in pulses, the group that includes lentils.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

They are different varieties of the same crop. Red lentils are usually sold split and hulled, which is why they cook down faster, while green lentils keep their seed coat. In dry cat food both are cooked and ground. Labels may say lentils, green lentils, red lentils, whole green lentils or whole red lentils, and Pettings groups all of them on this page.

Pettings gives lentils 2 out of 5 and lists them as a legume. They appear on 33 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Foods with lentils average 74 out of 100 on our Ingredients score, compared with 52 for the 116 foods without them, but that average describes the whole food and not lentils alone. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.