Natural Flavor

Yes. A strong flavor can make a low-cost food appealing to the cat.

Natural flavor is a flavoring made from plant or animal sources without chemically synthetic processing, often a concentrated broth or hydrolyzed animal tissue. AAFCO allows it to be called natural if it meets AAFCO's definition, but the label does not have to name the source. No authority we found flags it at typical amounts. For a cat with a food allergy or other medical condition, ask your veterinarian about foods with unnamed flavors.

Source: aafco.org

Natural flavor is added to make food taste and smell more appealing so cats will eat it. Dry kibble on its own can be bland, and a flavor coating helps picky cats accept it. It is one of the most common ingredients in dry cat food. It adds very little nutrition.

It is usually made from animal tissue such as chicken or liver that has been cooked down or broken down with enzymes into a concentrated flavoring. AAFCO's definition of natural allows processes such as hydrolysis or fermentation, as long as no chemically synthetic process is used. The label does not say which animal or plant was the source, and it can vary.

Source: aafco.org

It can carry proteins that matter for an allergic cat, because the source is not named. The Merck Veterinary Manual says beef and fish are among the most common food allergens in cats, and it recommends avoiding flavored products during an elimination diet trial. A cat with suspected food allergy usually needs a diet chosen with a veterinarian, where every protein source is known.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

Pettings gives natural flavor 2 out of 5 and lists it as a flavoring. It appears on 122 of the 149 dry cat foods we list, more than almost any other ingredient. It scores in the middle because it adds taste rather than nutrition and does not name its source. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.