Pea Fiber

It is usually used in grain-free foods as a fiber source that improves stool consistency and creates a feeling of fullness.

Pea fiber is the ground outer hull of peas, a by-product of pea processing, and it is mostly fiber. FDA's dilated cardiomyopathy investigation looked at diets with a high proportion of peas, lentils, other pulses or potatoes as main ingredients, nearly all in dogs, and has not named a cause. For a cat with a heart or other medical condition, ask your veterinarian about the diet.

Source: fda.gov

Pea fiber is fiber taken from the outer hull of peas after the seed is processed for its protein and starch. It is used to firm up stool and make a cat feel fuller. It has almost no nutritional value beyond fiber. On a cat food label it usually appears in grain-free recipes that already use peas.

Very little. Pea fiber comes from the hull, which holds the fiber, while the protein and starch sit inside the seed. Processors separate these parts and sell them as pea protein and pea starch, with the hull sold as pea fiber. AAFCO requires each ingredient to be listed by its own weight, so a label can show several pea ingredients at different positions.

Source: aafco.org

It is often added with that aim, but the evidence in cats is mixed. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to a food. In a study of cats fed kibble with added sugar cane fiber or cellulose, the cats ate more food and ended up with similar energy intake, and they ate more of a later palatable meal. Weight loss itself depends on total calories eaten, and a veterinarian can set a target for an overweight cat.

Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pettings gives pea fiber 2 out of 5 and lists it as a processed fiber. It appears on 33 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. It is a by-product of pea processing that adds fiber and almost nothing else. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.