Rosemary

Rosemary is the herb itself. Rosemary extract is a concentrated form of its antioxidants and is used mainly as a preservative.

Rosemary is a cooking herb whose leaves contain natural antioxidant compounds. FDA lists rosemary in 21 CFR 582.10 among spices and natural seasonings with GRAS status for animal feed, and rosemary also appears in its list of natural extractives. Those listings are general rather than cat studies. If your cat has a medical condition, ask your veterinarian about herbs in its food.

Source: govinfo.gov

Rosemary is added for its natural antioxidants and for flavor. Antioxidants slow the breakdown of fats, which can help a food stay fresh on the shelf. The leaf form is less common in cat food than rosemary extract, which concentrates those compounds. The amount of either is small.

Rosemary, mostly as an extract, is used in pet foods as a natural antioxidant that helps protect fats from going rancid. It is often paired with mixed tocopherols, a form of vitamin E. FDA lists rosemary in 21 CFR 582.20 among natural extractives for animal feed. Dried rosemary leaf has the same compounds at lower concentration.

Source: ecfr.gov

No source we checked studied cats eating fresh rosemary, so we cannot say how a nibble affects a cat. FDA includes rosemary on its GRAS list of spices and natural seasonings for animal feed (21 CFR 582.10). Concentrated rosemary oil is a separate product, and the Merck Veterinary Manual notes cats are more sensitive than dogs to some essential oil compounds because they lack enough of the enzyme glucuronyl transferase.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

Pettings gives rosemary 2 out of 5 and lists it as an herb or plant extract. It appears on 4 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. The page describes it as a cooking herb whose leaves contain natural antioxidants. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.