Trout Meal

It is more concentrated. With most of the water removed, trout meal adds much more protein to dry food for its weight.

Trout meal is trout that has been cooked, dried and ground. AAFCO says meals are rendered with heat and pressure, which removes most of the water and fat and leaves mainly protein and minerals. It is a named fish ingredient. Fish is a common food allergen in cats, so a cat with an allergy or other condition should have its diet set by a veterinarian.

Source: aafco.org

Trout meal is a dry, concentrated fish protein made from trout. With the moisture gone, it adds much more protein per pound than fresh fish. Some omega-3 fats stay in the meal after processing. It mixes easily into kibble, which is why dry food makers use meals like this one.

Trout is in the lowest mercury group. FDA and EPA fish advice, written for people, lists freshwater trout under Best Choices. Swordfish, shark and bigeye tuna are on the list of choices to avoid, the group with the highest mercury levels. Trout meal is made from the same fish, so it follows the species.

Source: fda.gov

It can be for a cat that has never eaten trout. The Merck Veterinary Manual says a novel protein diet should leave out ingredients the cat has eaten before and suggests avoiding species similar to ones already fed. Trout is still a fish, so a cat raised on salmon recipes may not treat it as new. Your veterinarian can make that call.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

Pettings gives trout meal 5 out of 5 and files it under its general cat food ingredient category. It appears on 1 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. It earns the top score as a fish protein. Each food's page shows how the whole recipe scores overall.