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Cat Food Ingredient

Wheat

Our ingredient score: 1 / 5 · Wheat · How We Score

Wheat is used in cat food both as a source of energy and as a binder. It is among the ingredients that cause food allergies in cats; the allergy can show up as itching, ear inflammation, hair loss, vomiting or soft stool, and it often goes unnoticed until the food is changed. It carries a lot of carbohydrate, but whether this makes indoor cats gain weight is debated; a controlled study linked weight gain to dietary fat rather than carbohydrate. The words "whole grain" on the label make it look healthy, but for a cat, whole wheat is not much different from white flour.

Wheat also appears on labels as Ground Whole Wheat, Wheat Flour, Whole Grain Wheat, Whole Ground Wheat, Whole Wheat.

Common Questions

Is whole grain wheat healthier for cats?

Not really. The words whole grain make it look healthy, but for a cat, whole wheat is not much different from white flour.

Is wheat bad for cats?

Wheat is a cereal grain used in dry cat food for starch and as a binder. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say cats can digest and metabolize properly cooked carbohydrates, though adult cats have no specific dietary requirement for carbohydrate. Wheat is a reported food allergen in cats, though a less common one. For a cat with a suspected allergy or other condition, ask your veterinarian.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Why is wheat in cat food?

Wheat supplies starch for energy and helps kibble bind, because its gluten proteins make the dough stretch and hold together during cooking. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say grains in pet food are not fillers, since they supply energy and other nutrients. Pettings scores wheat 1 out of 5 because cats have no dietary need for carbohydrate.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Is wheat gluten the same as wheat?

No. Wheat on a label is the grain, which is mostly starch. Wheat gluten is the protein fraction washed out of wheat flour, used to raise protein content or bind ingredients. A food can list both, and since each is counted separately, wheat as a whole can make up more of the recipe than either entry alone suggests.

Can cats be allergic to wheat?

Yes, though it is less common than some other food allergies. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists wheat with corn, dairy products and lamb as less common food allergen sources in cats, while beef, fish and chicken are common. If you suspect a food allergy, your veterinarian can confirm it with an elimination diet trial.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

How does Pettings score wheat?

Pettings gives wheat 1 out of 5 and files it as a general cat food ingredient. It appears on 38 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. That score rates the ingredient by itself, and each food's page shows how the full recipe scores overall.

How Foods With Wheat Compare

Wheat is on the label of 38 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Their average Ingredients score is 43 out of 100. The 111 foods without it average 62.

An average describes the foods, not this ingredient alone: one ingredient is only a small part of a food's score.

Top-Ranked Foods Without Wheat

  1. Orijen Guardian 8 (91)
  2. Orijen Kitten (91)
  3. Orijen Original Cat (91)
  4. Acana Highest Protein Wild Atlantic (90)
  5. Go! Solutions Carnivore Grain Free Chicken, Turkey + Duck Recipe (90)

Ranked the same way as our best lists: nothing on the Avoid List and a Nutrition score of at least 6/10 first, then by Ingredients score.

Foods With Wheat (38)