How to Read Your Cat’s Food Labels Properly (and Avoid Being Misled)

Dr. Amaya Espíndola, MRCVS is a holistic, cat and nutrition specialist, veterinarian based in Mallorca and the current president of the Raw Feeding Veterinary Society. She offers online consultations worldwide, focusing on nutrition as the first line of therapy. With a background in psychosomatic medicine, Amaya approaches each case by considering the deep connection between physical symptoms and emotional wellbeing, aiming to support feline health from a truly integrative perspective. You can find her at felvet.co.uk and on Instagram at @felvetforcats.  

No matter what type of diet you are feeding: raw, cooked or dry

Many guardians make a genuine effort to offer their cats the best possible nutrition. They look for products labelled “premium”, “natural”, “holistic” or even “human-grade”. They invest money, time and trust.

The problem is that much of what we see on the front of the packaging is marketing. And marketing does not always reflect nutritional reality.

We may be paying more for something that is not actually better.
We may believe we are feeding a balanced diet when it is not.
And in some cases, we may unintentionally be compromising our animals’ long-term health.

That is why this guide exists.
So that you can read any label — whether raw, cooked or dry — with discernment, without being carried away by attractive wording.

Let’s go step by step.

1. Start with the ingredient list (and understand what it actually tells you)

Ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight before processing. This means they are ordered according to how much each ingredient weighs at the moment the food is manufactured, before cooking, drying or mixing.

When we say “before processing”, we mean the state in which the ingredients enter the factory. For example, if fresh chicken is added, that chicken contains all of its natural water. If rice is added, it enters dry. If fat is added, it enters already concentrated. Everything is weighed exactly as it arrives, and the list is organised based on that weight.

This is why the first ingredient is the one that weighs the most at the initial stage of production, not necessarily the one that contributes the most protein to the final product. And this is where important nuances begin.

Chicken vs Chicken Meal: not the same thing

When a label says:

• “Chicken”
• “Fresh chicken”

It refers to chicken with its natural water content.

In contrast:

• “Chicken meal”

Is chicken that has already been dehydrated and concentrated.

From a nutritional perspective, chicken meal can provide more actual protein per kilogram of finished product than fresh chicken, simply because it does not contain water.

According to technical regulatory definitions, “chicken meal” is a dry, rendered product made from chicken tissues, produced through a dehydration and grinding process. It includes meat and associated tissues, but excludes significant quantities of feathers, intestinal contents and other non-permitted parts.

Another category often seen, particularly in the United States, is “meat meal”. This refers to a rendered meal derived from mammalian tissues without specifying the species, which reduces transparency because we do not know whether it comes from beef, pork or another source. “Chicken by-product meal” or “poultry by-product meal” includes organs such as liver, kidney and heart, which can be nutritionally valuable, but may also include less desirable parts. The key is not to assume automatically that these ingredients are good or bad, but to understand that the more generic the category, the less precise information we have about quality and origin.

In Europe, broader categories may also be used, such as:

• “Meat and animal derivatives”
• “Derivatives of vegetable origin”

These are legal categories, but they reduce transparency.

The 4% rule

If a product says “with chicken”, it only needs to contain 4% chicken in order to highlight it in the name. This is not an illegal trick or a loophole; it is permitted under European labelling regulations.

What does this mean in practice? A food can be called “with chicken” even if the remaining 96% of the formula consists of other ingredients. The average consumer interprets that phrase as if chicken were the main component, when in reality it may represent only a small fraction.

It is therefore essential to understand the difference between:

• “Chicken Cat Food” (where different percentage rules apply)
• “With Chicken”
• “Chicken flavour” (which may refer only to flavourings)

Each of these expressions follows different regulatory criteria.

It is legal.
But it does not mean chicken is the main ingredient.

The front of the pack is never enough. What determines the real composition is the full ingredient list and its order.

2. The Guaranteed Analysis: what is actually being assured

Every label must include at least:

• Crude protein (minimum)
• Crude fat (minimum)
• Crude fibre (maximum)
• Moisture (maximum)

These are typically the only values routinely verified.

They do not guarantee digestibility.
They do not guarantee bioavailability.
They do not guarantee real mineral balance.

They simply indicate minimum or maximum levels measured by standardised testing methods.

 

3. Learn to convert to dry matter

You cannot compare a raw food, a wet food and a dry kibble simply by looking at the percentages as printed.

They contain very different amounts of water.

Dry matter = 100 − % moisture

Nutrient on a dry matter basis =
(nutrient ÷ dry matter) × 100

Example:

A wet food with 75% moisture contains 25% dry matter.
If it declares 10% protein:
10 ÷ 25 × 100 = 40% protein on a dry matter basis.

A kibble with 10% moisture and 30% protein:
Dry matter = 90%
30 ÷ 90 × 100 = 33% on a dry matter basis.

Without this conversion, any comparison is misleading.

A simple dry matter calculator can be found on our website. 

4. Calculate the carbohydrates

Carbohydrates (%) =
100 − (protein + fat + fibre + ash + moisture)

Cats do not have a physiological minimum requirement for carbohydrates.
That does not mean any level is automatically appropriate.

Many “grain-free” products still contain significant levels of carbohydrates from other sources.

5. Raw vs cooked: formulation matters most

It is not the format that determines quality.
It is the formulation.

In a raw product, check:

• Whether it is labelled “complete” or “complementary”.
• Whether taurine is declared.
• Whether minerals are declared.
• Whether there is an appropriate calcium/phosphorus balance.

In a cooked or dry product, check:

• The true protein level on a dry matter basis.
• The estimated carbohydrate level.
• The declaration of minerals.
• How the manufacturer states that the food meets nutritional requirements

6. What does “Complete” actually mean?

A food may be declared complete if:

• It is formulated to meet established nutrient profiles.
• Or it has passed feeding trials.

A formulated food meets theoretical nutrient targets.
A tested food has passed a practical feeding trial.

If a product is labelled “complementary”, it does not cover all nutritional requirements.

7. Marketing

Words such as:

• Premium
• Natural
• Holistic
• Grain free

Are not nutritional guarantees.

The front of the pack sells an idea.
The technical label is what truly matters.

Conclusion

Reading the label does not guarantee perfection. No food is absolutely ideal for every cat in every circumstance.
But not reading it guarantees buying blindly.

When you understand how ingredients are ordered, how to convert to dry matter, how to estimate carbohydrates and what “complete” truly means, you stop relying on marketing and start making informed decisions.

It is not about choosing the “perfect” food. It is about choosing with discernment. And that small shift, moving from trusting the front of the pack to analysing the real information, completely transforms how you decide what to feed your cat.