Why isn't there mouse flavoured cat food?

[4GS]

??

[Postdog]

How do you know that? Just because it might say chicken on the tin, it could really taste of mouse, and we wouldn't know....

[Octavius]

Probably for the same reason there isn't cat flavoured dog food.

People wouldn't really buy it - regardless of what 8 out of 10 cats say.

[squarebear]

Yes I wondered this too. It would make more sense to make mouse or sparrow flavoured food as that surely is the cat's natural food.

All these tuna and beef flavours seem strange to me. When was the last time you saw a cat deep sea fishing or hunting a cow?

[burston]

Sounds like a good idea. My cat wont eat anything that has fish in it. He loves grated cheese though

[LoftyLottie]

My vet once told me that if a manufacturer produced 'dog poo flavoured' dog food, it would be a hit with the dogs (if their owners could be persuaded to buy it!

[Lakitu]

Did he say why it would be a hit??

[LoftyLottie]

Yes, because loads of dogs have the horrible habit of eating either their own dog poo or that of other dogs!!!

[Octavius]

In all seriousness though, the current selection is a by-product of the food industry in general. All the fish and meat is basically the leftovers from our food processing plants which have been considered to be beyond human consumption therefore not included in our food (unless you shop at Kwik Save of course) but shipped off to the pet food processing plants for our domestic animals to consume.

Food production involving mice for human consumption generally doesn�t exist (unless you eat at KFC of course) so there are no leftovers to palm off to pet food producers.

[Twenty20]

And why do some cat and dog foods have vegetables in them? I've never seen a cat eating a carrot in the wild but they seem to put it in some of these dried foods.

Octavius - is that really true about Kwik Save and KFC? Ive never seen it in their adverts......

[EmEd1984]

*lol* i saw that sponsor ad too!

[LoftyLottie]

Actually dogs and cats in the wild do eat vegetables because they eat the stomach and intestines of their prey which contain vegetable matter which is essential to their diet.

[Rtaxron]

Cats don't usually eat the mice, they just play with them before the kill.

[rojash]

Our cats prefer to eat Locusts, Lizards and snakes, although they are often sick after eating lizards.

[Postdog]

Just read Octavius's answer and it's not strictly true, as food prepared for pets must be fit for humans too. It tastes like crap, and is very bland (my sister once made me a sandwich when I was a kid - told me it was corned beef, and it was dog food) and the manufacturer has to test it for consumption by a human.

That said, they probably use the leftover bits, but then, so does Bernie matthews for some of his stuff.

[Octavius]

Yes probably a technicality really. Whilst by law all pet food should be made with raw materials from animals which are suitable for human consumption, it can still be 'unfit' for human consumption.

For instance, all the bits and pieces we would choose not to eat, we would hope have been put into the hopper to be sent off to Pedigree Chum, rather than in the sausages on the shelf at Sainsburys. But you never know.

[4GS]

All pet food must by law be fit for human consumption.
This goes back to the cold war days when it was thought that a nuclear attack on the UK would mean that survivors would need stocks of edible food, and, cats + dogs would have to fend for themselfs

[LoftyLottie]

Just to confirm that 4GS is absolutely correct. All manufactured pet food in this country has to be fit for human consumption and is subjected to the same tests for bacteria etc. Obviously it is made from the parts of the animal that we wouldn't find appealing - but it's still safe to eat!

[LoftyLottie]

Sorry I should have read further up the thread. I am just repeating what others have already said.

[Jillius]

I once opened a big tin of Chappie for my dog and there was a huge dead mouse in it, completey whole !
I was nearly sick. I never bought Chappie again.

[keyplus90]

I usually feed my dog all what I like myself. Chicken Tika, Tawa fried fish, Murgh Jarfraize, Butter chicken, Samosa, Chicken Biyani, Bhaija (Brian) fried, Chiken Karahi, Tandoori Nan, Dopiaza, Lamb Kebabs, Pakora, and for afters he likes Gajar (Carrots) Halwa, Also likes glass of a sweet Lassi afterwards. Occasionally I would buy him fish & chips, once I even offered him my neighbors� cat but he refused to eat as they knew each other very well and use to sit in the Sun together to share all their memories.

So all in all I do look after my dog.