Castor & Pollux Cat Food Ingredients
According to our research, Castor & Pollux manufactures 25 cat food recipes using 88 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Castor & Pollux, we've studied all 88 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Castor & Pollux ingredients.
| Cat Food Recipes | 25 |
| Unique Ingredients | 88 |
| Artificial Colors | 0 |
| Animal By-Products | 0 |
| Anonymous Meats | 0 |
| Controversial | 1 |
| Harmful | 1 |
First 5 Ingredients
Cat food ingredients in the United States are listed in descending order of pre-cooked weight. The first 5 ingredients typically constitute a significant portion of the recipe.
For Castor & Pollux, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.
- organic chicken
- water sufficient for processing
- organic pea protein
- organic chicken liver
- organic pea
As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Castor & Pollux is organic chicken. The most common 2nd ingredient is water sufficient for processing, followed by organic pea protein, organic chicken liver, and organic pea.
Artificial Food Coloring Dyes
Castor & Pollux does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 25 Castor & Pollux cat foods contain artificial food dyes.
Artificial food coloring dyes are unnecessary and potentially harmful ingredients. In general, we not not recommend feeding any pet foods that contain artificial dyes.
In 2010, the CSPI raised serious concerns regarding the safety of many artificial dyes. Most of the studies referenced by the CSPI involved prolonged or excessive consumption. Since most cats consume the same foods throughout their lives, concerns raised by the CSPI are alarming to say the least.
To read more about Artificial Food Dyes, click here.
Animal By-Products
According to our records, Castor & Pollux does not contain any animal by-products.
Animal by-products are basically the leftover parts of the the carcass after its been processed for meat. AAFCO defines by-products as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals.
Although by-products are still fairly nutritious ingredients, consumers have equated them with slaughterhouse waste. Therefore, most premium brands, including Castor & Pollux have decided to remove by-products and instead use named organ meats (beef liver, chicken gizzards).
For further reading on the controversy over animal by-products, click here.
Anonymous Meat Ingredients
Anonymous meats are inexpensive low-quality ingredients that can come from practically any animal. These type of ingredients are often used to produce very inexpensive cat foods.
In general, we prefer ingredients which specify the animal source used to derive the ingredient. For example, ingredients such as duck fat are much better than animal fat or poultry fat.
In our analysis, we've looked through all 88 Castor & Pollux ingredients. According to our data, Castor & Pollux does not contain any anonymous animal-based ingredients.
Cereal Grains
Certain Castor & Pollux cat food recipes contain one or more grains. The specific ingredients are listed below.
For cats, we typically recommend choosing a grain-free recipe. Cats are obligate carnivores and therefore grains are not species appropriate.
The kibble production requires a binding agent. Grains are commonly used for this purpose in cat food. When purchasing grain-free cat food, grains are often replaced with another starchy source. This is also not ideal.
To avoid grains and other starchy additions, consider feeding wet or frozen recipes.
Organic barley is a nutritious carbohydrate source, naturally rich in dietary fiber and various minerals. Unlike pearled barley, regular barley contains the entire grain.
The following recipes contain organic barley:
Organic brown rice is naturally rich in fiber and various minerals including manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Relative to other grains, brown rice is easy to digest.
The following recipes contain organic brown rice:
Organic oatmeal is simply coarsely ground oats and therefore contains the entire oat grain. As with regular oats, organic oatmeal is rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, and various minerals.
The following recipes contain organic oatmeal:
Controversial Ingredients
In most cases, ingredients which are given the controversial classification can be substituted with higher-quality alternatives. You should evaluate each controversial ingredient independently to see if there is truly a valid cause for concern.
Keep in mind, certain sacrifices often must be made to produce cat foods at a reasonable price. In general, the more expensive the product, the fewer controversial ingredients you'll find.
In our analysis, we've identified 1 controversial ingredient inside Castor & Pollux products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.
Organic pea protein is produced by removing the starchy parts of peas. Pea protein is considered controversial because it provides a substantial plant based protein boost. This boost is undesirable because plant based protein is typically lower in biological value when compared to meat based proteins.
The following recipes contain organic pea protein:
- Castor & Pollux Organix Organic Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Organix Grain Free Organic Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Organix Grain Free Organic Shredded Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Organix Grain Free Organic Chicken Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Organix Grain Free Organic Shredded Chicken Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Organix Grain Free Organic Turkey Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Organix Grain Free Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain Free Free-Range Chicken & Turkey Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Salmon Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Tuna & Whitefish Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Organix Grain Free Organic Kitten Recipe
- Castor & Pollux Organix Grain Free Organic Kitten Recipe (Canned Pate)
Potentially Harmful Ingredients
Harmful ingredients are those which have been linked to adverse health effects. In general, we do not recommend feeding any product which contains any harmful ingredients.
There are certain situations where these ingredients may be necessary. We always recommend contacting Castor & Pollux for further clarification regarding any harmful or controversial ingredient.
We have identified 1 harmful ingredient used in certain Castor & Pollux recipes. To learn more, click on the ingredient's name.
Menadione sodium bisulfite complex is a synthetic version of vitamin K that has been linked to many health concerns. Research has suggested possible toxic reactions in liver cells and red blood cells among other serious problems. In fact, one large chemical supplier warns, "The substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage."
The following recipes contain menadione sodium bisulfite complex:
Castor & Pollux Cat Food Ingredient Lists
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free
Organic Kitten Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free Organic Kitten Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenorganic chicken meal
organic pea protein
organic sweet potato
organic pea
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free
Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free Organic Chicken & Sweet Potato Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenorganic chicken meal
organic pea protein
organic sweet potato
organic pea
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Free-Range Chicken & Turkey Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Free-Range Chicken & Turkey Recipe
First Five Ingredients
chickenwhitefish meal
organic pea protein
turkey meal
organic pea
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Wild-Caught Tuna & Whitefish Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Tuna & Whitefish Recipe
First Five Ingredients
tunawhitefish meal
organic pea protein
turkey meal
organic pea
Castor & Pollux
Organix
Organic Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Organic Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenorganic chicken meal
organic pea protein
organic oatmeal
organic pea
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Wild-Caught Salmon Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Salmon Recipe
First Five Ingredients
salmonwhitefish meal
organic pea protein
turkey meal
organic pea
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free
Organic Kitten Recipe (Canned Pate)
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free Organic Kitten Recipe (Canned Pate)
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenwater sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
organic pea protein
organic coconut flour
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Wild-Caught Salmon Recipe Pate
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Salmon Recipe Pate
First Five Ingredients
salmonwater sufficient for processing
dried egg product
organic dried pea
natural flavor
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free
Organic Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free Organic Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenwater sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
organic pea
organic coconut flour
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free
Organic Shredded Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free Organic Shredded Chicken & Chicken Liver Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenwater sufficient for processing
organic pea protein
organic chicken liver
organic dried egg product
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free
Organic Shredded Chicken Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free Organic Shredded Chicken Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenwater sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
organic pea protein
organic dried egg product
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free
Organic Turkey Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free Organic Turkey Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic turkeywater sufficient for processing
organic chicken
organic chicken liver
organic dried pea
Castor & Pollux
Organix
Organic Turkey & Spinach Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Organic Turkey & Spinach Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic turkeywater sufficient for processing
organic chicken
organic chicken liver
organic brown rice
Castor & Pollux
Organix
Organic Turkey, Brown Rice & Chicken Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Organic Turkey, Brown Rice & Chicken Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic turkeywater sufficient for processing
organic brown rice
organic chicken
organic chicken liver
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Free-Range Chicken Recipe Pate
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Free-Range Chicken Recipe Pate
First Five Ingredients
chickenwater sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
dried egg product
organic dried pea
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Wild-Caught Tuna Recipe Pate
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Tuna Recipe Pate
First Five Ingredients
tunawater sufficient for processing
chicken
organic chicken liver
dried egg product
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Wild-Caught Whitefish Recipe Pate
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Whitefish Recipe Pate
First Five Ingredients
whitefishwater sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
dried egg product
organic dried pea
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free
Organic Chicken Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Grain Free Organic Chicken Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenwater sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
organic dried pea
organic coconut flour
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Cage-Free Duck Recipe Morsels In Gravy
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Cage-Free Duck Recipe Morsels In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
duckchicken broth
water sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
chicken
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Free-Range Chicken Recipe Morsels In Gravy
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Free-Range Chicken Recipe Morsels In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
chickenchicken broth
water sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
organic turkey
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Free-Range Turkey Recipe Morsels In Gravy
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Free-Range Turkey Recipe Morsels In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
organic turkeychicken broth
water sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
chicken
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Wild-Caught Salmon Recipe Morsels In Gravy
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Salmon Recipe Morsels In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
salmonchicken broth
water sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
chicken
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Wild-Caught Tuna Recipe Morsels In Gravy
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Tuna Recipe Morsels In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
tunachicken broth
water sufficient for processing
chicken
organic chicken liver
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free
Wild-Caught Whitefish Recipe Morsels In Gravy
Castor & Pollux
Pristine Grain Free Wild-Caught Whitefish Recipe Morsels In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
whitefishchicken broth
water sufficient for processing
organic chicken liver
chicken
Castor & Pollux
Organix
Organic Cat Treats Chicken Recipe
Castor & Pollux
Organix Organic Cat Treats Chicken Recipe
First Five Ingredients
organic chickenorganic pea
organic brown rice
organic oats
organic barley
