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Crave Cat Food Ingredients

According to our research, Crave manufactures 15 cat food recipes using 72 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Crave, we've studied all 72 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Crave ingredients.

Cat Food Recipes15
Unique Ingredients72
Artificial Colors0
Animal By-Products0
Anonymous Meats1
Controversial3
Harmful1

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 Crave, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.

  1. chicken
  2. chicken liver
  3. pea protein
  4. split pea
  5. chicken heart

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Crave is chicken. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken liver, followed by pea protein, split pea, and chicken heart.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

Crave does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 15 Crave 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, Crave 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 Crave 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 animal-based ingredients which do not provide the source animal's name. These ingredients are controversial because they can come from almost any animal.

In addition, anonymous animal-based ingredients are very inexpensive and often the lowest quality meats that are still allowed to be used in pet food.

In general, we do not recommend feeding any products which contain anonymous meats. When in doubt, always contact the brand's customer service desk for further clarification.

Unfortunately, we've identified 1 anonymous meat ingredient used by Crave.

fish meal
3 Recipes

Fish meal is defined by AAFCO as "the clean, dried, ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish or fish cutting, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oil." Since the specific type of fish is not mentioned, we cannot discuss any specific qualities of this ingredient. In general, anonymous ingredients are low quality inclusions when compared to ingredients such as tuna meal, salmon meal, catfish meal, etc.

The following recipes contain fish meal:

Cereal Grains

For cats, we typically recommend choosing a grain-free recipe. Cats are obligate carnivores and therefore grains are not species appropriate.

According to our data, Crave cat food recipes do not contain grains. In other words, all recipes are grain-free.

Please note, 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.

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 3 controversial ingredients inside Crave products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.

pork plasma
4 Recipes

Pork plasma is the colorless fluid part of a pig's blood. It may sound disgusting, but it's actually very nutritious for cats. Regardless of the nutritional aspects, consumers are shocked by this ingredient, which is why pork plasma is considered a controversial ingredient.

The following recipes contain pork plasma:

pea protein
5 Recipes

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 pea protein:

caramel color
1 Recipes

Caramel color is a concentrated form of caramel, a natural food colorant. Caramel color has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals. Since our pets do not care about food color, caramel color is an unnecessary addition with possible health risks.

The following recipes contain caramel color:

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 Crave for further clarification regarding any harmful or controversial ingredient.

We have identified 1 harmful ingredient used in certain Crave recipes. To learn more, click on the ingredient's name.

menadione sodium bisulfite complex
10 Recipes

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:

Crave Cat Food Ingredient Lists

Crave

Adult Dry Cat Food
With Protein From Turkey, Chicken & Duck
Crave
Adult Dry Cat Food With Protein From Turkey, Chicken & Duck
First Five Ingredients
turkey
chicken meal
pea protein
split pea
chicken fat

Crave

Kitten Dry Food
With Protein From Chicken
Crave
Kitten Dry Food With Protein From Chicken
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken meal
pea protein
chicken fat
split pea

Crave

Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food
With Protein From Chicken & Salmon
Crave
Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food With Protein From Chicken & Salmon
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken meal
pea protein
split pea
chicken fat

Crave

Adult Dry Cat Food
With Protein From Salmon & Ocean Fish
Crave
Adult Dry Cat Food With Protein From Salmon & Ocean Fish
First Five Ingredients
salmon
chicken meal
pea protein
chicken fat
split pea

Crave

Adult Dry Cat Food
With Protein From Chicken
Crave
Adult Dry Cat Food With Protein From Chicken
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken meal
pea protein
split pea
chicken fat

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Chicken & Beef Pate
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Chicken & Beef Pate
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken liver
pork broth
chicken broth
chicken heart

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Chicken & Beef Recipe Cuts In Gravy
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Chicken & Beef Recipe Cuts In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
chicken broth
chicken
chicken liver
beef
pork plasma

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Chicken Pate
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Chicken Pate
First Five Ingredients
chicken
chicken liver
pork broth
chicken broth
chicken heart

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Chicken Recipe Cuts In Gravy
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Chicken Recipe Cuts In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
chicken broth
chicken
chicken liver
pork plasma
chicken heart

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Salmon Pate
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Salmon Pate
First Five Ingredients
salmon
chicken liver
chicken
pork broth
chicken broth

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Salmon & Trout Pate
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Salmon & Trout Pate
First Five Ingredients
salmon
chicken
chicken liver
pork broth
chicken broth

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Turkey & Duck Pate
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Turkey & Duck Pate
First Five Ingredients
turkey
chicken liver
pork broth
turkey broth
chicken heart

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Turkey & Duck Recipe Cuts In Gravy
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Turkey & Duck Recipe Cuts In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
turkey broth
chicken liver
turkey
chicken
pork plasma

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Turkey Pate
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Turkey Pate
First Five Ingredients
turkey
chicken liver
pork broth
turkey broth
chicken heart

Crave

Wet Cat Food
Grain Free Turkey Recipe Cuts In Gravy
Crave
Wet Cat Food Grain Free Turkey Recipe Cuts In Gravy
First Five Ingredients
turkey broth
turkey
chicken liver
chicken
pork plasma