Understanding the KatKin Nutrient Mix

All cat foods contain some level of vitamins and minerals. But look closely, and you’ll find serious differences in amount and quality. It’s baffling for any cat parent, when all you want to do is give your cat the best health.  

Cat food makers don’t make it easy either. Many brands say they’re ‘complete and balanced’ (meaning they have all the nutrients your cat needs). But studies from 2017-2021 show that often, supposedly ‘complete and balanced’ wet and dry foods don’t have all the nutrients legally required (More on that here.)

But at KatKin, we don’t take shortcuts. We do things the right way – even if it’s the hard way. So that you can rest easy, knowing you never have to compromise your cat’s health. So let’s talk the KatKin Nutrient Mix, and how we ensure every pouch of our food is complete and balanced. 

How we formulate 

Some pet food companies will just use an “everything and the kitchen sink” approach. The food is full of plant-based fluff that isn’t natural for carnivore cats – but they throw in vitamins and minerals afterwards to make it seem nutritious. It’s like eating unhealthy food all day, but remembering to take your vitamins.  

At KatKin, we have a different approach. Most of the nutrients are provided by our 100% human-quality meat, and we then tailor the amount of our proprietary KatKin nutrient blend – the KatKin Nutrient Mix – to each recipe, depending on which meats it has. This approach is more technically challenging but it’s what’s best for cats. So that’s what we do – no questions asked. 

From a regulatory standpoint, cat parents should know that pet food makers, no matter the type, have certain standards they’re meant to follow. In Europe these are the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) guidelines. Most cat foods require some supplementation to meet these guidelines (even if the ingredients are very nutrient-rich, like KatKin’s carefully selected, human-grade foods). Over time, some of these regulatory guidelines change as more information becomes available, and they are reviewed by teams of nutritionists.

At KatKin we design our Nutrient Mix to complement our natural ingredients. So, here’s what we have included and why:

• Calcium: this is carefully balanced and unique to each recipe. We use a combination of calcium carbonate and dicalcium phosphate, depending on the particular recipe. We might need one or the other, or a combination, to achieve the correct balance of calcium and phosphorus in a particular diet based on what is provided by the fresh meats.
  

• Vitamin A: as carnivores, cats need preformed vitamin A (retinol, retinyl esters). While our 100% real meat is a rich source, we provide this as an additional safety factor.

• Taurine: this is an essential amino acid in cats – they can’t produce it for themselves so they need to consume it. This amino acid helps with normal bile function, heart health, and vision. We have added an additional safety factor beyond the adequate amounts in our natural ingredients.

• Choline: this nutrient doesn’t get the attention it deserves but it’s critical for membranes of your cat’s cells, for neurotransmitters, and for moving fats around the body.

• Vitamin E: this fat-soluble vitamin protects cells from oxidative damage and also is required in higher fat diets, like some of those in the KatKin range.

• Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): this is a critical B vitamin that aids energy metabolism. Cats are sensitive to deficiencies so we add an extra boost.
  

  • Vitamin B9 (Folic acid): you might know that this is critical in foetus development (for both cats and humans), but it’s equally important for certain biochemical processes that occur on a daily basis.
    

• Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin): this B-vitamin helps with a number of reactions in the body and maintains normal red blood cells. Cats with certain conditions need a lot of it – but all cats do need some.

• Vitamin D: the level of Vitamin D in organ meats can vary from batch to batch, so we add a small amount of this critical vitamin for bone health.

• Zinc, Iron, Manganese, and Copper: again, these minerals vary naturally in our meats. We’ve topped up our formulas with just the right amount to ensure consistency. These four are critical to the production of cells, biochemical reactions, and the health of many tissues in the body.
  

• Iodine: this critical nutrient is necessary for thyroid hormone production, which regulates your cat’s metabolism. While hyperthyroidism in cats is prevalent, iodine restriction is not appropriate for all cats and would cause issues in healthy cats. We carefully monitor and control iodine levels for thyroid health.
  

Quality ingredients, honestly labelled

Not all nutrients are created equal. Some forms of a mineral can be less digestible than others. For instance, certain forms of iron may be highly absorbed whereas others are less so. We only use the highest quality nutrients. 

But that’s not always the case elsewhere. When creating a nutrient blend, many mainstream cat food makers also use inactive ingredients for a variety of purposes, such as preventing clumping and ensuring uniform composition in the mix. These inactive ingredients may not be labeled, and are extremely common in blends made for the pet food industry. 

We do things differently. No fluff. Nothing lurking that isn’t on the label. The KatKin Nutrient Mix is carefully mixed by a human supplement manufacturer, ensuring the highest quality human-grade sources of the vitamins and minerals in absorbable forms for cats, without any unlabelled ingredients. We carefully mix concentrated vitamins and minerals into each batch of fresh food then test to ensure uniform distribution.

Formulating for cats’ needs

Cats are unique animals. They’re carnivores – hypercarnivores, in fact – and it means their needs are different from dogs or any other pets you feed.

At KatKin, we’re focused on the science of cat nutrition. That’s why our fresh food uses the best ingredients, and supplements with only the nutrients needed for your cat’s 100% best health. And with vet formulation and thorough testing at every step, we do it all within regulatory guidelines – backed by the latest research on what cats need. 

Which is why you can rest easy, knowing that our food is complete and balanced for your cat’s best nutrition. And it’s why cats jump louder, zoomie faster, and purr louder with KatKin.