PurinaONE Ideal Weight Tender Salmon Wet Cat Food

A fatty fish used as a protein source and as a natural source of omega-3 fats. Fresh salmon is mostly water, so a salmon meal lower on the list may be contributing more protein. Salmon is a common alternative protein for pets that react to chicken or beef, though fish allergies exist too. Farmed and wild salmon differ in fat profile, and labels rarely say which.

Organ meat from the named animal, or unnamed when the label just says liver. Liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods there is, rich in vitamin A, copper, iron and the B group, and most pets love the taste, which is why it is used both as an ingredient and as a flavor coating. For allergies, the species is what matters, and beef liver is beef. Unnamed liver can come from any species and may vary by batch.

The protein portion of wheat, used to bind wet-food chunks and to add protein cheaply. It is highly digestible for dogs, less complete than meat protein, and the reason a chunky canned food holds its shape. Wheat gluten was the ingredient contaminated with melamine in the 2007 recalls, which is the reason some owners still avoid it. The problem was a supplier adding melamine to it; the ingredient itself was never the hazard. Wheat allergy in pets is uncommon but real.

Fish with no species stated. The maker may use whatever is available, so the fish can change between batches. Nutritionally it is a fine protein and often a source of omega-3 fats. The gap is for pets with a known fish allergy, or whose owners are trying to track which protein causes a reaction, because an unnamed ingredient makes that very hard. Named fish such as salmon or whitefish give you that information.