Meow Mix Tender Centers Basted Bites Chicken & Tuna Flavors Dry Cat Food

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)

Classified by the US National Toxicology Program as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, and banned from food in parts of the EU and Japan. Natural alternatives (mixed tocopherols, rosemary) do the same job.

Chicken by-product meal

Nutritionally it can be fine (organs are nutrient-dense), but the exact mix isn't disclosed and varies batch to batch, so quality is unpredictable.

Corn syrup / added sugar

Pets have no dietary need for added sugar. It adds empty calories and contributes to weight gain and dental disease.

Artificial colours

Pets are effectively colour-blind to these distinctions — the dye exists to appeal to the human buying it. Some have been linked to hyperactivity in children and offer zero nutritional benefit.

Carrageenan

Food-grade carrageenan is approved, but degraded forms cause intestinal inflammation in lab animals and studies disagree on how much degradation happens during digestion. Common in pâté-style cat food.

Unnamed animal fat

Because the species isn't named, the source can change batch to batch — a problem if your pet has a protein allergy.