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Sheba Cat Food Ingredients

According to our research, Sheba manufactures 24 cat food recipes using 62 unique ingredients. To evaluate the quality of ingredients used by Sheba, we've studied all 62 ingredients. In this article, we'll share our findings on Sheba ingredients.

Cat Food Recipes	24
Unique Ingredients	62
Artificial Colors	0
Animal By-Products	2
Anonymous Meats	3
Controversial	4
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 Sheba, these are the most common ingredients found within the first 5 cat food ingredients.

water
chicken
poultry liver
poultry liver
animal plasma

As you can see, the most common first ingredient in Sheba is water. The most common 2nd ingredient is chicken, followed by poultry liver, poultry liver, and animal plasma.

Artificial Food Coloring Dyes

Sheba does not use any artificial food coloring dyes. According to our records, none of the 24 Sheba 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

Sheba does indeed use animal by-products. More specifically, 2 animal by-product ingredients were found during our analysis of Sheba cat food ingredients.

According to AAFCO, by-products are defined as the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. In other words, animal by-products are the leftover ingredients that humans typically do not consume (lung, heart, tongue, stomach, intestine, blood, etc).

Many consumers have equated animal by-products with slaughterhouse waste. Animal by-products are still very controversial. Most premium brands have abandoned them in favor of specific named organ ingredients (duck liver, chicken heart, etc).

If you must feed a product with animal by-products, ensure that the specific animal source is specified. In other words, avoid ingredients such as meat by-products or poultry by-products.

tuna by-products

1 Recipes

The following recipes contain tuna by-products:

Sheba Meaty Tender Sticks Tuna Flavor

salmon by-products

1 Recipes

The following recipes contain salmon by-products:

Sheba Meaty Tender Sticks Salmon Flavor

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 3 anonymous meat ingredients used by Sheba.

poultry liver

21 Recipes

Organ meats like poultry liver are an excellent source of protein, fat, and essential vitamins and minerals. Although organs may not sound appealing, organs are an important component of a carnivorous animal's diet.

Unfortunately, poultry liver is considered an anonymous meat because the specific type of poultry is not specified.

The following recipes contain poultry liver:

poultry broth

1 Recipes

Poultry broth provides both flavor and moisture; however, as with other broths, poultry broth does not provide any notable nutritional contribution. In addition, we typically prefer the specific type of poultry specified (chicken broth, turkey broth, quail broth, etc), which is not done here.

The following recipes contain poultry broth:

Sheba Perfect Portions Pate Roasted Turkey Entree

animal plasma

16 Recipes

Animal plasma can be a nutritious addition to pet food, however, the source should be specified. In this case, the animal source is not specified and therefore we cannot determine which animal was used to obtain the plasma.

The following recipes contain animal plasma:

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, Sheba 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 4 controversial ingredients inside Sheba products. These controversial ingredients are listed below. Click on each ingredient for more information.

caramel color

6 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:

animal plasma

16 Recipes

The following recipes contain animal plasma:

tuna by-products

1 Recipes

The following recipes contain tuna by-products:

Sheba Meaty Tender Sticks Tuna Flavor

salmon by-products

1 Recipes

The following recipes contain salmon by-products:

Sheba Meaty Tender Sticks Salmon Flavor

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 Sheba for further clarification regarding any harmful or controversial ingredient.

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

menadione sodium bisulfite complex

21 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: