Can cats not eat pork?

Phil P. wrote:

: Cost (expensive compared to most pet food protein sources)

I guess I don't understand the food industry. Naively I'd have thought
beef, shrimp, etc to be more expensive than pork.

: and probably religious concerns (e.g., Judaism, Islam)

While I am aware of those taboos, easy abundance of pork in
supermarkets and restaurants (for human consumption) suggests that
except to observant individuals this is not a big deal.

: and possibly exaggerated fear of
: trichinosis (only if eaten raw or not cooked thoroughly).

OK

What type of personality does a dog have that is different than a pig they
say that pigs are smarter than dogs and cleaner and more loyal pigs roll in
the mud to stay cool you must have never been to a farm or known someone
raised on a farm

"Ajanta" wrote in message
...
Phil P. wrote:

: Cost (expensive compared to most pet food protein sources)

I guess I don't understand the food industry. Naively I'd have thought
beef, shrimp, etc to be more expensive than pork.


Pet food manufacturers don't use prime rib or jumbo shrimp in pet foods.
Whatever isn't used for the human market is sold to pet food companies.
OTOH, most of the pig can be used for the human market which makes pork
expensive for pet food manufacturing.



: and probably religious concerns (e.g., Judaism, Islam)

While I am aware of those taboos, easy abundance of pork in
supermarkets and restaurants (for human consumption) suggests that
except to observant individuals this is not a big deal.


Manufacturing pork-based pet food would not be cost effective because of
reduced popularity. Pet food manufacturers produce large varieties of types
of food and flavors based on anthropomorphic appeal. People like and
dislike specific flavors and different flavors and they assume their cats do
too. Pet food manufacturers generally produce pet foods that appeal the
most to humans. For whatever reason (religion, superstition,
misinformation, myth) pork just isn't as popular as beef, turkey, chicken,
and the other flavors. Sales relate directly to the amount of shelf space
the products occupy- pork-based foods would take up shelf space that could
be used for a more popular food.




: and possibly exaggerated fear of
: trichinosis (only if eaten raw or not cooked thoroughly).

OK

"5cats" wrote in message
...
EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque) wrote:



Ajanta wrote:

Norm wrote:

: Can cats not eat pork? Is it harmful to them?
:
: Mine love it, particularly to gnaw on the bones and it hasn't hurt
: them any way I can see.

Hmmm I wonder why there is no pork in commercially sold cans?

Maybe because they use all the less desireable bits in
canned meat products for humans, instead?

If it were just a matter of cost, you'd think pork would show up in some
of the expensive "gourmet" foods, like Sheba. But I don't recall seeing
pork in those brands either.


This is just a thought. I have read numerous times that "you can eat
everything from a pig except it's grunt." Maybe then, all the pig is used
in human food in one way or another.
I *have* seen dog food with pork in it, though not often. Tesco did a tin
with pork and veggies IIRC. Hmm. Very interesting.

Tweed

No More Retail wrote:

I got something worse scrabble it is made of cow's various organs guess
which ones

Really? The only scrapple (correct spelling - "scrabble" is
a word-game) I've ever encountered was made with pork
sausage! (And cornmeal mush, of course.) It's really quite
good, pan-fried until the outside is brown and crisp, then
doused in maple syrup.... don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

FYI, anytime you eat gourmet sausage, you're eating animal
intestines - only the cheap, mostly filler "name" brands
(Oscar Meyer, etc.) use some sort of artificial sausage
casing, instead. And "menudo" and "tripe" are well-regarded
delicacies in a lot of cultures. (Not to mention
"sweetbreads".)

Topaz wrote:

"Dr.Carla,DVM" wrote in message
news:9v4%e.378065$_o.303589@attbi_s71...

I did some research in Veterinary Journals and Vin.com (a Vet & Vet Tech
website) and here's what I found out.
On the Iams food labels it lists "animal fat" which a pig fat represents a
small amount. (Melody Foess Raasch, D.V.M., Technical Services

Veterinarian,

Consumer Care, The Iams Company).
Purina has documentation on their website that
"While we do incorporate pork as an ingredient in some of our pet food
products, we do not manufacture any dog or cat food products with pork as
one of the primary ingredients. There is no reason from a nutrition
standpoint not to use pork for pet foods. However, market research studies
indicate that there isn't a lot of consumer demand for dog or cat food
products which contain pork as a primary ingredient. Should that

perception

change, we would re-evaluate the use of pork as a primary ingredient in

pet

food products."


Interesting. This certainly speaks to the role of consumer perception in pet
food
formulation. "Demand for dog or cat food products which contain pork as a
primary
ingredient.?" What would fuel that demand if not attractiveness of pork to
the people buying the cat food. Nothing in these comments addresses the
value or lack thereof of pork from a nutritional standpoint. The focus is on
a "public perception" standpoint.

For all practical purposes, "animal protein" is "animal
protein", isn't it? Flavors may differ, but nutritional
properties are about the same.

-L. wrote:

jils wrote:

what a strange thing to say.

pigs roll in mud, not excrement. this is a behavioural routine to keep cool.

they don't choose to roll in their own excrement. on the contrary, they
are careful to relieve themselves away from their sleeping area.

most dogs like nothing better than a good roll in horse manure. does
that make them filthy animals as well?



I wouldn't go so far as to call a
dog filthy, but they're definitely
dirty. But a dog's got
personality. And personality goes
a long way.

How many pigs (of the four-footed variety) do you number
among your acquaintance? ALL animals are individuals, and
if you live closely with them you become fond of them.
People who keep pigs (like those who keep beef-cattle and
chickens for slaughter) make an effort NOT to get personally
involved with them. I eat meat, but I doubt if I would long
continue to do so if I were personally acquainted with the
source. (It's different when it's all neatly packaged up in
the supermarket - and even then, I have to make an effort
not to think about it as part of a once living, breathing
creature.)


-L.
(My apologies to Quentin Tarantino)

alt4 wrote:

Do we know that pork really is absent from cat food? I mean maybe, just
maybe the companies put pork in as filler (as was said pigs are filthy
animals)

As was INCORRECTLY said! Pigs are no "filthier" than any
other animals (including humans). Because they were often
kept in appalling conditions and, being omnivores, were
frequently fed on garbage (until FDA regulations came along
to forbid it) they've gotten a bad rap, but did anyone ever
ask the pigs? They may enjoy a good wallow in mud, but
they apparently enjoy a good hosing down with clean water, too.

On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 16:44:48 GMT, Ajanta wrote:

: and probably religious concerns (e.g., Judaism, Islam)

While I am aware of those taboos, easy abundance of pork in
supermarkets and restaurants (for human consumption) suggests that
except to observant individuals this is not a big deal.

There are food stores that cater those groups, and most likely many of
them also carry cat food ... but their employees as well as customers
are likely to be offended by pork in the cat food - but the purchaser
for the store could not be expected to know how to avoid it since
kosher cat food makers are few and far between ... and don't advertise
on national TV.

--
T.E.D. )
SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D."
somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected.

"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message
...


No More Retail wrote:

I got something worse scrabble it is made of cow's various organs
guess which ones
Really? The only scrapple (correct spelling - "scrabble" is a word-game)
I've ever encountered was made with pork sausage! (And cornmeal mush, of
course.) It's really quite good, pan-fried until the outside is brown and
crisp, then doused in maple syrup.... don't knock it 'til you've tried it!


That is certainly what I remember.

I remember once, my mother got someone to make beef scrapple for her
special, because she quit eating pork for religious reason.

I like sausage. And I like cornmeal mush. But I never could learn to like
scrapple.

Of course now we pretend we've got class and have always called it "Polenta"

Jo