Does your cat eat the same food every day? New test finds 122 contaminants, nearly 28 times more mercury in some

Does your cat eat the same food everyday? If yes, then a new investigation by Clean Label Project, a Colorado nonprofit has sparked concerns about what repeated exposure to certain contaminants could mean over time for the pet animals. Nearly all tested cat foods contain toxic plastic contaminants, the herbicide glyphosate and heavy metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic, the new investigation shows. As many as 100 cat-food products from 62 brands found multiple contaminants, including heavy metals and chemicals, in the products examined.

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But the findings simply did not mean that the tested cat foods are unsafe or that cats will become sick from eating them. The researchers tested only one batch of each product and did not establish a link between the detected contaminants and illness in cats.

What did the investigation find?

The investigation tested:

• 100 cat-food products
• 62 brands
• 122 different contaminants
• heavy metals including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury
• pesticides/chemicals including glyphosate
• plastic-related chemicals

The investigation revealed that toxins were found in all types of cat food — wet, dry and air- or freeze-dried — also in products labeled as natural and nutritionally superior, according to the analysis released Friday. The testing covered toxins such as herbicides, lead, mercury and arsenic. Lead appeared in 99% of products, cadmium in 96% and arsenic in 94%. Lead was detected in 99% of the samples, while cadmium was found in 96% and arsenic in 94%.

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Dry food was found to contain three times the amount of lead detected in wet or air-dried products. Fish-based cat products also had much higher levels of mercury, according to the report.

Can your cat get sick eating the same food every day?

Generally, cats repeat their food, sometimes for months or years. So, the researchers focussed on the possibility of repeated exposure rather than a single serving. “Most cats eat the same foods nearly every day, with little variation,” said report author Molly Hamilton, executive director of the Clean Label Project. “The contaminants are an ongoing exposure that may accumulate in cats’ bodies over their lifetimes,” Hamilton said. “For example, chronic kidney disease is among the most common causes of death in older cats — the kidneys play a major role in filtering heavy metals.” In a sign of relief, the findings have not established that consuming a particular cat food causes kidney disease or another illness.

Fish-based cat food had much more mercury

One of the biggest differences appeared to be linked to the type of protein used in the food. Fish-based foods had far more mercury. Fish and seafood products contained about 18x more mercury overall, and fish-based wet foods about 28x more than other wet foods.

Nearly half of fish and seafood products ranked among those with the highest mercury levels, while no poultry-based products did. Fish-based products also contained approximately 2.5 times more cadmium than other products.

But the findings do not mean that these contaminants are intentionally added to cat food. Heavy metals can occur naturally in soil, water and marine environments and enter products through both animal and plant ingredients. Other contaminants may be introduced through processing or packaging. Clean Label Project’s analysis found that lower contaminant levels are achievable through ingredient sourcing, supplier testing and stronger quality controls.

“As the main protein, chicken was better when it came to mercury and cadmium, but we saw higher rates of lead and herbicides in chicken,” she said.

What about dry cat food?

The investigation found out that dry food carried more lead. Dry cat food contained roughly 3x more lead than wet or air-dried products. But that does not mean dry cat food is inherently unsafe. Instead, the finding shows that contaminant levels varied depending on the product type.

The investigation also looked beyond heavy metals. Glyphosate, a widely used herbicide, was detected in 37% of the cat-food products tested. The researchers found higher detected levels in products that had more plant ingredients among their first 10 listed ingredients. “On average, cat food with two plant ingredients among the top 10 on the label had roughly 40% more glyphosate than a similar food with one plant ingredient. Cat food with five plant ingredients had nearly four times as much,” Hamilton said.

Another “very concerning finding” was the widespread presence of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP, a chemical used in PVC plastics and some food-contact materials that is linked to cancer, birth defects and other health concerns, Ryan Babadi, science director for Toxic Free Future told CNN.

“It was detected in about half of the products tested, with the highest levels in canned and pouch products. DEHP contamination could potentially occur during food processing, including through contact with PVC tubing or other farm or food processing equipment,” he said.

“It is encouraging to see those harmful bisphenols, including BPA, were found less frequently, suggesting pet food can be produced and packaged without these endocrine disrupting chemicals,” Badadi added.

What is the limitation of the research?

The research did have limitations. Each product was tested from a single batch. Therefore the study could not capture differences that might occur between batches of the same product.

“Brands that routinely screen for contaminants of concern tend to have more consistent results over time,” Hamilton said. “In addition, this study compares contaminant levels across products in each category of wet, dry and air- or freeze-dried. It does not determine whether a specific product will cause harm to a cat.”

Should cat owners stop feeding their cats the same food?

The investigation does not provide enough evidence to say that cat owners should immediately stop feeding a particular product. Instead, researchers suggested that pet owners ask manufacturers about their contaminant testing and quality-control practices.

The first ingredient on a label may also not tell the complete story, according to Clean Label Project. Researchers said the ingredient list does not necessarily reveal which part of an animal was used, or what contaminants may be present.

Pet owners who are concerned about their cat's diet can therefore ask the manufacturer whether finished products are tested for contaminants and how frequently those tests are conducted.