Pet Food Ingredients - Corn

C is for cookie..
True!
It is also for CORN


C

CORN

This little kernel of which so many yummy pieces of popcorn are made, corn on the cob, corn syrup, corn starch, Corn Flakes, a cornucopia of things can be made with or from corn. 

The question that should be asked is - 'Should cats be eating corn?'

Short answer - NO

If you were to think about a feline - pick a feline, any feline!
Unless they are starving, would they go up and try to nibble on a cob of corn?

If you just said yes...stop thinking about corn on the cob with butter! Of course they want the butter!

A cat in the wild has evolved to eat foods that fulfill their needs. 
Cats are carnivores! Not Cornivores! ...that is not an actual word. 

They need meat. 
They hunt and kill their prey - don't you think a cat would prefer to hunt corn if they could?

These lazy beasts did not choose to maintain their fury figures by pouncing on mousey victims. 

They need to! 

Though chances are, even if they didn't need to eat mice..they would still torture and kill them for sadistic kitty fun.


Interesting facts about Corn 

• It can only be digested as far as it has been processed.

 What that means: If it starts out as a piece of corn, it comes out as a piece of corn. 

• The use of corn in pet foods started in around 1956.

Kibble was also invented in 1956.

• Corn is very cheap.

Even cheaper is the corn with mites!

• Corn if a fantastic ingredient for the pet food industry 

Just not for your pet.



Corn is used widely in pet foods because of its price, calories, & lack of restrictions.

The cheaper the better .. right? 

Right! if all you care about it your bank and not your pet. 

Companies love a low cost alternative - they have minimums to meet! 

Corn is a great way to provide the caloric content needed in a food, without those nasty 'meat prices'

It also contains protein which is an absolute necessity for a cat. 

Wait.. Meat protein is an absolute necessity for a cat.

Corn protein is a necessity for cheap ass companies.   

Unlike meat, corn can be stored for a long period of time before a company has to use it. 

During that time, things can happen...yucky things..creepy crawly things.

 ...I am actually not even speaking of mice - though I could. 

Would you like to hear about mice in the grain bins? In the bags?

•  Just watch Little House on the Prairie! 

I am not claiming the same thing - that is a TV show!



I was speaking more along the lines of MITES


- Consider the amount of humans who have allergies to dust mites.
-Think about the rather high instances of pets with skin problems.

Is absolutely possible that your pet is allergic to a cow or chicken. 
It just seems more convenient to change to Duck and test your luck. 


After all, before recently you could not find many, if any pet foods that were grain free. 
How could anyone trying to sell pet food speak ill of the grain?

Ask those same people now and they may sing a different tune - the may praise the grain free!

If allergies are not an issue...and you do not mind Fluffy crunching down on a bug carcass, maybe mold will deter you.



But that's just mold.. isn't mold just penicillin? 


 Mycotoxins
 


There are over 300 000 types of mold. 

There are like 30 maybe 40 types of mycotoxin  which is not mold, it is a by product of mold

 See by-products can be evil!

Now considering that Corn is one of those lucky buggers that mycotoxins can befriend, and penicillin can not be found on Corn...

Mold on Corn = Bad

This corn is ground up and added to pet foods. 

Mold and all.. maybe the companies think it's just penicillin as well?

Because they would never put sub par ingredients in their foods!

They would never endanger an animal after it has been reported that it absolutely was the corn in the food that caused the ailment!

In animals who go unreported because it is rather easy to blame so many other things for a pet getting cancer, gastrointestinal issues, skin issues, trouble eating, vomiting, depression, excessive thirst, excessive urination, or  increased mortality....

Well if you can't prove it was corn that did this, then why would they even consider removing it from their foods? 


You know, I know, and your pets probably know - A profit based company generally will not admit when something is their fault. 

Pass the blame till it finds someone who has a conscience.
Or can not speak for its self. 


Fluffy, I told you to stop sleeping in the the window! 
You know the sun causes cancer! 

Fido! how many times have I told you to stop chewing on twigs!
You know how much that upsets your stomach!


Seriously Henry, stop feeding the dog table scraps! 
And make sure you wrap up the extra cobs of corn.. last night I saw Fluffy trying to run off with one.



Corn without mold or mites is not all that harmful. 
It's also not helpful. 

****************

I do not have to report to anyone, I do not profit off the sale of any pet food..nor do I profit off the loss of sales. 


*I was not attacked by corn as a child, or have a fear of corn. 

After doing some research on AAFCO, USDA, FDA, pro corn and against corn companies, Grain and Feed legislation, storage of corn, usage of corn, nutritional values, nutritional needs of cats and dogs, mold, mycotoxins, illnesses caused by mycotoxins, and realizing that I just spent more than 5 hours reading about corn...

I personally believe that it would be in many pets best interest to avoid corn in their diet as much as possible. 

Since they are not the ones choosing the food.. this would be up to you..Human.