DESIGNED FOR YOUR OBLIGATE CARNIVORE
Our Young Again Cat Food formulas are based on the nutrient profile of a juvenile mouse. Since your domestic cat is an obligate carnivore, it stands to reason your feline’s diet should reflect what she would eat in her natural habitat. The average nutrient profile of a juvenile mouse is 50-54 percent protein, 22- 26 percent fat and 2-4% Carbohydrates. Notice that a mouse contains a very low amount of carbohydrates.
A cat digests carbs quickly, flooding its bloodstream with glucose in excess of their metabolic needs. To cope with all the glucose, the cat’s system produces high levels of insulin to remove it from the blood and store it as fat. Once the excess glucose is removed from the blood and is stored as fat, the cat is left with high insulin levels which trigger a hunger response. As this cycle repeats itself, your cat becomes overweight and susceptible to diabetes, urinary tract problems and other health issues.
Young Again is an unusual food with unusual ingredients. . .
We like to call our cat food balanced MOUSE IN A BAG. The energy content of Young Again Cat Food is supplied by protein, fat, and carbs and approximately broken down as:
PROTEIN
Our protein comes only from meat sources and the total protein listed on our label is the percent of the total diet as fed. All of our cat foods contain 50% to 54% protein.
FAT
22% to 26% in our cat food formulas
CRUDE FIBER
2 to 3% in our cat food formulas
ASH
The ash content of Young Again is 5.6% maximum. Ash is simply the total amount of minerals in any food like calcium, phosphorous, iron, zinc and so on. Ash levels in cat food should be less than 7.5%. Too little ash and your cat may not develop properly, too much ash and your cat may develop crystals or stones.
HYDROLYZED PORK
Made up of 80% protein and 12% fat, hydrolyzed pork is highly digestible. It does not contain bone or organs. Hydrolyzed pork is very low in ash and when combined with chicken and herring, produces a balanced mineral and amino acid profile for your pet’s health and longevity.
POTATO STARCH
Our cat foods do NOT contain potato, but they do contain potato starch. Potato starch contains no plant protein hence the name potato starch. The protein has been removed from the Potato starch. Young Again Cat Food contains no grains, plant proteins or legumes.
TOMATO POMACE
Although from a plant, Tomato Pomace is a non-digestible fiber not a protein. Fiber is essential for good health and the Tomato Pomace has a low pH which promotes digestion in any obligate carnivore and also promotes a healthy urinary tract.
CELLULOSE
A purified cell wall fiber that is used in our food to aid digestion, help pass hair balls and form nice stools. Cellulose does not contain any digestible plant proteins.
CRUDE FIBERS
or insoluble Fibers are non-digestible and aid in digestion to help promote good stool formation. Soluble fibers are also non-digestible and are used to promote the growth of healthy bacteria in the large intestine. There are many components of whole prey that are non-digestible, i.e. fur, hair, feathers, collagen (connective tissue) and even some of the skeleton. This all adds bulk to the diet so the peristalsis of the intestinal tract has something to push against, as the food moves through the digestive tract.
FATS AND FISH OILS
We use a combination of five different oils and fats in our cat foods. In addition to the fat that is part of our protein sources, we use poultry fat its unique profile. We also use herring and fish oil which is an important source of Omega 3 fatty acid and DHA. These fats and oils are used to create specific fatty acid profiles to make our foods nearly identical to the fatty acid profile of a juvenile mouse. Fructooligosaccharides or FOS (Prebiotic) A non-digestible, soluble fiber that aids in digestion and acts as a food source for the healthy bacteria that live in your pet’s large intestine. Maintaining a healthy colony of these beneficial bacteria makes it harder for harmful bacteria to become established. FOS also improves digestibility for noticeable improvements your pet’s overall health.
PROBIOTICS
Are helpful bacteria that promote overall good health and produce beneficial enzymes which aid in digestion. All probiotics are sensitive to heat so they are added once the food has been cooled to room temperature, just before it is placed in its final packaging.
TAURINE
Industry recommendations for the amount of taurine for cats, 0.10% in dry food and 0.20% in canned food. Young Again Cat Foods contain 0.30% in addition to what occurs naturally in our meat ingredients.
NATURAL PRESERVATIVES
Young Again does NOT contain herbs, it does contain rosemary extract as a preservative. Carnosic Acid which is extracted from rosemary dramatically boosts the effectiveness of the Tocopherols that naturally stabilize the fats and oils in our food.
PLEASE NOTE: Because our foods are nutrient-dense, you pet will eat MUCH LESS! It does not mean your pet does not like our food! Cats will typically eat 1/4 cup every 24 hours.