Why are carbohydrates penalized in the score?
Cats have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates and their bodies are not built to process them efficiently. High-carb dry food is one of the biggest mismatches between feline biology and what's commonly sold.
Carbohydrates are not listed on cat food labels. They are calculated: Carbs % = 100 - Protein% - Fat% - Moisture% - Ash%. Many cat parents are surprised by how high the number turns out to be.
Why cats and carbs don't mix well
Unlike dogs or humans, cats have a very limited ability to digest and metabolise carbohydrates. They lack the salivary enzyme amylase that starts carb digestion in most mammals, and their insulin response to carbohydrates is slow and blunted.
In the wild, a cat's diet would contain less than 5% carbohydrates - mostly from the stomach contents of prey. Most commercial dry cat foods contain between 25% and 50%.
What happens with excess carbs
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Blood sugar spikes more than in dogs or humans
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Excess glucose gets stored as fat
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Less appetite for protein-dense foods the cat actually needs
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Increased risk of obesity
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Increased risk of feline diabetes
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Potential impact on urinary tract health
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Chronic low-grade inflammation in some cats
The 5% benchmark
Cat Food Central's carbohydrate baseline is 5% dry matter carbohydrates - close to what a cat would consume in the wild. Every percentage point above this results in a scoring deduction under Rule 1. The higher the carbs, the more points are deducted.
"Grain-free" doesn't mean low-carb. Many grain-free foods replace grains with legumes like peas, lentils, and chickpeas - which are just as carbohydrate-dense. Always check the calculated carb percentage.
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Last updated 3 days ago