If I get another cat, I will likely go with raw and homemeade foods from the beginning.

Thanks!

The study did not say which brands of cat food were tested. However, it’s a pretty safe guess that the biggest-selling, grocery-type canned foods were the most commonly fed brands. The other clue to brands is the use of the term “giblets” which is more common in the mass-market, less expensive foods; many of them are also fish-based. Many of these foods have white can liners, so those may be the higher risk ones. However, there are many different white liner compositions, so we can’t really say with any certainty that those are worst. Many white liners are probably fine.

I do think that it’s easier to stay away from the highly implicated ingredients, “giblets” and fish. Fish is typically the most PBDE-contaminated ingredient in cat food.

The size of the can may also be part of the link. Food in 3 oz. cans has a larger surface area in contact with the liner, so chemicals have more opportunity to leach into the food. It’s a peculiarity of the canning process that different sizes of the same brand and flavor of food may use a different liner for each size. If you decide to buy a bigger size, don’t leave it in the can; it’s best to store leftovers in a glass container in the refrigerator. Larger cans (13 oz) of Wellness and several other natural brands do not have pop-tops, so those may be the safest of all.

It’s all very confusing, but the take-home message is this: stay away from the smallest cans, avoid fish and giblet flavors, and don’t shop for cat food in grocery and discount stores. The natural brands, due to their source and quality of ingredients, are far less likely to be a problem. Personally, I don’t hesitate to feed my four cats the natural brands from Only Natural Pet Store, including Wellness (a favorite at my house!). I also alternate canned food with homemade raw food.

If you’d prefer to just stay away from canned foods, consider switching your cat to one of the excellent frozen raw diets such as Raw Advantage, Nature’s Variety, Bravo, or Stella and Chewy’s. Other alternatives include a homemade diet using meat with a complete supplement like Sojos, or a freeze-dried raw diet such as Only Natural, Nature’s Variety, Ziwi Peak, or Wysong Archetype. Remember that dry foods are not a good choice as the sole diet for cats due to their dehydrating effects. If you want to switch your cat to a different food, be aware that it takes time and patience; here are some tips on how to do it:
http://onlynaturalpetblog.com/2008/04/12/how-to-switch-foods/