Cat pill pockets are soft treats that pet owners can hide medication inside for easy pill administration to cats. They make it easy to give cats their medications without a fight. The pill pockets completely conceal tablets, capsules, powders, or liquids inside a tasty exterior cats love. But what exactly are the ingredients inside cat pill pockets? Here’s a breakdown of the common ingredients found in popular cat pill pocket brands.
Meat and Animal Products
Most cat pill pockets contain some type of meat or animal product as their first ingredient. This appeals to cats’ carnivorous tastes and entices them to eagerly consume the pill pockets. Common meat ingredients include:
- Chicken: Chicken is a very popular ingredient in cat foods and treats. Cat pill pockets often contain real chicken or chicken broth as a tasty source of animal protein cats crave.
- Salmon: Salmon is another fish frequently found in cat pill pockets. It provides healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
- Liver: Liver flavors are common in pill pockets since cats love the strong taste. The liver provides vitamins and minerals.
- Tuna: Tuna and tuna broth are used in some pill pockets for their fishy, appetizing aroma and flavor.
- Beef: Some pill pockets use beef or beef broth to add a meaty flavor cats love.
- Turkey: Turkey meat or turkey broth adds tasty animal protein to cat pill pockets.
- Bacon: While less common, some pill pockets contain real bacon or bacon fat for an irresistible flavor.
These animal ingredients entice picky cats to eagerly consume the pill pockets and make taking medication easier for pet owners. The meat also provides cats with essential amino acids.
Grain and Vegetable Carbohydrates
While cat pill pockets focus heavily on animal ingredients, they also contain carbohydrate sources. These often include grain and vegetable ingredients like:
- Brewer’s rice: A refined grain made from rice fragments, brewer’s rice is a common carb source added for texture.
- Corn or corn gluten meal: Inexpensive sources of carbohydrates and protein.
- Wheat or wheat gluten: Added to provide carbohydrates and bind ingredients together.
- Potato starch: A digestible carbohydrate source made from potatoes.
- Tapioca starch: A carbohydrate thickener extracted from cassava root.
- Pea starch: A gluten-free carbohydrate extracted from peas.
These inexpensive plant-based ingredients add carbohydrates for energy, fiber for digestion, and texture to help bind the pill pockets. However, some cats may have gastrointestinal issues or food sensitivities to grains like corn and wheat.
Fats and Oils
For palatability and as concentrated sources of energy, cat pill pockets also contain fats and oils such as:
- Chicken fat: Adds flavor and fatty acids for skin/coat health.
- Vegetable oil: Oils like soybean and canola oil contribute omega-6 fatty acids.
- Beef tallow: Beef fat provides rich flavor and energy.
- Fish oil: Adds anti-inflammatory omega-3s from fish.
- Bacon fat: Contributes a savory, appealing flavor and energy source.
These fats make the pill pockets more energy-dense and flavorful. The fatty acids also support cats’ skin and coat health. But fats are calorie-dense, so some excess may cause weight gain in inactive cats.
Flavors and Seasonings
Cat pill pockets include synthetic and natural flavorings to increase their palatability. Common flavor additives include:
- Digest powders: Blends of powdered meat digest for a concentrated flavor.
- Artificial meat flavors: Synthetic flavors mimicking meat flavors.
- Savory broths: Broths lend tastes of chicken, fish, beef, etc.
- Cheese or yeast: Added for nutty, savory richness.
- Sweeteners: Things like honey or molasses for mild sweetness.
Appetizing flavors like these entice picky cats to eat the pill pockets. However, cats with food sensitivities may react to some artificial flavors or seasonings.
Vitamins and Minerals
Most cat pill pockets also contain supplementary vitamins and minerals, including:
- Vitamin E: An essential antioxidant for immune and skin health.
- Vitamin A: Needed for vision, growth, reproduction and immunity.
- Vitamin D: Crucial for calcium absorption and bone health.
- Calcium: Vital mineral for bone strength needed at higher levels for cats.
- Phosphorous: Works with calcium to support bone and teeth formation.
- Potassium: An important electrolyte for nerve signaling and muscle function.
- Zinc and iron: Trace minerals that support immune function and metabolism.
These added nutrients help support cats’ overall health when using pill pockets daily for medication administration. However, some cats taking medications may need restrictions on certain vitamins or minerals, so veterinary advice is important.
Fillers and Thickeners
Cat pill pockets also require ingredients to bind together and thicken their dough. Common functional ingredients include:
- Guar gum: A soluble fiber that thickens and binds the dough.
- Xanthan gum: Another thickening agent to create the doughy texture.
- Cellulose: An insoluble fiber that bulks up the treats.
- Rice flour: Made from ground rice to thicken and add carbohydrates.
- Dried kelp: Adds fiber and texture.
These functional ingredients provide the thick, moldable dough texture that allows the pill pockets to fully conceal medications. However, a small number of cats may have sensitivities to additives like guar gum.
Preservatives
To extend their shelf life for convenient storage, cat pill pockets contain chemical preservatives such as:
- Mixed tocopherols: A natural preservative made from vitamin E.
- Citric acid: An acid that preserves and flavors the dough.
- Rosemary extract: A natural extract used for preserving fats.
- Potassium sorbate: A chemical preservative.
- BHT: An artificial antioxidant used for preservation.
While necessary for shelf life, some cats may have sensitivities to chemical additives like BHT. Preservative-free options are available for cats with food intolerances.
Colorings
For visual appeal, some pill pocket brands also include artificial colorings like:
- Red 40: A common red food dye.
- Yellow 5 and 6: Yellow food colorings.
- Blue 2: A blue food coloring.
Colorings like these make pill pockets more enticing to pet owners but provide cats no nutritional value. Cats with food allergies or sensitivities may react poorly to artificial dyes.
Common Pill Pocket Brand Ingredients
Now that we’ve covered the main types of ingredients used in cat pill pockets, let’s look at some actual ingredients lists from popular national brands:
Greenies Pill Pockets
Greenies pill pockets list their first two ingredients as chicken and chicken broth. Other main ingredients include brewer’s rice, animal fat, flaxseed, vegetable oil, and corn gluten meal. It also contains guar gum and natural flavors.
Pill Pockets by Hartz
Hartz pill pockets contain chicken, chicken broth, vegetable glycerin, brewer’s rice, and cellulose as their first five ingredients. It also includes guar gum, natural flavors, and flaxseed.
Pill Pockets byVetoquinol
Vetoquinol pill pockets list chicken, chicken liver flavor, peanut flour, maltodextrin, and potato starch as their top five ingredients. The dough also contains guar gum, vegetable oil, and calcium carbonate.
Pill Pockets by Tomlyn
Tomlyn pill pockets contain chicken, chicken broth, turkey, glycerin, and rice flour as the top five ingredients. It also includes guar gum, flaxseed, and natural smoke flavor.
As you can see, there are similarities but also differences between brands. Chicken and guar gum are almost always present. But secondary ingredients like brewer’s rice versus peanut flour vary between brands.
Homemade Pill Pocket Recipes
Some pet owners like to make homemade pill pockets to control the ingredients. Typical homemade recipes include:
- Peanut butter or other nut/seed butters
- Baby foods like meat purées or mashed banana
- Canned sardines or tuna
- Cooked egg or egg yolks
- Ground meat cooked with broth for moisture
- Unsweetened yogurt or cream cheese
- Quick oats or whole wheat flour
- Coconut oil or broth for binding
Custom pill pockets can be tailored to your cat’s preferences and tolerances. However, homemade treats must be refrigerated and have shorter shelf lives than commercial options with preservatives.
Conclusion
Cat pill pockets contain a variety of ingredients to appeal to feline tastes while concealing medications. Meat and animal products provide irresistible flavor and nutrition. Grains and vegetables add carbohydrates, fiber and texture. Fats and oils provide fatty flavor and concentrated energy. Natural and artificial flavors further increase palatability. Vitamins and minerals provide supplementary nutrition. Fillers and thickeners give the pill pockets their moldable dough consistency. Preservatives allow for long-term storage. And colorings improve visual appeal.
Understanding the ingredients in pill pockets allows pet owners to make informed choices about which brand to use for their cat. Cats with food sensitivities or allergies may require special hypoallergenic options free of common allergens like corn, wheat and artificial ingredients. Homemade pill pockets allow for fully customized ingredients as well. But for most cats, commercial pill pockets provide a convenient tool for easy medication delivery.