Index/Organizations/AAFCO serves up new regulations to pet food industry

AAFCO serves up new regulations to pet food industry

Scientific article published on 01 April 1993

Fact-Checks

13 results
Dec 16, 2025
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Are taurine supplements from kittysups.com vet-approved and safe for cats?

KittySupps markets a 99.9% pharmaceutical-grade taurine powder and claims rapid benefits, but independent reviewers and multiple watchdog posts flag serious transparency, sourcing, delivery, and vet-e...

Dec 17, 2025
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Are there risks or side effects from giving cats too much supplemental taurine?

There is strong, consistent evidence that taurine deficiency causes serious, sometimes irreversible harm in cats — retinal degeneration and dilated cardiomyopathy — and supplementation prevents or rev...

Dec 13, 2025
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What is taurine and why is it added to cat supplements?

Taurine is an amino acid cats cannot make enough of on their own and must get from diet; it supports heart function, vision, reproduction and digestion, and deficiency can cause dilated cardiomyopathy...

Jan 13, 2026

How does commercial food processing affect taurine levels in cat diets and what labeling should owners look for?

Commercial processing — heat, sterilization, extrusion and ingredient refinement — reduces taurine content and its bioavailability in finished cat foods, which is why manufacturers routinely add synth...

Jan 20, 2026

Are certain cat breeds or age groups more susceptible to taurine-related side effects?

Taurine is an essential dietary amino acid for all cats and deficiency produces predictable problems—retinal degeneration, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), reproductive failure and poor growth—though mod...

Jan 20, 2026

Can long-term high taurine supplementation affect a cat's heart, eyesight, or kidney function?

Long-term, high-dose taurine supplementation in cats is not documented to damage the heart, eyes, or kidneys; instead, taurine prevents and can reverse organ damage caused by deficiency, particularly ...

Jan 15, 2026

How do AAFCO taurine minimums translate into milligrams per day for a 4‑kg cat on dry vs canned food?

Two calculation methods coexist in the literature: one based on AAFCO’s declared minima expressed either as percentages of dry matter or as grams per 1,000 kcal (which, when paired with typical daily ...

Jan 13, 2026

What are the AAFCO labeling requirements for taurine in commercial cat food?

AAFCO includes taurine in its Cat Food Nutrient Profiles and allows — but does not universally require — a guaranteed taurine statement on cat food labels; manufacturers that claim “complete and balan...

Jan 11, 2026

What are the signs and long-term effects of taurine deficiency in cats?

Taurine deficiency in cats is a dietary problem that primarily damages the heart and eyes and can impair reproduction and development; signs usually appear slowly over months and may be irreversible i...

Jan 10, 2026

Which commercial cat foods reliably meet taurine requirements and how are they tested?

Most major, AAFCO-compliant commercial cat foods from established veterinary or large national brands reliably include supplemental taurine at levels that meet regulatory minima, while niche or plant-...

Jan 9, 2026

When and how do veterinarians test and treat taurine deficiency (dilated cardiomyopathy or retinal degeneration) in cats?

Taurine deficiency in cats is diagnosed when clinical signs—most commonly dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or progressive retinal degeneration—prompt targeted testing such as whole‑blood/serologic taurine...

Jan 4, 2026

What are safe taurine supplementation dosages and risks of excessive taurine in cats?

Taurine is an essential amino acid for cats; inadequate intake causes irreversible retinal degeneration, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), reproductive failures and other serious problems, while routine c...

Jan 2, 2026

How do taurine dosage and formulation vary between feline supplements and cat foods?

Commercial cat foods are formulated to supply baseline taurine levels established by AAFCO and nutritional authorities (for example, ~25 mg/100 kcal for dry and 50 mg/100 kcal for canned diets) so mos...