# My Strange Addiction....Cat Treats are Made Outta Whaaaa???? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817 "2012-05-04T01:33:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/21 "2012-05-04T17:23:13Z")
they’re kitties soylent greenies are kitties ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/22 "2012-05-04T17:24:20Z")
> [@Feyrat](#): > > LOTS of dog and cat food is made from rendered dog and cat carcasses. They come from our public shelters, which euthanize thousands and thousands of animals per year. Not every shelter and not every corpse, but yes, euthanized pets ARE rendered and processed in this country. > > [Cite](http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/epa-document-proves-euthanized-dogs-and-cats-are-rendered.html) > [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Sorry, but your cite doesn’t convince me. It says that since there are no regulations stating that meat by-products must be defined specifically on the labels, pet food makers must be using euthanized dogs and cats from shelters in their products. That’s a big leap in logic to make. “Could the current Morris be eating a former Morris” sounds like a question worthy of Cecil. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/23 "2012-05-04T18:02:47Z")
Doughnuts make sense, since they’re fatty. Cantaloupe, though, I can’t fathom. I thought cats didn’t even have taste receptors for “sweet”. Maybe there’s some catnip-like drug in it? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/24 "2012-05-04T18:18:59Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I used to get a chuckle at the grocery store when walking by the cat food. One brand had a row of cans labeled “Salmon” “Chicken” “Beef” and “Kitten.” > Obviously they mean, for Kittens, but next to all the others? I found it hilarious. Try moving the baby oil next to the olive oil and corn oil. > [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I once had a cat who was crazy about cantaloupe of all things. I’ve also noticed that cats like canteloupe. I’ve seen 'em go for broccoli, too. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/25 "2012-05-04T18:46:37Z")
No; at least not in 2000, when this study was done. Here you go, sleep well tonight. > **[FDA/CVM Report on the Risk from Pentobarbital in Dog Food](https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/cvm-foia-electronic-reading-room/food-and-drug-administrationcenter-veterinary-medicine-report-risk-pentobarbital-dog-food?utm_campaign=Google2&utm_source=fdaSearch&utm_medium=website&utm_term=petfood&utm_content=30)** > > The low levels of exposure to sodium pentobarbital that dogs might receive through food is unlikely to cause them any adverse health effects. > [@](#): > > **Dogs, cats not found in dog food** > Because pentobarbital is used to euthanize dogs and cats at animal shelters, finding pentobarbital in rendered feed ingredients could suggest that the pets were rendered and used in pet food. > > CVM scientists, as part of their investigation, developed a test to detect dog and cat DNA in the protein of the dog food. All samples from the most recent dog food survey (2000) that tested positive for pentobarbital, as well as a subset of samples that tested negative, were examined for the presence of remains derived from dogs or cats. The results demonstrated a complete absence of material that would have been derived from euthanized dogs or cats. The sensitivity of this method is 0.005% on a weight/weight basis; that is, the method can detect a minimum of 5 pounds of rendered remains in 50 tons of finished feed. Presently, it is assumed that the pentobarbital residues are entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/26 "2012-05-04T18:56:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Doughnuts make sense, since they’re fatty. Cantaloupe, though, I can’t fathom. I thought cats didn’t even have taste receptors for “sweet”. Maybe there’s some catnip-like drug in it? No idea. Cantaloupe didn’t make her happy or rowdy like catnip did. A quick google found this, [Scientific American article](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-cats-cannot-taste-sweets)saying cats don’t taste sweet. **TruCelt** , I’m not sure I’ll sleep any better knowing my kitty might be eating a pony. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/27 "2012-05-04T19:16:36Z")
I had a cat that loved seeds from squashes and melons, too. I always thought it was because, on the first night I had the little stray, I (a hippie vegetarian at the time) had nothing in the house more suitable to feed her than some soymilk and some squash; I thought her love for them was a childhood memory of finally being taken off the street and given a warm place to sleep and some warmed food, however inappropriate for cats. I worked for a humane society for a long time. We didn’t have a crematorium, so carcasses were taken to the municipal dump. The unholy disaster that would have unfolded if we’d sold the carcasses for animal food? Not a chance. This strikes me as insane conspiracy theory. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/28 "2012-05-04T19:56:22Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > No idea. Cantaloupe didn’t make her happy or rowdy like catnip did. > A quick google found this, [Scientific American article](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-cats-cannot-taste-sweets)saying cats don’t taste sweet. > > **TruCelt** , I’m not sure I’ll sleep any better knowing my kitty might be eating a pony. You might better stay away from Jello too. . . ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/29 "2012-05-04T20:18:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Doughnuts make sense, since they’re fatty. Cantaloupe, though, I can’t fathom. I thought cats didn’t even have taste receptors for “sweet”. Maybe there’s some catnip-like drug in it? She must only like vegetable fats then, because she won’t eat croissants. Cats is weird. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/30 "2012-05-04T20:45:05Z")
I have witnessed the cantaloupe thing, too. Cats is weird. My old guy (17 years) eats corn off the cob. I have to put it in the fridge because he WILL open a cabinet /bag /container to get to it, eat the husk and puke it back up once once he gets to the kernels, will demolish the cob. I also have to fend him off while I’m trying to eat it. Weirdo. ---
**Author:** ![FrillyNettles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ea924/32.png) [@FrillyNettles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrillyNettles)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/31 "2012-05-04T20:45:30Z")
> [@Feyrat](#): > > No, actually, he’s not. > > LOTS of dog and cat food is made from rendered dog and cat carcasses. They come from our public shelters, which euthanize thousands and thousands of animals per year. Not every shelter and not every corpse, but yes, euthanized pets ARE rendered and processed in this country. > > [Cite](http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/epa-document-proves-euthanized-dogs-and-cats-are-rendered.html) In the USA, at least, any “meal” ingredient listed on a pet food label must list the species, if it is other than cattle, swine, sheep or goats. So any manufacturer putting rendered dogs, cats, or even horses in their treats would have to, by law, list “dog meal” in the ingredients on the label. Since no company is going to suffer that kind of PR nightmare, I find it HIGHLY unlikely to be true. Cite: 2001 AAFCO manual, page 117: “The ingredient “Meat” and “Meat by-products” shall be qualified to designate the animal from which the meat or meat by-products are derived unless the meat or meat by-products are derived from cattle, swine, sheep, goats or any combination thereof. For example, ingredients derived from horses shall be listed as horsemeat” or horsemeat by-products." I can’t speak for other countries, but I’ve yet to see an ingredient label here listing “dog meal” or “cat meal.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/32 "2012-05-04T20:47:54Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > You might better stay away from Jello too. . . I don’t eat jello willingly, but it’s more a texture thing than being squeamish about eating animal feet. It’s more the idea that my wee fluffy kitty eating a pretty pretty pony might cause the world to end from cute overload. That and the mental image of [a herd of] my too-lazy-to-chase-a-fat-spider cat[s] taking down a running horse is pretty funny. If they made jello out of mouse or sparrow feet, I would not be quite so amused. Not that she’s catch a mouse either, but I’ve had cats that could. The siamese I mentioned upthread used to bring in live birds and leave them in my bathtub. That’s \*not \*one of the things I miss about her. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/33 "2012-05-04T21:06:28Z")
It’s like when people go to eat Chinese, and someone makes the joke that you’re eating cat or dog. I don’t doubt that you can get that meat somewhere in the US, but even if it is part of a culture, 99% aren’t willing to take the risk if they even want to. Also, due to perceived medicinal abilities or taboo, as well as rarity due to no regular source, cat or dog meat would cost much more than beef/pork/chicken, so the restaurant wouldn’t put it in their cheap or on-menu dishes. I’m not saying that a human or pet eating forbidden meat unwittingly doesn’t happen, but that the chances of it happening are so ridiculously low. Don’t worry. Jell-O isn’t made from feet. It’s from “the boiled bones, connective tissues, and intestines of animals” (and feet?). Rest easier. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/34 "2012-05-04T21:33:26Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Don’t worry. Jell-O isn’t made from feet. It’s from “the boiled bones, connective tissues, and intestines of animals” (and feet?). Which only makes sense, since the ingredient it gets from animal matter is collagen, not keratin (ie, the stuff the visible part of a hoof is made of). Gelatin manufacturing also uses hides (also full of collagen). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/35 "2012-05-04T21:33:59Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Seriously? Then you’d be freaked out by a trip to Petsmart. Zillions of cat owners who dote on their pets is a huge market. Telling the whole tale would derail this thread, but one of my old bosses helped to create the mass-market cat-treat industry. (Up until the 1980s, the big cat food companies didn’t believe that a market existed for treats for cats. They were, obviously, rather wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/36 "2012-05-04T23:05:42Z")
Mr. singular & I almost named our first stray Meloni as a tribute to her love of cantaloupe. Fortunately her predeliction for getting in trouble presented itself, and she was dubbed our beloved Oops. Twenty years of bliss and rescue ensued. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817/37 "2012-05-04T23:12:55Z")
Wouldn’t making dog/cat treats or dog/cat food be incredibly dangerous, health-wise, for the animals? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-strange-addiction-cat-treats-are-made-outta-whaaaa/620817.md?page=1)