# Why isn't there pork cat food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264 "2017-01-26T22:04:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/1 "2017-01-26T22:04:12Z")
Asking this here because I assume there’s a factual answer. I was at Petco this morning buying food for the feline-American members of my household. I bought a variety of fish-based foods, plus chicken, turkey, and organ meats. There was a beef variety, but my cats don’t like beef. Wondering (not for the first time) why Fancy Feast doesn’t have a pork variety, I checked out a few other brands. I saw duck, rabbit and venison cat foods, but no pork cat food. Is pork somehow bad for cats? If not, why no pork-based cat foods? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/2 "2017-01-26T22:09:11Z")
There are pork cat foods. Here is one: [Lotus Pet Foods](http://www.lotuspetfoods.com/for-cats/canned-just-juicy/pork/) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/3 "2017-01-26T22:13:23Z")
Wow, there’s actually [a Dope for that](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2981/how-come-pet-food-never-contains-pork). (Never noticed the absence myself.) ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/4 "2017-01-26T23:17:07Z")
Another reason might be there are no inexpensive cuts of pork. It all goes over the butchers counter at typical meat prices. Even hogs heads are processed to get expensive deli cuts from. Cow and chicken and fish consist of lots of parts that human consumers are unwilling to pay good meat prices for by the pound, so their offal get shipped off to the pet food makers. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/5 "2017-01-26T23:23:05Z")
Because all cats are muslims and/or jewish…? ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/6 "2017-01-26T23:27:25Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > There are pork cat foods. Here is one: [Lotus Pet Foods](http://www.lotuspetfoods.com/for-cats/canned-just-juicy/pork/) Thanks! Either I missed that brand at Petco (I didn’t look at every brand – there are a lot of cat food brands out there) or they don’t carry it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/7 "2017-01-26T23:33:08Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Because all cats are muslims and/or jewish…? …or Ancient Sumerians. Or ancient Egyptians. Heck, we know some of them were ancient Egyptians. We have the mummies > **[Cats in ancient Egypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_in_ancient_Egypt#/media/File:Louvre_egyptologie_21.jpg)** > > In ancient Egypt, cats were represented in social and religious scenes dating as early as 1980 BC. Several ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility, and power, respectively. The deity Mut was also depicted as a cat and in the company of a cat. > Cats were praised for killing venomous snakes, rodents and birds that damaged crops, and protecting the Pharaoh since at least the First Dynasty of Egypt. ... [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Egypte\_louvre\_058.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Egypte_louvre_058.jpg) [http://historum.com/ancient-history/19246-did-ancient-egyptians-eat-pork.html](http://historum.com/ancient-history/19246-did-ancient-egyptians-eat-pork.html) [http://etnologija.etnoinfolab.org/dokumenti/82/2/2009/harris\_1521.pdf](http://etnologija.etnoinfolab.org/dokumenti/82/2/2009/harris_1521.pdf) In Syria and Phoenicia, too: > **[Religious restrictions on the consumption of pork](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_restrictions_on_the_consumption_of_pork)** > > Pork is a food taboo among Jews, Muslims, and some Christian denominations. Swine were prohibited in ancient Syria and Phoenicia, and the pig and its flesh represented a taboo observed, Strabo noted, at Comana in Pontus. A lost poem of Hermesianax, reported centuries later by the traveller Pausanias, reported an etiological myth of Attis destroyed by a supernatural boar to account for the fact that "in consequence of these events the Galatians who inhabit Pessinous do not touch pork". Although ... > **[15.pdf](https://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_4_No_13_November_2014/15.pdf)** > > 593.86 KB ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/8 "2017-01-26T23:38:12Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Wow, there’s actually [a Dope for that](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2981/how-come-pet-food-never-contains-pork). (Never noticed the absence myself.) Interesting the one comment in **The Master’s** article about “consistent supply” … I’ve maintain a household of multiple cats for an unhealthy period of time … I’ve tried to change kibble once or twice and my cats simply refuse to eat it … or very little … at least until one of them pisses in it … so I can appreciate a cat food maker wanting to keep the formula the same batch after batch … So I guess it’s true … cats, like engineers, thrive on the same food day after day after day after day after day after day after day … ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/9 "2017-01-27T00:13:00Z")
Human flesh is said to taste a lot like pork. I don’t know about you but I’m not okay sleeping in a house where a cat has gotten used to eating something that tastes like me. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/10 "2017-01-27T02:09:35Z")
Cats don’t deserve bacon. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/11 "2017-01-27T03:24:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Human flesh is said to taste a lot like pork. > > I don’t know about you but I’m not okay sleeping in a house where a cat has gotten used to eating something that tastes like me. You definitely shouldn’t … ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/12 "2017-01-27T06:44:30Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Human flesh is said to taste a lot like pork. > > I don’t know about you but I’m not okay sleeping in a house where a cat has gotten used to eating something that tastes like me. Yeah, that’s the big difference between cats and dogs. If you die alone in your house with a pet dog, the dog will pine and starve to death next to its master and friend. If you die alone in a house with a pet cat, the cat is thinking “We’d better get started on this before it goes cold!” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/13 "2017-01-27T06:49:17Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Yeah, that’s the big difference between cats and dogs. > > If you die alone in your house with a pet dog, the dog will pine and starve to death next to its master and friend. > > If you die alone in a house with a pet cat, the cat is thinking “We’d better get started on this before it goes cold!” > > 😛 Interesting post for someone whose name translates to “eats everything”! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/14 "2017-01-27T11:37:01Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Interesting the one comment in **The Master’s** article about “consistent supply” … I’ve maintain a household of multiple cats for an unhealthy period of time … I’ve tried to change kibble once or twice and my cats simply refuse to eat it … or very little … at least until one of them pisses in it … so I can appreciate a cat food maker wanting to keep the formula the same batch after batch … My cats will eat almost anything. One once enthusiastically ate the “guts” from a cantaloupe as I scooped them out. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/15 "2017-01-27T12:04:13Z")
It’s because [cats use bacon for clothing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MlEOxTE-WU) not food. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/16 "2017-01-27T13:58:18Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Yeah, that’s the big difference between cats and dogs. > > If you die alone in your house with a pet dog, the dog will pine and starve to death next to its master and friend. > > If you die alone in a house with a pet cat, the cat is thinking “We’d better get started on this before it goes cold!” > > 😛 That’s why cats snuggle up to you at night … they’re listening to your heartbeat … waiting for it to stop … so they can be the first to enjoy you … ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/17 "2017-01-27T15:43:41Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Yeah, that’s the big difference between cats and dogs. > > If you die alone in your house with a pet dog, the dog will pine and starve to death next to its master and friend. > > If you die alone in a house with a pet cat, the cat is thinking “We’d better get started on this before it goes cold!” > > 😛 Dogs will eat you too [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c3dTc4kyIOU/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGH8gXSgcMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDB4_TsCzeLpL46lmyS604DPq1kGA "Nick Lowe - Marie Provost") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3dTc4kyIOU) ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/18 "2017-01-27T15:49:09Z")
There’s a Dope on this … [“Will cats eat their owners?”](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1922/will-cats-eat-their-owners) … > [@](#): > > “Sometimes, when an individual living alone dies unexpectedly, several days may pass before anyone takes notice. Some of these individuals may own a dog or a cat, which will go unfed. In my experience, a dog may go for several days before finally resorting to eating the owner’s body. A cat, on the other hand, will only wait a day or two. Just goes to show you which is more loyal. So, the next time you’re falling asleep on the couch with the football game on, take a look at your cat. He’s not watching you because he’s enamored of you; he’s checking to see if your chest is still moving.” Oh, those wacky pathologists. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/19 "2017-01-27T15:56:22Z")
Why is there no cat food made of mouse meat? We know the cats like it, and it seems cheap and easy, but I’ve never seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264/20 "2017-01-27T16:08:25Z")
The first full “face transplant” patient not so long ago…wasnt her trauma caused by a her (four?) dogs eating her? I think it was a bunch the cutest, cuddliest Black Labs, in fact, not even a mean old Cujo. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-there-pork-cat-food/778264.md?page=2)