A new study has found lead in nearly every cat food product it tested, along with widespread traces of other heavy metals, raising fresh questions for pet owners about what their cats eat every day
The Clean Label Project, a nonprofit that tests and certifies consumer products, said it detected lead in 99 of 100 cat food products from 62 brands. The group also found cadmium in 96% of the products and arsenic in 94%
The pet food industry pushed back, saying the findings lack the scientific and regulatory context needed to judge whether any products pose a risk
"Because they are so common, the question is not whether a product contains heavy metals, but whether it contains relatively high or low levels compared with other products," the study said
The Clean Label Project purchased 31 dry kibble products, 40 wet foods in cans and pouches, and 29 air-dried or freeze-dried products. Each was tested by an independent, accredited laboratory for more than 122 industrial and environmental contaminants and toxins
To compare products fairly, researchers measured contaminants per 1,000 calories of food rather than by weight, since dry and wet foods contain very different amounts of water
The group compared results against its own purity benchmarks rather than government safety limits. It said the study is designed to compare contaminant levels across products and does n