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What kind of Cat Nutrition standards exists?


Since 1984 regulations have required that all cat food labels contain a statement indicating that the product, when fed as a sole diet without other food or supplements, meets the requirements or is nutritionally adequate for one or more of the following:
gestation, lactation, growth, maintenance, or all stages of the life cycle.
The presence of nutrients in a diet does not definitely mean that the food can be easily absorbed. A diet which is composed of shoe leather, motor oil, vitamins, and minerals may analyze to meet National Research Council nutrient recommendations for cats, but obviously would not be a good diet for your cat.
But if, on the other hand, the "complete and balanced" claim is backed up by positive feeding tests according to universally recognized standards, it is useful in testing the product for nutritional viability. This then, should be what people look at.
There are two primary classes of cat food: Home made and commercially produced.
Up to 92% of cat owners throughout America give their cats commercially prepared foods as the primary basis of their diet.
The types of commercially produced cat food includes generic, Private Label, Popular Brands and Premium brands.
Generic cat food typically uses the cheapest ingredients and have no brand name. There is a chance that these products may not have sufficient quality control.
Private label brands also generally use the cheapest ingredients available. It is all about being cost effective rather than being a quality cat food.
Popular brand pet foods are what is called are variable formula diets. The quality of the ingredients vary greatly. This causes variations of the nutrient content of the cat food.
Premium brands of cat food, on the other hand, focuses on optimal nutrition for health maintenance, longevity, and performance and is generally less concerned about palatability
than popular brands of cat food.
Perhaps the main difference between the two is that premium brand cat food is manufactured from a fixed formulas. In other words, the ingredients are not varied depending on their cost.
Because of this, this type of cat food generally costs more per pound.
But due to the fact that they usually are more nutrient dense than other brands, less food is actually required.
In addition, some producers of premium cat food, such as Life's Abundance, for example, offer special-purpose diets with distinct nutrient differences.
It is for this reason that premium cat food is sold through pet stores, veterinary clinics and online stores instead of the typical grocery store.


Reference:
cathelp-online.com/nutrition1.html