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Kangaroo meat in cat food: why manufacturers swear by it

22.1.2024

Translation: Elicia Payne

Pet food contains all kinds of exotic animal meat such as kangaroo and ostrich. Why is this? Even Betty’s Landhausküche produces such products, so they told us all about it.

On pet food shelves, one term always catches my eye: kangaroo. «Made from 100 per cent delicious kangaroo meat» or «Fresh kangaroo liver and kangaroo lung», for example. Other exotic animals such as ostriches are often found in the cans too.

Betty's Landhausküche Betty's country kitchen kangaroo 400g (Senior, 1 pcs., 400 g)

Cat food

Quantity discount

CHF8.90 per piece for 4 units CHF22.26/1kg

Betty's Landhausküche Betty's country kitchen kangaroo 400g

Senior, 1 pcs., 400 g

Catz Finefood Finefood Meatz No. 17 Ostrich (Adult, 1 pcs., 45 g)

Cat food

Quantity discount

CHF7.95 per piece for 4 units CHF176.66/1kg

Catz Finefood Finefood Meatz No. 17 Ostrich

Adult, 1 pcs., 45 g

Escapure Kangaroo Pure (Senior, Adult, Junior, 1 pcs., 400 g)

Dog food

CHF12.80 CHF32.–/1kg

Escapure Kangaroo Pure

Senior, Adult, Junior, 1 pcs., 400 g

Quantity discount

Cat food

CHF8.90 per piece for 4 units CHF22.26/1kg

Betty's Landhausküche Betty's country kitchen kangaroo 400g

Senior, 1 pcs., 400 g

Quantity discount

Cat food

CHF7.95 per piece for 4 units CHF176.66/1kg

Catz Finefood Finefood Meatz No. 17 Ostrich

Adult, 1 pcs., 45 g

Dog food

CHF12.80 CHF32.–/1kg

Escapure Kangaroo Pure

Senior, Adult, Junior, 1 pcs., 400 g

Is this really necessary when our cats and dogs could also eat local beef, pork and chicken? I wanted to hear what five manufacturers think. Three of them didn’t respond to my request, another only answered indirectly. In the end, only one of them gave me some answers.

What do we mean by exotic?

Betty’s Landhausküche from Mühldorf, Germany offers 25 products on Galaxus, including ones with kangaroo and pheasant meat. Managing Director Kay Schönfelder wouldn’t describe these varieties as truly «exotic». «By 'exotic' we mean species that are also classified as exotic for human consumption, such as snakes or crocodiles. We definitely don’t use these protein sources. Kangaroo, on the other hand, has already established itself,» he says. But it doesn’t seem entirely obvious as pet food, does it?

Benefits for your pet…

According to Schönfelder, kangaroo meat certainly has its benefits. It’s very high in protein and vitamins and low in fat. «It supports the digestion and skin very well and is said to be effective against diabetes and cancer due to its high concentration of conjugated linoleic acids (an essential fatty acid).» This is also consistent with the descriptions of other pet food manufacturers. They emphasise (link in German) that the best food should consist of pure, dried kangaroo meat without additives such as colourings or preservatives. They also point out that pets often like it because of its strong taste and they’re good for animals suffering from allergies.

Pets with digestive and skin problems, obesity or allergies are said to benefit from kangaroo meat.
Source: Shutterstock/Jaromir Chalabala

... and disadvantages for the environment

Kangaroo meat is hardly compatible with the environment. If it doesn’t come from a local farm, then it’s usually transported from the other side of the world, for example Australia. Local kangaroo hunting is also a controversial topic, which animal rights activists are constantly campaigning against. Kay Schönfelder is aware of the environmental impact. The Managing Director says that the best possible efforts are being made locally: «We only source the meat from qualified merchants in Australia. They always keep a close eye on the kangaroo population and only issue permits if the population is too high.»

Targeting allergies

Betty’s Landhausküche doesn’t want to deviate from kangaroo meat. The benefits for pet owners and their animals are too great: «There are now so many pets that are allergic to domestic meats such as chicken or beef. Kangaroo meat can be a suitable alternative as a source of protein. Especially with pure carnivores like cats,» says Kay Schönfelder.

The company will soon be launching a pure kangaroo product. My colleagues have looked into what kind of food is best for pets:

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What do you think of kangaroo, ostrich and pheasant in pet food? Let the Community and me know in the comments!

Header image: Shutterstock/Fotos for You

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Darina Schweizer

Senior Editor

Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.ch

I love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.

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Kangaroo meat in cat food: why manufacturers swear by it

What do we mean by exotic?

Benefits for your pet…

... and disadvantages for the environment

Targeting allergies

Vegan cat food: one variety wins over Stiftung Warentest

Animal-specific? Vegan? Dry or wet? An expert gives us her best cat food tips

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