I pulled 10 years of internal data. Studies we'd commissioned but never published. Formulation meetings transcripts. Cost analyses.
The pattern was undeniable and sickening.
We knew the optimal taurine level for maximum feline longevity: 0.25% dry matter. Internal studies from 2009 proved this. Cats on optimal taurine lived to 19-20 years average.
We formulated to 0.10%. The legal minimum.
Why? Taurine costs $47 per kilogram. In a $2 can, optimal taurine would cost $0.17. Minimum taurine costs $0.07.
Ten cents. That's the price of 10 years of your cat's life.
But here's what made me sick: We knew taurine degrades during processing. 50-70% is destroyed by heat. By the time you open that can, actual taurine could be 30% below label claims.
We knew. We compensated by adding exactly enough so the final product barely met minimums.
The grain-free crisis exposed everything. When we replaced grains with peas and lentils, we knew they blocked taurine absorption. Did we increase supplementation? No. Too expensive.
Your cat isn't dying from bad food. They're dying from food optimized for profit, not life.
