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Scanned by Randall Saunders · April 11, 2026
Temptations Temptations MixUps Surfers' Delight Tuna, Shrimp & Salmon Flavor
19/100
Grade F — Avoid at All Costs
📦 Product Overview
BrandTemptations
TypeCat Treats/Snacks
Life Stageadult
Size16 oz (454 g)
AAFCO Compliant❌ No
This is a cat treat, not a complete and balanced food. It is not intended to be fed as a sole diet and does not carry an AAFCO complete and balanced nutritional adequacy statement. Treats should constitute no more than 10% of a cat's daily caloric intake.
☠ Rendering / 4D Animal Warning

This product contains TWO unspecified rendered ingredients: 'Animal Fat' and 'Dried Meat By-Products.' Neither names a species. Under current FDA and AAFCO regulations, these can legally originate from any mammalian source including 4D animals (dead, dying, diseased, disabled), euthanized shelter animals, roadkill, zoo animals, and restaurant grease. The FDA confirmed pentobarbital (euthanasia drug) in commercial pet foods in both 2002 and 2018. Mars, a company worth over $45 billion, chooses not to name the species in these ingredients. That is not an oversight — it is a deliberate cost-cutting decision.

🧪 Ingredient Breakdown
🟡
Chicken By-Product Meal
Named by-product meal — at least the species is identified (chicken), but this is rendered low-value parts: heads, feet, intestines, undeveloped eggs. It is the #1 ingredient, meaning this treat is built on slaughterhouse scraps.
−1 pts
🟡
Ground Corn
Whole corn — common allergen for cats, GMO risk, aflatoxin contamination risk. Cats are obligate carnivores; corn is a cheap filler that has no business being the #2 ingredient in a cat product.
−1 pts
❌
Animal Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols)
UNSPECIFIED animal fat. This can legally come from any rendered animal — including 4D animals (dead, dying, diseased, disabled), euthanized shelter animals, roadkill, or restaurant grease traps. The fact that Mars — a multi-billion dollar company — won't name the species tells you everything.
−3 pts
❌
Wheat Flour
Refined wheat flour — allergenic, nutritionally void filler. Stripped of all fiber and nutrients. Cats do not need wheat in any form.
−3 pts
❌
Brewers Rice
Broken rice fragments left over from milling — the cheapest form of rice available. Zero nutritional value. Pure filler.
−3 pts
❌
Dried Meat By-Products
UNSPECIFIED meat by-products — no species named. This is the red flag ingredient. 'Meat by-products' can legally contain any mammalian tissue from any source, including 4D animals and potentially euthanized animals. FDA has confirmed pentobarbital in rendered ingredients like this.
−3 pts
⚠
Natural Flavors
Completely undisclosed source. 'Natural flavors' in pet food is often animal digest by another name — chemically hydrolyzed animal tissue sprayed on for palatability. The source is never revealed.
−2 pts
✅
Brewers Dried Yeast
Acceptable source of B vitamins and can support skin health. One of the few decent ingredients in this product.
✅
Potassium Chloride
Standard mineral supplement for potassium.
✅
Choline Chloride
Essential B vitamin supplement — supports liver function.
🟡
Salt
Added salt in a treat — contributes to excessive sodium intake. Cats are prone to kidney issues and added salt is unnecessary.
−1 pts
✅
DL-Methionine
Essential amino acid supplement — helps acidify urine and support urinary tract health in cats.
✅
Taurine
Essential amino acid for cats — mandatory. The fact that it must be supplemented tells you the base ingredients don't provide enough naturally, which is damning for a product claiming seafood flavors.
✅
Calcium Carbonate
Standard calcium supplement.
✅
Vitamin E Supplement
Standard vitamin supplement.
✅
Zinc Sulfate
Standard mineral supplement.
⚠
Natural Tuna Shrimp & Salmon Flavor
More undisclosed 'natural flavor.' The product is called 'Tuna, Shrimp & Salmon Flavor' but there is ZERO actual tuna, shrimp, or salmon in the ingredient list. This is a chemical flavoring applied to corn and chicken scraps. Under FDA 'flavor' rules, only a detectable amount is required — this could be trace levels of digest.
−2 pts
☠️
Red #40
Artificial dye — a petroleum-derived colorant linked to cancer, hyperactivity, and allergic reactions. Banned or restricted in several countries. There is absolutely ZERO reason to dye a cat treat red — cats are functionally colorblind to red. This is done purely for the human buyer's eyes, at the cat's expense.
−8 pts
✅
Ferrous Sulfate
Standard iron supplement.
🟡
Dried Cheese
Dairy ingredient — many cats are lactose intolerant. Used as a palatability enhancer. May contain added salt and additives.
−1 pts
✅
Mixed Tocopherols (preservative)
Natural preservative — Vitamin E. The one good choice Mars made here.
✅
Copper Sulfate
Standard mineral supplement.
✅
Vitamin A Supplement
Essential for cats — they cannot convert beta-carotene.
✅
Citric Acid (preservative)
Natural preservative — safe.
✅
Niacin Supplement
B3 vitamin — standard.
✅
Vitamin B12 Supplement
Standard vitamin supplement.
✅
Riboflavin Supplement
B2 vitamin — standard.
✅
Manganese Sulfate
Standard mineral supplement.
✅
Thiamine Mononitrate
B1 vitamin — critical for cats. Deficiency causes fatal neurological damage.
✅
D-Calcium Pantothenate
B5 vitamin — standard.
✅
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
Standard vitamin supplement.
✅
Vitamin D3 Supplement
Essential vitamin — standard.
✅
Biotin
B vitamin for skin and coat — standard.
✅
Potassium Iodide
Standard iodine supplement.
✅
Folic Acid
B vitamin — standard.
✅
Rosemary Extract
Natural preservative — safe.
⚖ What's Good / What's Bad
Good
✅ Contains taurine supplementation — essential for cats
✅ DL-Methionine supports urinary tract health
✅ Natural preservatives used (mixed tocopherols, rosemary extract, citric acid)
✅ Complete vitamin and mineral supplementation
✅ Under 2 calories per treat — portion-controlled
✅ Brewers dried yeast provides B vitamins
Bad
❌ ZERO actual tuna, shrimp, or salmon — the entire product name is a flavor lie
❌ Chicken By-Product Meal is the #1 ingredient — rendered slaughterhouse scraps
❌ Animal Fat (unspecified) — potential 4D/euthanized animal rendering source
❌ Dried Meat By-Products (unspecified) — unknown species, potential pentobarbital contamination risk
❌ Red #40 artificial dye — carcinogen, zero nutritional purpose, purely cosmetic
❌ Ground corn, wheat flour, and brewers rice make up most of the treat — cats are obligate carnivores
❌ Natural Flavors used twice (unnamed sources) — likely animal digest or chemical flavoring
❌ Added salt — unnecessary in a treat for cats prone to kidney disease
❌ Dried cheese — many cats are lactose intolerant
🧬 Potential Cancer-Linked Ingredients
☠️
Red #40 −8 pts — Petroleum-derived artificial dye linked to cancer in animal studies, hyperactivity, and allergic reactions. Banned or restricted in multiple countries. Serves zero nutritional purpose — purely cosmetic to appeal to human buyers. Cats cannot even perceive the red color.
📊 Score Breakdown
Start score100 pts
Ingredient penalties−28 pts
❌ No named whole-meat protein in top 3 ingredients — the top 3 are chicken by-product meal, ground corn, and unspecified animal fat−20 pts
❌ Primary protein source is a by-product meal (Chicken By-Product Meal)−15 pts
❌ Three or more filler starches/refined carbs present (Ground Corn, Wheat Flour, Brewers Rice)−10 pts
❌ Artificial colors present (Red #40)−8 pts
Final score19/100
💬 The Verdict

This is a treat built on corn, wheat, rendered scraps, unnamed animal fat, and artificial dye — marketed with the names of fish that don't actually appear in the ingredient list. Mars Petcare, a subsidiary of a $45+ billion conglomerate, chose to use unspecified 'Animal Fat' and 'Dried Meat By-Products' instead of naming the species. They chose to add Red #40 — a carcinogenic dye — to a product consumed by animals that can't even see the color red. The entire product name is a flavor illusion. There is no tuna. There is no shrimp. There is no salmon. Just chemical flavoring sprayed onto corn and chicken slaughterhouse waste.

🧨 Final Verdict

Temptations MixUps Surfers' Delight is a masterclass in deceptive pet food marketing. The front of the package screams 'Tuna, Shrimp & Salmon' with a cartoon cat riding a surfboard. The back reveals the truth: the first real ingredients are chicken slaughterhouse scraps, corn, unnamed animal fat, wheat flour, rice dust, and unspecified meat by-products. The seafood? It exists only as a chemical flavoring listed near the bottom — below the artificial red dye. Mars Petcare makes billions annually and still puts Red #40 in cat treats and refuses to name the species in their fat and by-product sources. This product scores a 19 out of 100 — a hard F. As an occasional treat, the caloric impact is small, but the ingredient quality is rock bottom. There are far better treat options available from companies that actually put named meat in their products and skip the carcinogens.