{"id":684235,"date":"2025-02-11T11:44:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T11:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/?p=684235"},"modified":"2025-02-11T12:05:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T12:05:41","slug":"guar-gum-in-cat-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/ask-the-vet\/guar-gum-in-cat-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Guar Gum in Cat Food: Our Vet Explains the Uses, Safety & Verdict"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n <\/span>\n \nWhat Is Guar Gum?<\/a>
\nIs It Safe For Cats?<\/a>
\nIs It Bad For Cats?<\/a>
\nWhy Is It Used in Cat Food?<\/a>
\nShould I Avoid Guar Gum?<\/a>
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If you\u2019ve ever stopped to read the ingredients list on your cat\u2019s food \u2013 which you absolutely should \u2013 you may have spotted something called \u2018guar gum.\u2019 Your first thought is likely to have been what on earth is guar gum?<\/em> shortly followed by is guar gum safe for my cat?<\/em><\/p>\n

The very short story is that guar gum is a thickening agent, and yes, it is safe for your cat.<\/strong> But, as you might have guessed, there\u2019s a little more to the story than that. Keep reading to learn a little more about what guar gum is, how it\u2019s used, and why it\u2019s a safe but not ideal ingredient for our cats.<\/p>\n

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What Is Guar Gum?<\/h2>\n

Guar gum is a polysaccharide (a carbohydrate made from multiple bonded sugar particles) extracted from the seeds of the guar, or cluster bean, plant (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba<\/em>). It is commonly used as an emulsifier (something to help bind ingredients together), stabilizer, and thickener in food products.<\/p>\n

Although you\u2019re unlikely to see guar gum on the front of a pack, or even high up in an ingredients list, you might be surprised at how often it is included in many products we use (and eat) every day. Here are just a few of the myriad ways in which guar gum is used:<\/p>\n

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