Our incredible sustainable cat food journey
With 2021 drawing to a close, we’re taking some time to reflect on the past year. And what a year it’s been. We’ve been navigating the challenges presented by the pandemic while working hard on an innovative, sustainable pet food disruptor brand: Lovebug! Developing and launching our insect-based protein cat food has been a long time in the making and in April 2021 we sold our first bag. Hoorah!
Flash forward to December 2021 and we’ve been crowned ‘Top Petcare Launch of the Year’ by The Grocer. An incredible achievement and we’re just getting started.
In this blog, we’ll unpack why we chose to introduce Lovebug into the pet food market, how we hope to influence planet-friendly alternatives and what we’re planning for 2022.
Why is insect-based cat food so innovative?
At Lovebug, not only are we obsessed with cats but the planet too! Our goal has always been to help make our furry friends part of a sustainable future. While we understand that pets do impact the planet, we also acknowledge the huge number of benefits living with animals can have. From mood-boosting and relationship-building to supporting children’s development, read all about the benefits of having a cat here.
However, if we do choose to bring a cat into our household, we need to think about our environmental responsibility as cat owners. This is why we created an insect-based cat food. It means you can enjoy all the perks of living with a cat, while knowing that you’ve made a planet-friendly kibble choice to pour into your cat’s bowl.
By switching to an insect-based cat food, you and your pawsome pal(s) are helping to pave the way to a more sustainable future. The food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations states that the nutritional value of insects doesn’t differ from the value of more common sources such as beef, chicken or fish.
Not only that, our bugs are farmed with more sustainable practises in mind. Farming bugs takes up 80% less land than beef. Plus, they consume a diet of surplus fruit and vegetables - food that would otherwise contribute to food waste. Lastly, all of our insect farms use renewable energy.
Overall, it was a no-brainer for us. As far as we’re concerned, insect-based cat food is the way forward if we want our pets to be part of a planet-friendly future. This is why we have worked so hard to bring Lovebug to market.
Sourcing eco-friendly cat food packaging
With kindness to cats and the planet at the heart of our brand, we wanted to avoid unsafe materials and single-use plastic in our packaging..
When designing our packaging, we wanted to make sure it was entirely plastic-free. When your cat has enjoyed every last bite of kibble, you can easily recycle the bag. Just pop in your recycling bin and get the next pack of Lovebug ready to serve!
If being mindful about your impact on the planet is important to you too, we recommend making switches that easily fit into your daily routine. Changing your cat’s food to a more sustainable alternative is a great place to start, helping you and your cat reduce your pawprint one bag at a time.
Creating a high quality cat food recommended by vets
It’s true that cats need certain nutrients to thrive. Their diet simply isn’t complete without them. When you’re searching for the right food for your cat, you need to make sure it has the right ingredients. Lovebug insect-based cat food is packed full of protein, essential fatty acids, fibre, amino acids and minerals - including taurine.
Lovebug kibble is made to the highest possible standard. In fact, expert pet nutritionists along with The Waltham Petcare Science Institute tried and tested 14 different recipes to make sure that Lovebug is as tasty and nutritious as possible. And even now that we’ve found the winning recipe, we still test every single batch of Lovebug to over 30 different nutritional standards.
Lovebug is formulated to meet FEDIAF guidelines (the European Pet Food Industry Federation), which guarantee that it is nutritionally complete and balanced for cats. In addition to this, Lovebug also uses nutritional standards developed from 50 years of nutritional research carried out by scientists at Waltham Petcare Science Institute to ensure the highest levels of quality are met.
But that’s not all… our resident vet Rory Cowlam, an expert in his field, agrees that insect-based pet food is the future!
He says:
“Lovebug harnesses the nutritional richness of these insects to produce a kibble that is perfectly balanced for your cat. Although the insects themselves are packed full of goodness, they also add in some extra essentials such as taurine and arginine to ensure it tastes great and delivers everything cats need in a meal”
Rory is an amazing brand ambassador and works with us closely. In fact, if you have any buzzing questions for him about Lovebug, you can send us an email and we’ll seek his professional advice.
Introducing a cat food that even fussy cats love
If you have a fussy feline at home, mealtimes can be tricky. You want to make sure that you provide something they love, that’s also nutritionally complete and balanced. You also want to avoid switching up your cat’s food too often, particularly if they have sensitive stomachs.
Cats are intelligent creatures and can be fussy for a number of reasons - the most common being that they are afraid of trying new food. It’s important to tap into their instinctual eating habits if they tend to get picky, and insects are often a natural part of a cat’s diet. This is why Lovebug is a great option!
It’s important to find a food that’s kind to your cat’s tummy if they experience allergic reactions to certain meals or treats. The majority of dietary allergies in cats are caused by beef, dairy or fish. Because Lovebug is made from insect protein instead, it is hypoallergenic – which considerably reduces the risk of intolerance being triggered in cats with sensitive stomachs and digestive issues.
If you want to find out more about why cats can be fussy about food and how we’re stepping in to help, read our blog all about the best food for fussy cats.
We’ve got so much more…
We want to thank you all for your continued support on this journey to making the planet purr. We love that so many of you have got involved and joined our community of cat lovers. So much so, that we’ve started adding our favourite switching stories to our website!
Take a look at this lovely story from Emily, all about her cat Memphis and their experience switching to Lovebug. We’ll be adding plenty more next year, and would love to hear from you too! Get in touch via email or Instagram to tell us about your cat and their love of all things Lovebug!