Grain Free Cat food

If dry food has chicken meal, turkey meal, or dried peas is it grain free? The grain free cat food (that I have been feeding my cats) has these listed as the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ingredients I have been feeding my cats grain free cat food for years. I was just told by my Vet to stop feeding my cats grain free. I was told that grain free food is linked to dilated cardiomyopathy, a heart condition otherwise known as DCM. Because of the lack of the amino acid Taurine. I told my Vet that the brand of grain free food (Redford's Naturals-Pet Supplies Plus house brand) has Taurine listed as an ingredient. Any input would be awesome

Hello!  What an interesting conversation.   What a diet HAS does not make it grain free.  It can have those ingredients as the first three ingredients, then a type of grain as the fourth, in which case it wouldn't be grain free!  A grain free diet is about something that diet HASN'T got - ie grains, so unless the product has only three ingredients, knowing the first three ingredients wouldn't make it grain free.  Cats actually evolved eating mostly meat and likely no grains. (Grains are a product farmed by humans).   Taurine is an amino acid  found in meat, not a grain.  I have certainly heard of cats on a meat free diet suffering / getting ill from lack of Taurine.  You can find articles about vegan diets for animals in our blog.  I wonder whether something got slightly lost in translation / communication between you and your vet on this occasion?  Perhaps it is worth going back to have them clarify their points, and write bulleted notes in order that you have something useful to refer back to.  Best of luck and do please keep us posted with your progress.