There was no reason except profitability for gluten ever to be used in catfood. Some cats are gluten-intolerant - one of ours has similar symptoms to a human with coeliac disease, and we haven't spotted it in time he would have died years ago.

Barley is no better.

For years now we haven't bought any catfood that lists wheat or "cereals" on the label.

Any Mudcatters near Edinburgh want a couple of kittens? Either Eccles and Siouxsie, or Gerald and Poppy, from the photos here:

http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/Cats/

Those pairs are very attached to each other and we don't want to split them up.