EXHIBIT 23.1
 
                         INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT
 
Board of Directors
Central Garden & Pet Company
Lafayette, California
 
  We consent to the use in this Registration Statement of Central Garden & Pet
Company on Form S-3 of our reports dated October 27, 1995, appearing in the
Prospectus, which is a part of this Registration Statement, and incorporated
by reference in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the nine-month
period ended September 30, 1995, and to the references to us under the
headings "Selected Consolidated Financial and Operating Data" and "Experts" in
such Prospectus.
 
Deloitte & Touche LLP
San Francisco, California
June 28, 1996