If Friskies cat food is present in the diet, the owner should think about the health of the pet. The food product has several varieties, but contains few useful components necessary for a full life for a pet. The owner should familiarize himself with the composition of cat food and take into account the pros and cons of the product when feeding.
Veterinarians do not recommend daily feeding of Friskis food, especially because of the additive E321 (ionol), which increases the risk of developing cancer.
general characteristics
The products are produced in the form of dry and wet food. Thanks to this, it is in great demand.
Who is the manufacturer
The Friskies line of cat food is produced by Purina, one of the structural divisions of the Nestle corporation. The production of pet food marketed in the countries of the former Soviet Union is concentrated primarily in Russia, but some branded products are manufactured in Hungary.
In addition to Friskies, the manufacturer Purina produces the following types of food for pets:
- Felix;
- Pro Plan;
ProPlan food, also produced by Purina, belongs to the premium class of products
- Purina One;
- Gourmet;
- Darling;
- Cat Chow.
What class does it belong to?
The Purina company produces cat food, occupying the most budget niche of this market. In other words, almost the entire range of products manufactured by the company is designed for consumers with the lowest income and, accordingly, is not of high quality. Thus, Friskis cat food is included in the economy class category.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the advantages of this food:
- very common, found in almost every supermarket;
- very low cost, the price of 10 kg of Friskies is the same as the price of 2 kg of many other feeds.
Among the disadvantages:
- the basis of the food is by-products of unknown quality, even vegetables are by-products;
- neither the cereals used nor their percentage are specified;
- minimum content of vitamins and minerals;
- the preservatives and antioxidants used are not specified;
- dyes are used, it is not specified which ones.
Advantages and disadvantages
When switching your pet to industrial food, you must first understand the advantages and disadvantages of a particular product. The advantages of Friskas include:
- affordable price;
- prevalence;
- absence of harmful additives that can cause harm to the animal’s body (according to research by Roskachestvo);
- preservation of rich taste until the end of the shelf life.
As for the disadvantages, Friskies products have no less of them than advantages:
- low quality of the components used - the main ingredients are presented in the form of production waste (skins, paws, hooves, feathers);
- excessive amounts of grains that do not benefit carnivores;
- high content of artificial additives;
- lack of fat;
- insufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals.
When choosing this brand, it is worth considering that it is intended solely to eliminate the pet’s hunger and has virtually no benefit to the body.
Friskies in the Purina food line
Purina's Friskies line was one of the first to appear. The packaging of Friskies dry and liquid food is painted yellow, with ginger cats depicted on it, happy with their lives. This is an excellent marketing ploy because... these tones are associated with the sun's rays. One gets the impression that eating the food will make your pet healthy and cheerful.
As the manufacturer assures, when creating the Friskies food line, it takes into account the age, lifestyle, and health status of the animal. Each product is made using a special formula that is designed to meet specific cat needs.
Assortment and features
The range of Friskies food is quite wide: both dry and wet food are presented. The basic composition is almost the same for all types of products; they differ slightly in the added substances.
Table: composition and assortment
| Type of feed | Range | Main cast | Added substances | Guaranteed performance | approximate price |
| Dry |
|
|
|
| From 50 rubles per package weighing 350 g |
| Wet |
|
|
|
| 1 pouch weighing 85 grams - from 12 rubles |
| For kittens |
| In dry food, the following are added to the basic composition (see “Dry food for cats”):
Composition of wet food:
| Dry food:
Wet food:
| Dry food:
Wet food:
|
|
| Specialized dry food |
| It differs from dry food for adult cats by the addition of vegetables. |
Vitamin E has been added to food for sterilized cats. |
| From 70 rub. per package 300 g |
Composition, class and release form
Friskies cat food is a budget and affordable food option for pets. You can find bright yellow food packages in almost any store. This food line is presented in the form of dry food, canned food, produced in disposable bags and cans weighing 400 g.
The American brand Purina mainly produces economy-class products, and Friskies food is no exception. The product is made from the most available ingredients and has a semi-synthetic composition; it will not be possible to find natural meat components in it.
Friskies food
According to the information on the packaging, the dry food contains the following ingredients:
- cereals (rice, barley or wheat);
- meat and its processed products (chicken, rabbit, turkey) - the specific amount of meat components is not indicated;
- vegetable and animal protein;
- vegetable processing products;
- minerals and vitamins (tocopherol, retinol, ascorbic acid, Omega-3, vitamin D);
- yeast;
- dyes;
- preservatives;
- antioxidants.
One of the significant disadvantages of Friskies food is that the packaging does not specify the specific percentage of meat and vegetable proteins, and it also does not indicate what exactly acts as dyes, antioxidants and preservatives.
As for wet food, it contains:
- meat and its processed products – up to 4% (duck, rabbit, turkey, beef, lamb or salmon);
- cereals;
- minerals and vitamins (zinc, iodine, iron, manganese, copper);
- sugar.
Important! Cat food should not contain additives E102, E110 and E124, as they are potentially hazardous to health.
What food to choose
If you decide to pamper your pet with a handful of Friskies and would like to study the composition of this food in more detail, you will have to be disappointed: you will not find this information anywhere, even the official website hides the exact composition of their diets. You will have to remember which of the things you treated the animal to before that he especially liked, and focus only on this.
This is what Friskis offers to our favorites.
For kittens
Food for animals up to 1 year old contains:
- dry food - chicken, milk and vegetables;
- wet food - chicken in gravy.
Please note: approximately a quarter of the volume of wet food consists of processed meat and poultry products, of which only 4 percent is chicken. This food also contains fish (in small quantities), cereals and sugar.
For adult cats and kittens
Judging by the label on the packaging, dry food for adult animals contains:
- meat, chicken and liver;
- chicken, meat or rabbit with healthy vegetables.
Wet food (in jelly) is available in the following varieties:
- beef.
- In the gravy:
- beef;
- beef with carrots;
- beef and lamb;
- rabbit;
- chicken;
- turkey and liver;
- turkey and carrots.
For animals that move little and live in a city apartment, specialized dry food has been developed - with chicken and garden greens. In reality, these are processed meat products mixed with cereals and dried green peas, and some vitamins.
Friskies offers cats and cats that have undergone sterilization a low-calorie food with rabbit meat and vegetables, a third of which is protein, and about 8 percent is fat. This, according to the manufacturers, is quite enough for the cat to satisfy its legitimate hunger, but it will not be able to gain too much weight (this is a problem for all sterilized animals).
For everyday feeding
When choosing food for daily nutrition, the owner should first of all take into account the age of the animal, the pet’s health status and its activity.
Wet food
For adult cats that do not have health problems, the Friskies brand recommends using the following products:
- Friskies dry food for domestic cats with chicken and garden greens. Designed specifically for cats living in apartments. To prevent animals deprived of adequate physical activity from gaining excess weight, the developers reduced the calorie content of the food by adding garden greens to it. The advantage of this product is that the additional dietary fiber helps remove hairballs from the stomach.
- Friskies dry food with chicken and liver . It has a balanced composition, quickly eliminates the feeling of hunger, and saturates the body with beneficial vitamins and minerals. This food is recommended for cats older than 12 months.
Another advantage of Friskies food is that it is available in different packages ranging from 350 g to 10 kg, so every breeder will be able to find the best option for themselves.
Daily norms
It is not recommended to feed your pet Friskies food daily. After analyzing the composition, it became clear that there was little useful in it.
If you have to give your pet Friskies for some time, each package will indicate the daily amount of food. For example, wet food is recommended in the amount of 3-4 sachets per day, divided into 2 feedings. The dosage is designed for an adult weighing up to 4 kg, living in conditions with optimal temperature conditions, leading an active lifestyle.
Feeding recommendations
To fully feel satiated, an animal needs to eat much more economy-class food than super-premium and holistic food. That is why animals that eat such food often ask for supplements. According to the information on the packaging, the daily dosage of Friskies cat food is selected taking into account the weight of the animal:
- 2-3 kg – 40-55 g per day;
- 4-5 kg – 55-65 g per day;
- 6-7 kg – 80-100 g per day.
For pregnant and lactating cats, the daily dosage of food is increased by 2-2.5 times.
Attention! Adult cats are fed 2 times a day, and kittens are given food 5-6 times.
Cost and replacement products
Cat nutrition must be balanced, so it is better to give up economy class and switch to super premium or holistic. They, of course, cost more, but are much healthier for animals.
What to replace
| Brand | Peculiarities | Price (in rubles per kg) |
| Royal Canin | Meat and offal also come first in the ingredients. Contains grains. True, the products contain many vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal development of the animal. | From 300 |
| Hill's Science Plan | The composition is better than that of Royal Canin, it is more detailed, while the former is similar to economy, although it is considered premium. However, the ingredients also include grains. Prepared from fresh and high-quality raw materials. | From 600 |
| Eukanuba | As in Royal Canin, the manufacturer writes “meat and offal” without any specification. | From 600 |
| We have listed these foods among the substitutes because all other sites also talk about them, but we want to draw your attention to the fact that they are also not the best choice for a pet, Eukanuba and Royal Canin contain by-products of unknown origin, the manufacturer does not provide any clarification, which is very similar to economy segment. All three foods contain grains that are poorly digested by our cats; it is better to take foods that contain vegetables, preferably not potatoes. | ||
| Acana | Absolutely safe for animals, enriched with nutrients. During the inspection of Roskachestvo, not a single discrepancy was found with the components indicated on the packaging. | From 800 to 1500 |
| Orijen | It contains meat, healthy plant components such as lentils, chickpeas, cabbage, beets, etc. | From 800 to 1500 |
| GO! | There are no grains, there are some potatoes, but they are far from being in first place. Some types contain oatmeal, brown rice, all of which are quite healthy. | From 500 to 800 |
| Summit Holistic | Only one dry form with chicken, but good composition and price for such quality. Of the minuses, potatoes are in 4th place, but this is acceptable. | From 350 to 450 |
All of the good feed substitutes listed above are available only in dry form. By the way, read whether you can feed your cat only dry food. Some good wet diets include AATU, Leonardo, Applaws, Animonda, price 100-150 rubles. per 100 grams.
The price of Friskies dry food is approximately 180 rubles. per kg. The cost is significantly lower compared to super premium and holistic class products. However, you should not skimp on food for your pet. It’s better to overpay than to watch your pet suffer from various diseases due to poor nutrition. Friskies should only be given to cats as an exception.
For restricted feeding
You can also find specialized preventive foods in the Friskies line:
- Purina Friskies Hairball Control Dry Food (Chicken and Vegetable Flavors). The positive effect of its consumption is achieved due to the increased content of plant dietary fiber. This food is especially indispensable for pets with long, thick hair.
- Dry food for sterilized and neutered cats (with rabbit and vegetable flavors). Contains mineral supplements that minimize the risk of stone formation in the urinary organs. In addition, this type of food contains an increased amount of protein, which prevents excess weight gain.
For sterilized cats
Despite the laudatory reviews on the manufacturer’s official website, veterinarians assure that Friskis medicinal food is actually not beneficial for the animal’s body, since it is made from low-quality raw materials. High-quality food for the prevention of various diseases costs at least 800-1000 rubles per kilogram, while a package of 350 g of Friskies will cost 75-90 rubles.
Is it worth changing to another economy class food?
The most preferable option for feeding a cat should be considered premium food, as well as very expensive holistic supplements. However, among economy class products there are also good and balanced feeds that can be recommended for an adult and healthy animal. Some of them are also produced by Purina Corporation. These are primarily Purina One and Pro Plan, which can also often be found on the shelves of pet stores and chain supermarkets. Their price is quite high (from 230 rubles per 750 g package), but the content of natural ingredients in them is higher than in Friskies products. So, Purina One food:
- prepared from fresh raw materials;
- has the meat ingredient in the first place in the composition, and rice in the second place, and their ratio is the same (18%);
- has an expanded (compared to Friskis food) vitamin and mineral set: vitamins:
- micro/macroelements: phosphorus;
- zinc;
- iron;
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- sodium;
- manganese;
- selenium;
Purina One food also belongs to the economy segment, but the quality is much better than Friskies food.
Budget food also includes the “Night Hunter” line. These products, at their low price (from 80 rubles per 400 g of dry food), also have a good balanced composition (protein - 35%; fat - 16%; fiber - 4.5%, ash - 7.5%; contains: First place is meat flour, and bran is also included in the composition to improve digestion function and cleanse the intestines). In general, food of this class should not act as a cat’s main food all the time.
"Friskis" or "Whiskas": which is better?
The main competitor of Friskies food in the economy niche is Whiskas. This product is produced by the Mars Corporation, and the main production for the CIS countries is concentrated in Russia. Whiskas has a slightly larger range of food; they produce treats (filled pillows) as a separate product, but the composition and nutritional properties of the food from these brands are completely identical to each other. The price of Whiskas is slightly higher, but this is due to the greater attractiveness and recognition of the brand against the backdrop of an active advertising campaign conducted by Mars to increase sales of its products.
“Whiskas” is the main competitor of “Friskies”, but in terms of composition and nutritional properties these foods are practically no different from each other
Another Mars product, Kitekat, is also on the market. This is also an economy class product. Its composition does not differ in any way from other foods of this type. The price is slightly lower than Whiskas, but this does not in any way affect the sales of the latter.
In general, the main competitors of Friskies are practically no different from it except for the price.
By age category
For small pets less than 12 months old, the Friskies brand offers the following food options:
- Friskies dry food for kittens with chicken , milk and vegetables. The composition is practically no different from the base one, but fish processing products and milk are added to it as auxiliary components. The protein content in this food is at least 35%.
- Wet food for kittens “Pieces in gravy with chicken”. Available in 100 g packs. For small pets with baby teeth, wet food is more preferable.
- "Chunks in gravy with lamb." It differs from the previous food only in taste.
Reviews
For many years, Friskies cat food has been sold in most supermarkets, so there have been hundreds of reviews about it on pet forums and specialized websites. We took a few of them to supplement our review with the opinions of veterinarians and cat owners.
Veterinarian recommendations
Yulia, a veterinarian at a Moscow clinic, writes:
Many of our clients do not even suspect that they are feeding their pets bad food. A lot of advertising does its job, people buy Whiskas, Kitikat, Friskies, etc. with confidence that these are high-quality complete feeds. Unfortunately, this is not the case, because not only do they not contain all the necessary substances for a cat, but they also contain harmful additives.
It is enough to look at the composition to understand that the manufacturer is hiding something - nothing is specified there in detail, only general formulations. I recommend choosing at least premium food, or better yet super premium food. You also need to periodically do tests at the clinic to understand whether your pet has problems due to the food.
Buyers' opinion
Lina writes:
Good afternoon I decided to write a review about a food that helps please my cat. These are “Friskies with meat and healthy vegetables.” The packaging is bright and beautiful, but the inscription “with healthy vegetables” confuses me, are there really not healthy vegetables? The food granules are all different shapes and different colors, the smell is like regular cat food.
As a rule, I give this food to the cat only when there is nothing to feed or does not want to eat the food offered at all, and this is 2-3 times a week. He never refuses Friskies dry food, eats with pleasure and asks for more. It’s good that this food is not addictive, he has been eating it for a year now, and does not refuse regular food more often than before.
In general, my cat is healthy, does not suffer from diseases, loves to sleep, run after cats and eat fish) Therefore, I recommend this food, it is very inexpensive and apparently tasty, because the cat is happy.
Raisa writes:
Hi all. I believe that cats should be fed only natural food, but sometimes there are situations when it is absolutely impossible to prepare a fresh and natural dish for your pet. In such cases, I buy Friskies for sterilized cats and female cats, rabbit flavored, I haven’t found any other flavors. My cat is neutered, an appropriate diet is needed so that ICD or obesity does not develop.
My cat doesn’t eat dry food very willingly, so I pour it in and run away, so he understands that he won’t get anything else this time. The advantages of Friskis: it is sold almost everywhere, inexpensive, and helps out in emergency situations. Of the minuses: like any dry food, it is harmful to the cat if you feed it only. That's all, thank you all for your attention.
Olga writes:
From my own experience, I recommend that everyone stay away from this food and others like it! I have had several cats throughout my life, but only the last one I decided to try feeding with dry food. I chose Friskies, in such a colorful package that says how healthy it is. The cat really liked it, at first everything was fine and she ate it with great pleasure.
After a while, problems appeared. First, the cat began to increasingly refuse homemade food, and then she refused everything except chicken. The second problem happened recently - I noticed that my cat was sick. A visit to the vet showed that she had kidney stones, the doctor said that it was most likely due to bad food! They performed an operation on the cat, but it was too late, the cat lived only a short time and died...
