Providing the best quality food for your pet is becoming a daunting task day by day as more and more brands are emerging with increased prices. When it comes to popular cat food brands, Friskies has been a popular name in the industry in the 1930s. But since their backlash in 2011, people are generally skeptical and are living under the dilemma of whether to buy from this brand or not. In this article, we have given our honest review of this brand based on various parameters like ingredient quality, variety, price, customer satisfaction rates, etc. Let us get started.
Overall Evaluation
| Parameter | Rating |
| Versatility for different breeds | 3 /5 Stars |
| Quality of Ingredients | 2 /5 Stars |
| Variety offered | 4 / 5 Stars |
| Customer Experience | 2.5 / 5 Stars |
| Recall History | 2.5 / 5 Stars |
| Overa;; Score | 2.6/ 5 Stars |
Evolution and downfall of Friskies
Friskies brand established its roots in 1934. The dog and cat food sector had just begun to evolve back then. After nearly a decade, they started selling an especially formulated meal that was ideal for both adult dogs and puppies. The company also claimed that their food was suitable for cats as well. Much to their dismay, cats didn’t seem to like their food leading to a slow start. Then they started a trial for a cat-specific food which caught up quickly and has generated more than 586 million dollars in sales to date.
Nestle started overlooking this brand in 1985. Now its production takes place in their Nestle Purina factories only. Nestle is also a parent company of Fancy Feast, Tidy Cats, and Purina Cat Chow. They import ingredients like duck, rabbit, lamb, etc. from the States.
Varieties Offered
They have four types of treats and six different kinds of dry kibble in the market. Furthermore, their wet food comes in more than sixty variants. Some of their top-selling products include Lil’ Soups, Extra Gravy Chunky, Extra Gravy Pate, Flaked Cat Food, Gravy Sensations, Indoor, Cat Concoctions, and Shreds.
Top Products Reviewed
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Friskies Pate Classic Turkey & Giblets Dinner
Made of mainly meat by-products, this food is full of low-carb protein. Even though the name includes turkey and giblets, it is formulated from a mixture of cattle, goat, and pig by-products. The dinner in the name of the product suggests that it should have at least 95% dry base in its food. However, this number comes down to just a meager 25%. It also has rice mixed with various additives and artificial preservatives.
Calories: 32 calories per ounce
Structural Analysis: 10% Crude Protein, 1% Fiber, 5% Crude Fat, 78% moisture, and 3% ash.
Pros
Low concentration of carbohydrates
Protein is reaped out of animal sources mainly
Cost-effective and palatable
Cons
Contains artificial additives
Falsely advertised
Friskies Surfin’ & Turfin’ Favourites Dry Cat Food
This product is their bestseller and comes with the goodness of greens, yellow corn, soybean, and concentrated plant protein. This kibble also contains chicken, meat, and bone stash. For improved taste, they have topped it up with salmon. The brand does not specify which animal they have used in their liver listing and has also supplemented it with dried cheese powder.
Note- This food contains various dyes like yellow 5, Red 40, and Blue 2.
Calories: 393 calories per serving
Structural analysis: 30% crude protein, 11% crude fat, 12% moisture, and 3% fiber.
Pros
Low price
Cats love how it tastes
Cons
Plant-based food which is not ideal for carnivores in the long term
Vague specifications
Contains dyes
Friskies Classic Pate Poultry Platter
It contains turkey mixed with non-specified poultry by-products at an affordable price. Moreover, it has a thick and creamy texture due to carrageenan and guar gum. On the positive side, this food doesn’t contain any external colors.
Calories: 35 calories per ounce.
Structural Analysis: 9% crude protein, 1% crude fiber, 5% crude fat, 78% moisture, and 35 ash
Pros
No added colors
Tasty flavor
Low price
Cons
Poultry by-products
Has rice
Contains carrageenan
What do consumers say?
Most of the reviews present online for this brand are positive. When a company makes millions of dollars every year, you wouldn’t expect the sales to be totally absurd. People have been using this for their cats for years and are quite satisfied with the results. However, on some platforms like Consumer Affairs, they have received a 1-star review. People reported concerns with its texture and contamination in its cans. Owing to this, this brand was also suspended temporarily in 2011. Common allergens in this food include fish, poultry, and meat by-products.
Price
This cat food is one of the most affordable cat foods found in the market, costing around just $0.70per day. Dry food is also cheap and will cost you around $0.13 per day.
Verdict
If you are low on the budget front, then you must try their wet food range. Dry food by Friskies is generally not recommended. Its low quality ingredients and additives are the reasons why most people steer clear of this brand.
