Friskies vs. Fancy Feast Classic?

[sparklexo]

Forgive the potentially dumb question, I know nothing about ingredients or cat dietary needs, but figured this was a place to start. I've been weening kitty cat off the crappy grain based food my roommate was feeding her, and slowly trying to switch her over to wet. I can't afford an all wet diet right now, but my hope is to have it be 50% high end grain free kibble, and 50% wet food. I've been buying Fancy Feast Classic, since I've heard moderately good things about that line, but the other day in the grocery store I noticed Friskies wet food and Fancy Feast are both made by Purina?? Basically just wondering what the difference is between the two. I compared the labels but obviously that's useless since I don't know what any of the stuff on the label actually is/means. The Friskies comes in a bigger tin and is slightly cheaper, which could last alot longer for more feedings. The Fancy Feast tin is pretty small. Any major differences? Should I stick with Fancy Feast Classic? I have some Nature's Variety wet food coming in the mail soon to try too...

 

[ritz]

The only dumb question is the one that is not asked!

Glad to hear you're taking her off of the grain based food.  Your roommate will thank you when she realizes your cat's poop doesn't smell as badly.

Fancy Feast classic (only classic) is somehwat better than Friskies.  Not all Purina products are equal, as you can probaby tell/smell. 

If you buy Friskies, get the pate; it has less gravy so less carbohydrates. 

Avoid fish flavored food; the smell can become addictive and because of the fish used, can lead to UTIs.

Nature's Variety (wet) is a pretty good food, especially the grain free version.

Interestingly, I feed a feral/stray cat colony, and they are not preferring Friskies pate to Friskies gravy--they know what is best for them!

As you may know, cats have no (none, zip, nadda) use for carbohydrates, and that includes grains, oatmeal, potatoes, cranberries, peas, green beans,etc.

www.catinfo.org is a good site, and is written by a vet.  This link is to an evaluation of canned food.

Finally, here is some general information about nutrition and cats.

 

[sevenwonders]

No - that is not a dumb question at all. We are here because we care about our Kitties, so please never hesitate to ask questions.  

I have never used Fancy Feast because the cost per ounce is similar to (what I consider to be)

better brands. Others here have and seem to like it.

Several of us use Friskies because of the low grains and low cost.

In my case, I feed it to my Ferals and Garden Kitties,

and they are doing great and have nice, soft coats!

In fact, if you have a PetSmart nearby, they have their own version of Friskies, called Grreat Choice.

In either case, I like the "Poultry Platter" flavor, as real meat is the first ingredient.

The Friskies version does have a little rice, but the Grreat Choice version does not.

When you do try the larger cans,

please store the "leftovers" in plastic storage containers (in the Fridge) rather than in the tin.

The cans can start to corrode after they are opened,

and even if they don't I find that the food starts to take on a metallic smell.

When it is time to feed, you can mix a little warm water with the food to get it back to room temperature.

Also, just in case you are not aware, save the flavors that contain fish of any type for special occasions.

I feed fish no more than one meal per week, because it can contain mercury or other contaminants,

and it has been linked to Kidney / Urinary Tract issues if fed too often.

If you have any other questions regarding ingredients, please ask - we will be happy to help.

Otherwise, you can search the Nutrition forum for lots more info on ingredients! 

 

[krysta]

I think the Fancy Feast is *slightly* higher quality? Both contain by-products, but I think in general you'll find more FF varieties that have real meat higher up the list than the Friskies.  With the fish flavors, I noticed most FF name a specific fish first, versus the Friskies just lists generic "fish". And most of the Friskies pates have rice in them, the FF classics don't.   Everyone says the Friskies Poultry Platter is the best flavor quality-wise, because it has turkey as the first ingredient.  Both are low-carb, but on the catinfo.org chart, the FF Classics are slightly lower  than the Friskies Classic Pates,  I guess due to the rice.  Most people want to stick with lowest carb and fewest by-products, so I'd say Fancy Feast is slightly better.  I use both, actually, along with higher quality foods like Nature's Variety, Merrick, and Before Grain.  Another grocery-store food I like is Sheba pates-- they all have named meats as first ingredient, no grains. And I just discovered that Target's brand- Boots and Barkley- ingredients aren't too shabby either, especially the Turkey and Giblets flavor.

 

[white shadow]

...cats have no (none, zip, nadda) use for carbohydrates, and that includes grains, oatmeal, potatoes, cranberries, peas, green beans,etc.

Well, that depends.

It depends on whether/not "carbohydrates" are being confused with "fiber"......

The question is not whether cats can digest carbohydrates, they can. The question is, what are appropriate carbohydrate sources for cats and what ratio is appropriate in their diet.

Because cats utilize protein and fat so well to run and support their bodies and maintain their blood sugar levels, little to nothing is left over for the gut bacteria when the diet consists solely of protein and fat. The cat's native diet of mouse and other small prey was not just protein and fat; a mouse offers about three percent carbohydrate and the mouse digestive tract contains some plant material. Something needs to be included in the diet for the cat's gut bacteria, some form or part of plant material.

http://www.felineconstipation.org/prevention.html

We need to feed both our cat and our cat's gut bacteria....without the latter, the cat can't benefit form the protein and fat....'cuz the gut won't work!

 

[sparklexo]

Thank you for the awesome replies! Super informative and I will look into all the brands and links mentioned I grew up with cats that just ate kibble, I guess my parents didn't know better, but I never knew it was bad for them until I found this site! She's not a big 'eater', so what I'm thinking I'll do is stock up on wet, provide that as her main 'meals' and then leave out some high quality dry for her to snack on during the day. Worked out like that, it's really not a big deal financially and I will happily forego my Starbucks habit if it means she gets a better quality diet and life!

 

[just mike]

The only dumb question is the one that is not asked!
Glad to hear you're taking her off of the grain based food.  Your roommate will thank you when she realizes your cat's poop doesn't smell as badly.
Fancy Feast classic (only classic) is somehwat better than Friskies.  Not all Purina products are equal, as you can probaby tell/smell. 
If you buy Friskies, get the pate; it has less gravy so less carbohydrates. 
Avoid fish flavored food; the smell can become addictive and because of the fish used, can lead to UTIs.
Nature's Variety (wet) is a pretty good food, especially the grain free version.
Interestingly, I feed a feral/stray cat colony, and they are not preferring Friskies pate to Friskies gravy--they know what is best for them!
As you may know, cats have no (none, zip, nadda) use for carbohydrates, and that includes grains, oatmeal, potatoes, cranberries, peas, green beans,etc.
www.catinfo.org is a good site, and is written by a vet.  This link is to an evaluation of canned food.
Finally, here is some general information about nutrition and cats.

Yep All of the responses here have been good ones. Not all cat food is equal in ingredients, nutrition, protein etc., even if they are in the same price range. The advice I'll give on top of the others is to research the brands you feel will fit in with your budget, do a comparison and then buy the best product for your buck.

 

[andrya]

l'm just going to second what has already been said. l feed my cats a mainly raw diet, but occasionally give them a canned food for a meal.

lncluded in that rotation is Fancy Feast classic chicken (only), and a couple of the Friskies pates. They do contain rice, and most of them contain fish - including Poultry Platter, but fish once in a while is just fine.

Good luck, and congrats on moving your cat to a healthier diet 

 

[krysta]

most of them contain fish - including Poultry Platter, but fish once in a while is just fine.

This is true.  I avoid fish altogether since one of my guys had a UTI, but most kitties can have a little bit.  The majority of the FF and Friskies pates do contain fish, but there are a few flavors that don't, you just have to read the labels.