Iams Vs. Whiskas Wet Food

[ajcurran94]

I'm on reasonably tight budget, but I'm trying to find the best wet food that I can get my hands on locally.

My cat is a year old and she has an extreme prejudice toward dry food.

There was a bad flea infestation in our building back in the spring and it took us 2 months to rid our apartment of them.

She started showing signs of anemia during the infestation, which the vet believed was caused by the severity of the flea bites. A month after we started treating her for the anemia and the infestation had been dealt with, she stopped responding to the treatment and had lost quite a bit of weight.

I took her to the vet for another visit about a week ago and she was diagnosed with FeLV. The vet wasn't sure whether it was something she's had since birth, or if it's possible that she contracted it during the infestation due to the number of cats in the building and the surrounding buildings.

She's been responding 100% better to the new treatment for FeLV than she was to the treatment solely for the anemia, which is to be expected. And I've started her on a wet food diet since she doesn't seem to want anything to do with dry food. Not even IAMS or Royal Canin.

I've been buying the 24 pack of WHISKAS perfect portions because of the price point, and she loves the stuff.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/whiskas-perfect-portions-cuts-in-gravy-cat-food/6000196784199

But I'm wondering if there's a significant difference between the WHISKAS wet food and the IAMS brand.

The ingredients are extremely similar, but there are more on the WHISKAS list than IAMS. And WHISKAS uses xanthan gum instead of guar gum.

For $3.30 more than I pay for WHISKAS (linked above), I can get an 18 pack of the IAMS perfect portions.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/iams-p...hickensalmontuna-recipe-18-pack/6000197290409
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/iams-perfect-portions-pate-indoor-salmon-recipe-18-pack/6000197289343

IAMS seems to have more variety, which just leaves me with more questions. Do I get get the Healthy Adult, Indoor, or Metabolism Boost formula?

Aside from these 2 brands, I don't know that I could afford anything better unless I found somewhere that sold in bulk for less.

We have a local PetValu which I know has other brands.

https://www.petvalu.com/

And I can also save a little bit with Amazon if I were to subscribe and do reoccurring orders.

I just have no idea what to buy.

 

[biscuity]

As a cat is an obligate carnivore, you are mainly looking for high quality meat, not some sort of reconstituted stuff. Keep away from anything with rice, maize, corn you cat does not need any carbohydrates. Checking the Petvalu website, the standout product is Open Farm food. Which is a stand out kibble product, probably the best you can get. Check the ingredients. For a wet food, Taste of the Wild looks ok to me or maybe Natural Balance. I can check more carefully if you like.

Note that the best possible food is raw meat. However, although I brought by kitten up on RAW, I then transitioned to wet food as there are risks of pathogens in RAW. I lost a tank of Discus fish to one bad batch of RAW.

Read & compare all ingredients carefully. Look at percentages, but bear in mind that wet food is mostly water. So if wet food says 10% chicken & 80% water, of the dried product, 50% of it is chicken. Ingredients must be listed in order of quantities, although some manufacturers cheat & split up a bad ingredients to make it seem less. So something like rice, which is just a filler & gives your cat too much carbs. They might have 30% rice which could put it to the top of the ingredients list. Instead, they can be sneaky & list wild rice, brown rice, some other rice. Any by-products listed such as chicken by-products - run away as fast as you can. What's a filler... rice, potato, tapioca. They also use types of beans as a hidden filler, although bear in mind that if you feed kibble food, it has to be bound by something otherwise it won't stick together. I look for a maximum of 10% binder in kibble food & zero in wet food.

Here's the ingredients of the UK food I feed my cat:
Chicken Breast (75%), Chicken Stock, Sunflower Oil, Vitamins & Minerals.
Analytical Constituents
Crude Protein 16%, Crude Oils & Fats 2%, Crude Ash 1.5%, Crude Fibres 0.1%, Moisture 80%, ME Kcal/100g 74.4
Nutritional Supplements
Per 100g: Vitamin A 2800IU, Vitamin D3 29 IU. Trace elements: Zinc 12mg, Iron 6mg, Manganese 1.4g, Copper 0.6mg, Iodine 0.2mg, Taurine 0.5g.
Mineral g/100g Dry Matter Chicken Breast
Calcium 1.03
Phosphorus 0.95
Ca/P ratio 1:1
Potassium 0.60
Sodium 0.76

From their website info, the chicken is human quality food & the company have an Ethical Accreditation for treatment of the ingredients. They test their food on themselves!

Useful for research:
http://truthaboutpetfood.com/
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition – Common Sense. Healthy Cats.
Nutrition - Feline Nutrition Foundation

 

[Minxxy]

I'm on reasonably tight budget, but I'm trying to find the best wet food that I can get my hands on locally.

My cat is a year old and she has an extreme prejudice toward dry food.

There was a bad flea infestation in our building back in the spring and it took us 2 months to rid our apartment of them.

She started showing signs of anemia during the infestation, which the vet believed was caused by the severity of the flea bites. A month after we started treating her for the anemia and the infestation had been dealt with, she stopped responding to the treatment and had lost quite a bit of weight.

I took her to the vet for another visit about a week ago and she was diagnosed with FeLV. The vet wasn't sure whether it was something she's had since birth, or if it's possible that she contracted it during the infestation due to the number of cats in the building and the surrounding buildings.

She's been responding 100% better to the new treatment for FeLV than she was to the treatment solely for the anemia, which is to be expected. And I've started her on a wet food diet since she doesn't seem to want anything to do with dry food. Not even IAMS or Royal Canin.

I've been buying the 24 pack of WHISKAS perfect portions because of the price point, and she loves the stuff.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/whiskas-perfect-portions-cuts-in-gravy-cat-food/6000196784199

But I'm wondering if there's a significant difference between the WHISKAS wet food and the IAMS brand.

The ingredients are extremely similar, but there are more on the WHISKAS list than IAMS. And WHISKAS uses xanthan gum instead of guar gum.

For $3.30 more than I pay for WHISKAS (linked above), I can get an 18 pack of the IAMS perfect portions.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/iams-p...hickensalmontuna-recipe-18-pack/6000197290409
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/iams-perfect-portions-pate-indoor-salmon-recipe-18-pack/6000197289343

IAMS seems to have more variety, which just leaves me with more questions. Do I get get the Healthy Adult, Indoor, or Metabolism Boost formula?

Aside from these 2 brands, I don't know that I could afford anything better unless I found somewhere that sold in bulk for less.

We have a local PetValu which I know has other brands.

https://www.petvalu.com/

And I can also save a little bit with Amazon if I were to subscribe and do reoccurring orders.

I just have no idea what to buy.

The ingredients are very similar in both. Have you looked at Friskies ?
The ingredients are a bit better . The price is about the same but you get bigger cans. Also look at Special Kitty.

 

[biscuity]

I just noticed salt in the ingredient list for Iams. You really don't want any added salt.

 

[Azazel]

I would try Fancy Feast classics instead. It’s affordable and has better ingredients than Iams and Whiskas.

 

[GGG]

I would try Fancy Feast classics instead. It’s affordable and has better ingredients than Iams and Whiskas.

Yes, and has different flavors and textures...
I

 

[lisahe]

I would try Fancy Feast classics instead. It’s affordable and has better ingredients than Iams and Whiskas.

The Whiskas and Iams both look fine to me, very basic (that's good) and very similar, though I agree that Fancy Feast Classics (which I think have a slightly different name in Canada--the main thing is to stay way from the FF foods with wheat gluten) are a good alternative; Sheba pates might be, too. Like pretty much all cat foods, each of those brands has its drawbacks but they're all high in protein and low in carbs, with no grains or other carb sources, other than an occasional "cuts" food with tapioca. I took a quick look at some of the Performatrin and Feline Cuisine foods on the PetValu site and they looked pretty similar. (I agree with M Minxxy that Friskies is a decent food at a great price -- and picky cats love it, a huge plus -- but it does have rice, which really serves no purpose other than as a filler.) Given that your cat has lost weight, ajcurran94 , you might want to check calories and focus on foods that will help your cat regain her weight, particularly since she's young and likely pretty active. One other thing: most cats like variety so many people feed multiple brands and flavors. Some cats' stomachs are sensitive to changes in food but others (like mine!) easily get bored with their food.

Edit: I got more curious about the Whiskas food because the food the OP linked to looks so decent -- I would definitely consider it! -- and other posters had suggested the ingredients weren't very good. And I found that particular food apparently is available in Canada but not the US. Meanwhile, the Whiskas wet food available in the US is pouch (not canned) food with wheat gluten. Hence, I think, the disconnect!

You're lucky that your cat doesn't want dry food! Even with wet food only, I think biscuity 's suggestion of avoiding carbs is the most important thing: cats just don't process carbs well so you want to feed meat. We avoid all grains, potato, peas and other legumes, carrots, and most tapioca (except an occasional treat food), among other things. Be careful with anything labeled as "indoor" since sometimes (though not always) those foods have carby fillers. It's really important to read labels, though sometimes the print is so small it's easier to just check pet food manufacturers' web sites.

Good luck, it sounds like you and your cat have already been through a lot! What, by the way, is her name?

 

[weebeasties]

You can search many different cat food brands and get the nutrition info at
www.CatFoodDB.com.

 

[GGG]

I'm on reasonably tight budget, but I'm trying to find the best wet food that I can get my hands on locally.

My cat is a year old and she has an extreme prejudice toward dry food.

There was a bad flea infestation in our building back in the spring and it took us 2 months to rid our apartment of them.

She started showing signs of anemia during the infestation, which the vet believed was caused by the severity of the flea bites. A month after we started treating her for the anemia and the infestation had been dealt with, she stopped responding to the treatment and had lost quite a bit of weight.

I took her to the vet for another visit about a week ago and she was diagnosed with FeLV. The vet wasn't sure whether it was something she's had since birth, or if it's possible that she contracted it during the infestation due to the number of cats in the building and the surrounding buildings.

She's been responding 100% better to the new treatment for FeLV than she was to the treatment solely for the anemia, which is to be expected. And I've started her on a wet food diet since she doesn't seem to want anything to do with dry food. Not even IAMS or Royal Canin.

I've been buying the 24 pack of WHISKAS perfect portions because of the price point, and she loves the stuff.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/whiskas-perfect-portions-cuts-in-gravy-cat-food/6000196784199

But I'm wondering if there's a significant difference between the WHISKAS wet food and the IAMS brand.

The ingredients are extremely similar, but there are more on the WHISKAS list than IAMS. And WHISKAS uses xanthan gum instead of guar gum.

For $3.30 more than I pay for WHISKAS (linked above), I can get an 18 pack of the IAMS perfect portions.

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/iams-p...hickensalmontuna-recipe-18-pack/6000197290409
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/iams-perfect-portions-pate-indoor-salmon-recipe-18-pack/6000197289343

IAMS seems to have more variety, which just leaves me with more questions. Do I get get the Healthy Adult, Indoor, or Metabolism Boost formula?

Aside from these 2 brands, I don't know that I could afford anything better unless I found somewhere that sold in bulk for less.

We have a local PetValu which I know has other brands.

https://www.petvalu.com/

And I can also save a little bit with Amazon if I were to subscribe and do reoccurring orders.

I just have no idea what to buy.

I feed my kitty Iams... she's on a variation of different brands because she's a picky princesses.
She's on: weruva, cat in the kitchen (those 2 brands are a bit more pricey but that's what works for her) still gets Iams, Fancy Feast sometimes.
She was fine with Iams but she wanted something different.
Fancy Feast has many flavors ( you could try that) and is affordable.

 

[Rini]

I would try Fancy Feast classics instead. It’s affordable and has better ingredients than Iams and Whiskas.

I second this. This is what my cat eats and he loves it and does well on it. He eats a ton, like 6 cans a day, and I only have 100 dollars a month to spend on him (including litter) so this works well for us.

 

[amethyst]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to serve a variety of different wet foods rather then one brand if your cat can handle it. That way if for some reason you can't get one brand or flavor the cat is use to having different ones. Also that way the cat is getting different sources of protein, fiber, carbs, etc, which is more natural, cats wouldn't naturally eat the same thing everyday. I wouldn't go with an indoor formula though, those are generally going to be for keeping the cat fit and trim being an indoor only, and therefore less active, cat. My cats love the Whiskas portions wet food, and it's what I use to feed my cat when I only had one (I now have 10). I now feed my cats Friskies, but they do love Fancy Feast more. I feed my guys a good quality dry food as well though to help keep costs down.

 

[ajcurran94]

I second this. This is what my cat eats and he loves it and does well on it. He eats a ton, like 6 cans a day, and I only have 100 dollars a month to spend on him (including litter) so this works well for us.

My budget is pretty close to the same, not including what I now have to set aside for the prescriptions.

She doesn't seem to have a preference between cuts or pates. I've been feeding her 5 servings of whiskas every day. 3 1/3 is the recommended amount for your average adult cat but I've been giving her a bit extra to help pack on those pounds.

In the last 2 days alone her activity level skyrocketed and 5 doesn't seem to be doing the trick. She's still putting on weight but she seems hungry 24/7 now with how active she's been.

I'll definitely take a look at fancy feast, because I know that it's a brand I can get my hands on locally.

 

[ajcurran94]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to serve a variety of different wet foods rather then one brand if your cat can handle it. That way if for some reason you can't get one brand or flavor the cat is use to having different ones. Also that way the cat is getting different sources of protein, fiber, carbs, etc, which is more natural, cats wouldn't naturally eat the same thing everyday. I wouldn't go with an indoor formula though, those are generally going to be for keeping the cat fit and trim being an indoor only, and therefore less active, cat. My cats love the Whiskas portions wet food, and it's what I use to feed my cat when I only had one (I now have 10). I now feed my cats Friskies, but they do love Fancy Feast more. I feed my guys a good quality dry food as well though to help keep costs down.

She started eating the hard food between meals. I noticed that yesterday. She's been bothering me a lot more than she was at first wanting more food. And when I don't give it to her she eats the hard food (Iams).

 

[10009891]

Several years ago there was an allegation that IAMS was using rendered meat from cats and dogs at kill shelters. Not sure how true this was.