What's The Differences Between Meowmix And Friskies Pate?

[1CatOverTheLine]

WOW!!! You've seen some amazing longevity. You're lucky...

1 bruce 1 - I like to humour myself, pretending it's only partially a matter of luck.



Years ago (when everyone in Grad School still rode dinosaurs, and the cellular telephone wasn't even yet a gleam in anyone's eye) I did a brief Postdoc in virology - specifically replicating viruses in cats - and apart from the usual humdrum figures, a few very interesting things came to light, later expanded upon and refined by far better researchers, riding much more luxurious dinosaurs.

Carb-consuming cats tend to be heavier than non-carb-consuming cats, though because of their digestion, far more fat is converted to muscle than it would be in Humans. No surprise, eh?

Heavier cats also tend to be better able to "shake off" little maladies, and - owed to cell density, mass, and volume measurements in both cats and Humans whose carb intake is above average - their immune systems operate more efficiently, and better (and more swiftly) produce fat-soluble vitamins which their bodies require for complete synthesis of certain proteins, which also gives them a jump-start against immunodeficiencies as well as a leg up on some of the more common negative stranded RNA and DNA viruses produced by transcription.

Could decades of long-lived cats be wholly owed to luck, daily Prayers on their behalf, and likewise reminding them daily they they're safe and Loved? Yep. The probability of everything is always fifty percent. Comforting and frightening at once, no? Next time you're caught in a rain shower, look up, and remember that there's always a fifty percent probability of a sharknado.
.

 

[1 bruce 1]

It would come across much less judgey if you worded it something like "IMO, neither is the healthiest option".
There's nothing wrong with having an opinion but it is just that, an opinion.

Also, people would probably be much more willing to listen and maybe learn something if you explained why you don't like a certain food instead of just labeling it "bad" and leaving it at that.

Perhaps try asking the persons budget and offering better options for the price.

Agreed.
I appreciate Daisy6 passion for healthy food for our friends. But sometimes peoples budgets and their cats palates can change all that. If you adopt a cat that's imprinted onto one single food and nothing more, changing that can be extremely difficult, or next to impossible and some people don't have the money or time or patience to do the switch.
There's also the random kid that is still living at home with their parents and are not able/old enough to get jobs to buy pet food themselves, and if their parents aren't on board, they need to be reminded that at least their cats are being fed and loved.
My best friend adopted an adult cat from an elderly relative that went into a nursing home. This cat was SO addicted to Meow Mix, and due to her age and the stress from moving/losing her owner, also the fact this was not a young cat.... it wasn't forced. Other foods were offered...but not forced. She never did latch onto anything but MM.
Dogs do fine with the tough love approach. Don't want to eat? Then don't. You can NOT do this with cats, ever.
People do the best we can. People wouldn't sign up, sign in, and post on a site like this expressing concern if they didn't give a crap. JMO.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Also as a fun side note.
I know a ton of serious dog folks and only ONE serious cat person who has several pairs of exotic breeds and knows cats like no one I've ever met IRL. She's been a tremendous mentor when it comes to cats and reading them. She is not a breeder but is no idiot when it comes to cats, and her foods of choice are a combo of wet tinned fancy feast and wet tinned meow mix, and a generic type dry available 24/7.
Her cats are sleek. They're gorgeous, active and happy and partially why I became cat insane in the first place. They exercise the crap out of those cats and they have tremendous muscle tone...even more than my raw fed cats!!!! Her cats get WAY more exercise than mine do, but they've been long lived and so well loved that if I die and come back as a cat I'm making my way to her place!

 

[1 bruce 1]

1 bruce 1 - I like to humour myself, pretending it's only partially a matter of luck.



Years ago (when everyone in Grad School still rode dinosaurs, and the cellular telephone wasn't even yet a gleam in anyone's eye) I did a brief Postdoc in virology - specifically replicating viruses in cats - and apart from the usual humdrum figures, a few very interesting things came to light, later expanded upon and refined by far better researchers, riding much more luxurious dinosaurs.

Carb-consuming cats tend to be heavier than non-carb-consuming cats, though because of their digestion, far more fat is converted to muscle than it would be in Humans. No surprise, eh?

Heavier cats also tend to be better able to "shake off" little maladies, and - owed to cell density, mass, and volume measurements in both cats and Humans whose carb intake is above average - their immune systems operate more efficiently, and better (and more swiftly) produce fat-soluble vitamins which their bodies require for complete synthesis of certain proteins, which also gives them a jump-start against immunodeficiencies as well as a leg up on some of the more common negative stranded RNA and DNA viruses produced by transcription.

Could decades of long-lived cats be wholly owed to luck, daily Prayers on their behalf, and likewise reminding them daily they they're safe and Loved? Yep. The probability of everything is always fifty percent. Comforting and frightening at once, no? Next time you're caught in a rain shower, look up, and remember that there's always a fifty percent probability of a sharknado.
.

Yes yes and yes.
The fun thing about genetics is who knows what. Breeder, bless them, know a lot of stuff. They study for hours and the good ones only breed good dogs or cats, but sometimes genetics take over and we cannot control that.
We've had dogs here that were from breeders with generations of naturally reared dogs. (Naturalrearing.com) Vaccines were minimal and given with tons of thought at specific times. Pesticides were avoided. Raw foods fed, most of it organically raised. The breeders did the work but took the extra step. We have had many happy dogs reared/raised/kept this way but a few unfortunates have died of cancers, etc. early in life.
It's maddening, and so depressing...but it happens. As anxious and neurotic as I am, I am much happier when I accept and realize there are some things we just cannot control.
I've spoke before of an old barn cat my childhood neighborhood collectively fed and sheltered, and she'd move place to place. She had many kittens. (Don't kill me, this was a different time, dinosaurs and such.)
ALL of these kittens saw longevity. We had several of them as pets, and they all saw 20's.
Our experience with a dog that was kept very lean (as a pet, did not work or perform) showed us that a little extra weight is not a problem.
This dog was lean. He was kept this way due to our eye and our preferences and lean dogs are healthier, etc...
For serious working dogs and serious performance dogs, sure. For a pet dog, not always, as this dog suddenly became ill. His already lean body mass gave him no favors as he dropped weight and refused to eat. He did not survive.
No one knew what was wrong with this dog. But had he been carrying a few extra pounds, he might have shaken it off. IDK.
Every time we lose one, it's important to reflect for months or years because their life and passing will always teach us something to help the next generation.

 

[Furballsmom]

In the process of providing an absolutely hilarious mental picture of a luxurious dino and some very excellent discussion points, hopefully we didn't lose the OP...?

Cats who don't eat, won't live long, and no matter how highly regarded a particular food might be, if they won't eat it, it has little value.

NO "great" pet food is worth a rats @$$ if the cat won't touch it. You cannot tough love a cat into eating something they haven't taken to.

With that, and all that's been said here, there's one other database I'd like to mention; Pet Food Guide

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Also as a fun side note.
I know a ton of serious dog folks and only ONE serious cat person who has several pairs of exotic breeds and knows cats like no one I've ever met IRL. She's been a tremendous mentor when it comes to cats and reading them. She is not a breeder but is no idiot when it comes to cats, and her foods of choice are a combo of wet tinned fancy feast and wet tinned meow mix, and a generic type dry available 24/7.
Her cats are sleek. They're gorgeous, active and happy and partially why I became cat insane in the first place. They exercise the crap out of those cats and they have tremendous muscle tone...even more than my raw fed cats!!!! Her cats get WAY more exercise than mine do, but they've been long lived and so well loved that if I die and come back as a cat I'm making my way to her place!

1 bruce 1 - I know a lady like that. Knows more about feline genetics that you can imagine. It's Fancy Feast for her cats as well.

One very well-respected breeder (two International Winners; one International Best) has - to my knowledge - never fed her cats anything but Friskies canned food. Yes, she uses Taurine supplements and lets them lick out of the butter dish, but these cats are devastatingly gorgeous, healthy, long-lived and positively adored by every TICA judge.
.

 

[1 bruce 1]

1 bruce 1 - I know a lady like that. Knows more about feline genetics that you can imagine. It's Fancy Feast for her cats as well.

One very well-respected breeder (two International Winners; one International Best) has - to my knowledge - never fed her cats anything but Friskies canned food. Yes, she uses Taurine supplements and lets them lick out of the butter dish, but these cats are devastatingly gorgeous, healthy, long-lived and positively adored by every TICA judge.
.

Oh man, my cats absolutely LOVE butter.
I know the argument is "breeders aren't nutritionists" and no, most of them aren't, but I know decent breeders know their stuff and will examine every possible nook and cranny to get an edge in the show ring and an edge to their adults and off spring.
I don't show dogs, but I work them and we perform and working and performance people both want a healthy dog that can/will work for as long as you ask them to. A bad diet won't allow this.

 

[Daisy6]

COTL, are you sure your cats strays or ferals whose ages could not be known?

 

[AbbysMom]

This thread seems to have gotten a bit off-topic.

I would like to say that no one diet is perfect for every cat. What works for one may not work for another. The best diet for your cat is one that your cat is thriving on, will eat and that you can afford. It's good to be educated on different foods and great if you can provide others with advice in a helpful, tactful manner. Just saying a particular food is bad without providing reasons and an comparable alternative isn't helpful. We strive to be a friendly, educational, helpful site.

Can we now get back to the original topic?

 

[purplecats]

Thank you all for replying, and sorry I'm a bit late, haha. Someone had told me Friskies Pate is a good cat food, were they wrong? I know Meowmix is pretty bad, so I was hoping I could ask my dad if we can change their brand. (I have a cat, and so does he, ) I have been feeling bad about their diet, but I'm trying to change it for the better. Do you guys suggest any cat food brands that aren't overly expensive? Again, thank you all for giving me such helpful information! <3 AbbysMom

 

[purplecats]

(I didn't mean to tag you, abby, oops!)

 

[purplecats]

Meow Mix is a company name. Friskies is a line of wet food made by Purina. Both are bad.

Someone told me friskies pate was a good food, I guess they were wrong? Any brands you suggest?

 

[Daisy6]

Someone told me Friskies pate was a good food, I guess they were wrong? Any brands you suggest?

What was someone's logic? Not all cats get sick on Purina products, but many do. I have mostly fed Daisy Wellness and Blue Buffalo but prefer Nature's Variety Instinct.

 

[purplecats]

What was someone's logic? Not all cats get sick on Purina products, but many do. I have mostly fed Daisy Wellness and Blue Buffalo but prefer Nature's Variety Instinct.

Thank for you replying, I will check out those brands!

 

[Willowy]

What foods one considers "good" or not depends on their opinion and how well their cats do on that diet.

My cats do very well on Friskies pate. I have no problem recommending it, especially if a cat owner is on a budget (some of the other brands mentioned can cost over $2 a can!). All you can do is give it a try and see how your cats does.

 

[Daisy6]

Because I usually subscribe to wet cat food, no cans cost me $2.00 each.

 

[purplecats]

What foods one considers "good" or not depends on their opinion and how well their cats do on that diet.

My cats do very well on Friskies pate. I have no problem recommending it, especially if a cat owner is on a budget (some of the other brands mentioned can cost over $2 a can!). All you can do is give it a try and see how your cats does.

Thank you, I am on a bit of a budget, because of schooling so, I was looking for a good, cheap brand. My dad's cat is 8, and has eaten MM all his life, and my cat just turned 1. I don't want my cat to be on a food like MM all his life like my dad's cat has.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, i'm the same thought, not wrong about friskies if your kitty is a finicky eater like mine and will NOT stop eating it. I tried to get him off of it, he'd literally rather starve.

You could try, depending in where you're located/what you have access to (tractor supply, Walmart, King Soopers, Costco and the big pet stores);
Abound, Luvsome, 4health, paws and claws, almo nature Complete, pet pride, natural balance, Nutro, Merrick backcountry, tikicat, Caru, nature's domain, qualicat, lifesabundance and Only Natural Pet brand.
Note that Only Natural Pet website (they sell more than just their brand), lifesabundance and The Big Bad Woof allow small quantity orders.

 

[purplecats]

Hi, i'm the same thought, not wrong about friskies if your kitty is a finicky eater like mine and will NOT stop eating it.

You could try, depending in where you're located/what you have access to (tractor supply, Walmart, King Soopers, Costco);
Abound, Luvsome, 4health, paws and claws, almo nature Complete, pet pride, natural balance, Nutro, Merrick backcountry, tikicat.

Thank you for suggesting so many options! I will have to check those out!

 

[Furballsmom]