Please suggest me which Friskies to buy

ohmer

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Hello,

My cat stopped to digest dry food for some weeks. She often vomit some minutes after eating (many time in a weeks, sometime twice in a day). Vet did complete blood and urine tests and found nothing. We tried different vet dry food brands including hypoallergenic food, but nothing works. The only thing we found is that she can eat wet canned food. She vomit it from time to time (mostly undigested rice) but this is rare. She's currently eating Purina Pro Plan OM but the price is too high (1.5 can/day @ CA$ 1.99 ~ CA$ 90/mo).

We would like to give her Friskies wet food instead because the price is more acceptable for us (about CA$ 0.69/can). Her current Pro Plan OM contains 130 calories per can of 5.5 oz and vet suggested to give her 1.5 can per day (for a 7 years old indoor cat, about 14 lbs). Unfortunately, information about calories is missing on Friskies cans. I found the catinfo web site and found nutritional information for Friskies products, including information on calories. I see that most products contains much more calories than her current brand.

If I sort the data by calories, I find some acceptable products with 140 calories or less, but with high carbohydrates contains. I also have difficulties to match the product name with what is sold in Canada, because Purina think it's a good think to change product name between Canada and USA.

Can you help me to choose the better flavor for my cat? By better, I mean an acceptable carbohydrates level and not too caloric. I know I'm not purchasing "premium" food, but I would like to buy the least worst.

I'm also open to try another brand priced similarly than Friskies and available in Canada.

Thanks.
 

DreamerRose

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Fancy Feast is better quality than Friskies, and it's not too expensive. I buy it in 24-can boxes at $16US.  That's about 67 cents per can. 

Cats will also vomit sometimes when they eat too fast. I put Mingo's kibble in a food toy similar to this  which keeps him from eating too fast.
 

buh-buh-bacon

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Depends if you prefer wet food over dry. Personally, my cats LOVE Whole Earth Farms cat food in salmon,and good luvin treats. A 10 lbs bag was 24 at petco but cheaper online. The wet food is about the same price as what your buying.. You can mix dry and wet to stretch everything out too.

It's fragrant so they clean their bowls, it's good from them, they're poop doesn't stink as much and they're coats become silky from the salmon oil..
 
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Willowy

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I don't know what the names are in Canada. Here in the States, the best Friskies flavors are Mixed Grill, Country Style Dinner, and Poultry Platter. All of them are Classic Pate, which are the best ones. The chunky and shredded kinds have a lot of carbs. The pate flavors have about 180 calories per can so you'd have to feed a bit less than what she's getting now. 1 1/2 cans of 130 calories each would be 195 calories, and a 5.5-oz can of Poultry Platter has 187 calories. . .you might get by with 1 can. If that doesn't work for her you could feed a bit more.
 

bonepicker

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In addition to the PATE Styles mentioned by willowy, you can also get turkey & giblets, supreme supper, liver & chicken, Salmon pate. These are all PATE style only in Friskies. They also come in dog food size cans if you prefer.
 
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lisahe

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I agree that the Friskies pates (preferably not with too much fish) would be the best.

I remember that a Canadian site member known as @pinkdagger has mentioned other good affordable canned brands, too. (But don't remember what they are other than, I believe, Go.)
 

pushylady

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We buy Fancy Feast, Friskies and PC own brand to mix in with a rotation of more expensive foods. This really does help the food budget go further, and frankly our one cat prefers these foods so there's less stress at dinner time with him.
I recommend checking out the President's Choice little cans. They're in the same price range as Fancy Feast.
 

thegreystalker

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I agree with the prior comments regarding Friskies.

The Friskies pate recipes my cat enjoys are:

Turkey & Giblets Dinner

Poultry Platter

Cat Concoctions Salmon & Chicken Liver

Sea Captain's Choice

Fancy Feast Classic Pates are fine also.  Incidentally, you may also wish to consider pates from Sheba, which are occasionally discounted in supermarkets.
 
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ohmer

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Thanks for your replies.

I understand that the better friskies are the classic one. They have less carbohydrates and junk but contains more calories.

Can I assume that "Classic friskies" is the friskies cans that say "pate"? They are not marketed with this name in Canada. See http://www.walmart.ca/search/friskies (must look the can image, this is not even in the product name)

I think I will give 1 can of friskies per day (170-180 cal) plus 1/2 can of fancy feast (35-45 cal) in 3 meals. Still a little bit more than OM, but I will monitor her :)

Should I prefer also the fancy feast in "pate" over the others?
 

lisahe

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Can I assume that "Classic friskies" is the friskies cans that say "pate"? They are not marketed with this name in Canada. See http://www.walmart.ca/search/friskies (must look the can image, this is not even in the product name)
I think I will give 1 can of friskies per day (170-180 cal) plus 1/2 can of fancy feast (35-45 cal) in 3 meals. Still a little bit more than OM, but I will monitor her :)

Should I prefer also the fancy feast in "pate" over the others?
Yes, it's the Friskies pates that you want. (No shreds, chunks, or tasty treasures! Just check the ingredients to be sure there's nothing with wheat or corn in the list.)

And yes, it's also Fancy Feast's pates that are good.

Good luck!
 

Willowy

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Yes, except for the very expensive brands, pate will always be better. Most of the shredded kind have a lot of starch to make the gravy, and some of the "shreds" are made with soy protein or wheat gluten. Only expensive kinds like Weruva and Soulistic don't have those ingredients.
 

lisahe

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Yes, except for the very expensive brands, pate will always be better. Most of the shredded kind have a lot of starch to make the gravy, and some of the "shreds" are made with soy protein or wheat gluten. Only expensive kinds like Weruva and Soulistic don't have those ingredients.
Yes, this is generally true about the brands.

Even with Weruva and Soulistic, though, you have to be careful: they often use potato and tapioca starches to make their "gravies," which raises some of their carb levels considerably, too.
 

pinkdagger

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Do you or a friend have a CostCo membership? Buying bulk packs of Friskies there at $26 per 48 can case is much more efficient (when I include the Ontario 13% sales tax, something like 9 cents an ounce) than buying individual cans or from pet stores, which tend closer to maybe 12-16 cents per ounce. The only problem with the bulk pack is it's half fish flavours, which I prefer to feed less of. It also comes with turkey and cheese shreds, which as people have mentioned, are higher in carbs because there's less meat and more thickened soup/gravy. Other than what comes in the bulk pack, I stick to pates. I know a lot of people say Fancy Feast is inexpensive, but when broken down for cost per ounce, it's almost 28 cents per ounce, which adds up if your cat is eating almost two 5.5oz cans a day.

As for other brands - these pates are all grain free - I feed Grreat Choice from Petsmart (last I checked, their salmon pate was NOT grain free), Health Diet and Performatrin from Pet Valu, and Fancy Feast which I buy when it goes on sale. If you want to mix it up with other brands, I made a list of cat food brands readily available in Ontario with their price breakdown (prices include 14% HST). I believe my only criteria for choosing these foods was that they not contain corn/corn gluten/wheat gluten and were available in pate.

Go! is a very good brand, IMO, but quite expensive.

fancy feast
0.84 = 3 oz
    = 0.28 / 1oz

friskies bulk (costco)
28.25 = 48x5.5oz
    = 0.09469 / 1oz

friskies individual
1.63 = 13oz
    = 0.1252 / 1 oz
0.88 = 5.5oz
    = 0.160 / 1oz

performatrin (pet valu)
3.04 = 13oz
    = 0.234 / 1oz
1.91 = 5.5oz
    = 0.347 / 1oz
1.57 = 3 oz
    = 0.524 / 1oz

performatrin ultra (pet valu)
3.72 = 13oz
    = 0.29 / 1oz
2.36 = 5.5oz
    = 0.429 / 1oz
2.02 = 3 oz
    = 0.674 / 1oz

feline cuisine (pet valu)
0.78 = 3oz
    = 0.26 / 1oz

health diet (pet valu)
1.57 = 13oz
    = 0.121 / 1oz
0.76 = 5.5oz
    = 0.1377 / 1oz

chicken soup for the cat lover's soul
2.03 = 5.5oz
    = 0.368 / 1oz

natural balance
2.14 = 5.5oz
    = 0.388 / 1oz

feline holistic select
4.17 = 13oz
    = 0.3208 / 1oz
2.59 = 5.5oz
    = 0.471 / 1oz

nutro
1.80 = 3oz
    = 0.60 / 1oz

authority
1.57 = 6oz
    = 0.26 / 1oz

iams purrfect grain free + iams purrfect delicacies
1.46 = 2.5oz
    = 0.583 / 1oz

iams purrfect delights
1.01 = 3oz
    = 0.34 / 1oz

iams proactive health
1.57 = 5.5oz
    = 0.286 / 1oz

grreat choice classic gourmet
0.77 = 3oz
    = 0.256 / 1oz
grreat choice
0.73 = 5.5 oz
    = 0.133 / 1oz

wellness
4.74 = 12.5oz
    = 0.379 / 1oz
3.04 = 5.5oz
    = 0.553 / 1oz
2.25 = 3oz
    = 0.75 / 1oz
wellness core
3.04 = 5.5oz
    = 0.553 / 1oz

taste of the wild
2.48 = 5.5oz
    = 0.45 / 1oz
1.80 = 3oz
    = 0.60 / 1oz

wild calling!
3.38 = 5.5oz (rabbit)
    = 0.614 / 1oz
3.04 = 5.5oz (duck)
    = 0.553 / 1oz
2.81 = 5.5oz (chicken)
    = 0.512 / 1oz
 
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howmany

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I'm in canada and was just looking at cat food ingredients in another thread.@@lisaHE
Mentions Go!I found it at a farm supply store yesterday it was almost 3$ for a tuna can size has quality meat with rice and veg has I think carrageenan and gaur gum . The iams wet which seems new to the market is high in fat but seems a decent quality ( I am feeding a skinny momma and babies right now so low grain high fat was all Iwas looking for at the time . Pc kitten has whole rice grains would that make your cat throw up more.
Sobeys carried large friskies cans here in
NS where as the Pc store didn't .
I know a dedicated costco shopper who get her friskies at super store or walmart on sale so that seems after picking your flavours flyering and stocking up is the way to go
 

thegreystalker

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I suspect that the 'Grreat Choice' brand at Petsmart is actually manufactured by Nestle Purina.  The Great Choice pate formulas I have purchased have the exact same ingredient content and order of ingredients as Friskies or Fancy Feast.
 

howmany

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Have purina veterinary diets in front of me;chicken liver fish meat by products water for processing artifical and natural flavours calcium phosphate rice gaur gum potassium chloride added colour salt taurine minerals vitamins thiamine mononitrate so more real meat than friskies pate but close ish was 1.03 plus taxes Can. per 85 grams or fancy feast size can
 

bonepicker

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Thanks for your replies.

I understand that the better friskies are the classic one. They have less carbohydrates and junk but contains more calories.

Can I assume that "Classic friskies" is the friskies cans that say "pate"? They are not marketed with this name in Canada. See http://www.walmart.ca/search/friskies (must look the can image, this is not even in the product name)

I think I will give 1 can of friskies per day (170-180 cal) plus 1/2 can of fancy feast (35-45 cal) in 3 meals. Still a little bit more than OM, but I will monitor her :)

Should I prefer also the fancy feast in "pate" over the others?
Yes
 
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ohmer

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We buy Fancy Feast, Friskies and PC own brand to mix in with a rotation of more expensive foods. This really does help the food budget go further, and frankly our one cat prefers these foods so there's less stress at dinner time with him.
I recommend checking out the President's Choice little cans. They're in the same price range as Fancy Feast.
Thanks for the suggestion of PC brand. Seem like better than Friskies paté (no rice or wheel, chicken as first ingredient). I'm right?

Ingredients for PC Extra Meaty Chicken Dinner:

Chicken, meat by-products, poultry by-products, animal liver, dried egg product, salt, guar gum, potassium chloride, vitamins (vitamin e supplement, thiamine mononitrate, niacin,  vitamin B12 supplement,   d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin D3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, vitamin a supplement,  biotin, folic acid), minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper proteinate, manganous sulfate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide), choline chloride, carrageenan, added color, taurine, sufficient water for processing.
 
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ohmer

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Do you or a friend have a CostCo membership? Buying bulk packs of Friskies there at $26 per 48 can case is much more efficient (when I include the Ontario 13% sales tax, something like 9 cents an ounce) than buying individual cans or from pet stores, which tend closer to maybe 12-16 cents per ounce. The only problem with the bulk pack is it's half fish flavours, which I prefer to feed less of. It also comes with turkey and cheese shreds, which as people have mentioned, are higher in carbs because there's less meat and more thickened soup/gravy. Other than what comes in the bulk pack, I stick to pates. I know a lot of people say Fancy Feast is inexpensive, but when broken down for cost per ounce, it's almost 28 cents per ounce, which adds up if your cat is eating almost two 5.5oz cans a day.
Yeah walmart also sell them online. I also don't like the fish and the shreds. This is unfortunate, because this is very cheap.
 

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I actually contacted Purina about Friskies calorie content and this is what they sent me: 

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Classic Seafood Entrée: 32.19 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Country Style Dinner: 32.54 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Liver & Chicken Dinner: 32.50 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Mariner's Catch: 31.44 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Mixed Grill: 32.4 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Dinner: 30.68 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Poultry Platter: 34.71 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Salmon Dinner: 33.71 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Sea Captain's Choice: 30.04 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Supreme Supper: 31.53 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Classic Paté Turkey & Giblets Dinner: 31.95 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Special Diet Classic Paté Beef & Chicken Entrée for Adult Cats: 32.3 calories per ounce

Purina[emoji]174[/emoji] Friskies[emoji]174[/emoji] Cat Food Special Diet Classic Paté Turkey & Giblets Dinner For Adult Cats: 30.05 calories per ounce 

I feed mixed grill, chicken and liver, turkey and giblets, and poultry platter
 
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