Introduction
Friskies is one of the most popular brands of canned cat food in the United States. Owned by Nestle Purina Petcare, Friskies offers a wide variety of canned food products for cats in gravy, pate, and flaked textures. According to market research, Friskies holds 24% market share in the wet cat food category as of 2022. Their top selling canned cat food products include Friskies Pate, Friskies Shreds, Friskies Prime Filets, and Friskies Gravy Sensations.
The popularity of Friskies canned cat food can be attributed to its use of quality protein sources, appetizing flavors and aromas, and affordable pricing. Many cat owners find that their cats prefer the taste and texture of canned or wet cat food compared to dry kibble. Friskies cat cans are designed to be flavorful and enticing to even the pickiest of feline palates.
Ingredients
Friskies wet cat food contains real meat, fish, and poultry as the primary ingredients according to sources Purina and Purina. Common meat ingredients include beef, chicken, liver, and turkey. Fish ingredients often include salmon, tuna, and whitefish. These protein ingredients provide essential amino acids cats need.
Vegetables like carrots and potatoes can also be found in some Friskies wet cat food varieties according to HEB. They add flavor and nutrients.
Meat and Poultry
Friskies wet cat food cans contain a variety of meat and poultry ingredients. According to Purina’s website, common meats used include chicken, beef, turkey, and liver. Specifically, 47 Friskies products contain chicken, 6 contain beef, and 30 contain liver. Purina states that real chicken is the #1 ingredient in many Friskies cans.
For example, the Friskies Meaty Bits line uses bite-size chunks of real beef in gravy [1]. Other cans like Prime Filets contain both salmon and beef [2]. So Friskies incorporates a variety of meat and poultry ingredients to provide cats with a tasty and nutritious diet.
Fish
Friskies wet cat food cans contain various types of fish including salmon, tuna, sardines, and ocean whitefish. According to the Friskies website, some of their wet food products contain fish ingredients like:
Salmon – Products like Friskies Salmon Dinner Pâté contain salmon as the first ingredient.
Tuna – Cans like Friskies Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Dinner Pâté include tuna within the top ingredients.
Sardines – Some varieties such as Friskies Sardine & Shrimp Entrée contain sardines.
Ocean Whitefish – Products like Friskies Ocean Whitefish & Tuna Pâté include ocean whitefish.
The specific fish ingredients and proportions vary between different Friskies wet food recipes. Many of their products feature a combination of fish types to provide cats with a diverse range of flavors and nutrients from seafood.
Vegetables
Friskies includes several common vegetables in its canned cat food recipes. Some of the most frequently used veggies are carrots, peas, and potatoes.
Carrots provide beta carotene, an antioxidant that cats can convert into vitamin A. Vitamin A supports eye health, growth, reproduction and immunity. Peas are a good source of carbohydrates, vitamin K, folate and manganese. Potatoes give cats fiber for digestion and potassium for fluid balance.
Thickeners and Binders
To achieve the right texture and consistency, wet cat food contains ingredients called thickeners and binders. Common thickeners used in Friskies canned cat food include carrageenan, guar gum, and xanthan gum.
Carrageenan is derived from red seaweed and helps give the food a jelly-like texture. It allows the chunks of meat to be suspended in the jelly in the can. Guar gum and xanthan gum are polysaccharides that help thicken the food and prevent separation of liquids.
These ingredients are considered safe for feline consumption by pet food regulatory bodies when used in approved quantities. The low levels present in cat food are not known to cause adverse health effects.
Thickeners like guar gum also help bind all the ingredients together. They ensure the food retains the right moisture content and provides a smooth, palatable texture when cats eat it.
Fats and Oils
Friskies wet cat food contains both animal fats and vegetable oils as sources of fat. Common animal fats include chicken fat and fish oil, which provide omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that are important for cats’ skin and coat health (Source). Vegetable oils like soybean oil and canola oil also add fat and flavor to the food.
According to the guaranteed analysis on a can of Friskies Classic Pate (Source), the minimum crude fat content is 5%. Specific fat and oil ingredients are not always listed, but in general, Friskies aims for a balance of animal and plant-based fats to meet cats’ nutritional needs.
Some veterinarians caution against too much plant-based fat from oils like soybean oil, as it may be harder for cats to digest compared to animal fat sources (Source). However, the mixed fat sources in Friskies canned foods are designed to be palatable and digestible for most cats.
Vitamins and Minerals
Friskies wet cat food is formulated with added vitamins and minerals to support overall health and nutrition for cats. According to one source, Friskies wet food contains supplemental vitamins like Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Niacin (Vitamin B-3), Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B-5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9), Vitamin D-3 Supplement, and Vitamin B-12 Supplement (Hancdley Feed Store, 2022).
One of the key supplemental nutrients in Friskies wet cat food is taurine. Taurine is an essential amino acid for cats that supports heart health, vision, and reproduction. Unlike some other mammals, cats cannot synthesize enough taurine on their own and must obtain it from their diet (Cats.com, 2023). Friskies adds taurine to their wet cat food recipes to ensure cats get enough of this vital nutrient.
Flavors
Friskies wet cat food contains both natural and artificial flavorings to enhance the taste. Natural flavorings come from things like spices, herbs, fruits, and meats. They help to bring out the flavors cats enjoy. Some examples of natural flavorings used in Friskies are chicken and tuna. Artificial flavorings are chemically synthesized in a lab to mimic natural flavors. They provide a consistent flavor profile for the cat food. While natural flavors are preferred, artificial flavors ensure each batch of food tastes the same. Both natural and artificial flavors are tested for safety and must meet regulatory standards.
Preservatives
Preservatives are added to cat food to prevent spoilage and extend shelf life. Some common preservatives found in Friskies canned cat food include:
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) – An antioxidant that prevents fats and oils from spoiling. There has been some concern that high doses of BHA may be carcinogenic, but the FDA considers it safe in the low amounts used in pet foods.
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) – Another antioxidant that works similarly to BHA. It may also have some antimicrobial effects. Like BHA, high doses have raised health concerns but the small amounts in cat food are not considered harmful.
While there are some controversies around BHA and BHT, they help provide the long shelf life cat owners expect from canned foods. The amounts present comply with FDA and other regulations.