Friskies v. FF Phosphorus Content

I just did some checking on the phos. content of Friskies and Fancy Feast, found some surprises, and came here to share the results. This is important if your kitty has CRF or renal insufficiency.

I used the chart on the CRF website and checked all classic Friskies flavors up to 1.50% phos, and all the FF flavors Ragnar likes (classic pate only - other types may have too much carb). (My FF research was Ragnar-oriented, I must admit.) Ths Friskies ranged from 0.82% phos. to 1.5 (then I stopped looking, but there are 10 Classic Pate varieties under 1.5). The lowest FF I found was 1.78 (higher than anything I would normally give Ragnar), and it went up to 2.16 before I stopped looking.

The upshot is that is you need lower phosphorus, Friskies is a much better choice than Fancy Feast. The best are Friskies Special Diet Turkey/Giblets (0.82), S.D. with Salmon (0.95), and S.D. Beef/Liver and Beef/Chicken (both 1.09). Some regular flavors are in the 1.32 range.

I've been alternating Ragnar for almost 3 years between S.D. Beef/Chicken (the only S.D. available here) and three regular flavors that are a little higher but which he likes a lot, and it keeps his weight up. Regular Turkey/Giblets used to be higher, around 1.6, and I brought his phos. down from 5.9 to 4.5 by switching from Turkey/Giblets to this regimen - a can of the S.D., a can of one of three lower regular flavors, and can of S.D., etc. This, along with Azodyl TID, has brought his elevated renal values back down to high normal, and they have been lower at every 6-month check than at the previous one.

I have two 24-can boxes of FF on hand, but will use them now only rarely and as a special treat. (He had a can on Friday after his tooth cleaning and lump surgery, when he needed something especially tempting.) I can post the exact levels of all of them here if anyone wants them. The gist of it, though, is that the highest Friskies variety I found was lower than the lowest FF, so Friskies is a better food for the kidneys than Fancy Feast. (FF is tastier, though, so I keep it on hand if his appetite flags - which most certainly does not happen often with Ragnar!!)

I did the research on the Canned Food page of Tanya's CRF website, http://www.felinecrf.org/canned_food_usa.htm.

Blessings,

Shirley and Mr. One-Sided Glorious Mane (the other side is shaved with stitches from his surgery).

April 19 update:

I am going to list the actual values now that I have time. They are:

Friskies: - all Classic Pate, of course:

Special Diet Turkey/Giblets --------------- 0.82% phos.
Special Diet With Salmon ------------------ 0.95%
Special Diet Beef/Liver --------------------- 1.09%
Special Diet Beef/Chicken ------------------ 1.09%

(Not Special Diet):
Country Style --------------------------------- 1.32%
Salmon Dinner -------------------------------- 1.32%
Turkey/Giblets ------------------------------- 1.32%
Mixed Grill ------------------------------------ 1.41%
Liver/Chicken -------------------------------- 1.45%

Special Diet Ocean Whitefish --------------- 1.50%

Fancy Feast Classic Pate:
Salmon/Shrimp -------------------------------1.78%
Salmon Feast --------------------------------- 1.87%
Cod, Sole, Shrimp ---------------------------- 2.10%
Whitefish/Tuna ------------------------------ 2.16%
Classic Seafood ------------------------------ No data yet

I hope this helps someone whose cat has diabetes and renal problems!

 

Re: Researched Friskies v. FF for Phosphorus

As a finagle, you could blend small amounts from the FF into something appropriate to give some taste variety without too much phosphorus.

A digital kitchen scale is really helpful for this - ex 3 oz of FF : 3 oz of Friskies would average the 2 levels together. Increase the Friskies amount to decrease the average phosphorus amount.

 

Re: Researched Friskies v. FF for Phosphorus

If Ragnar has CKD, one important thing to note is that while phosphorus is important, it's only one factor in managing diet for a CKD kitty. You also need to look at protein quality. Byproducts are a low quality protein source. Research has shown that feeding food with a high quality protein source (muscle meat) will reduce protein metabolism residue and reduce strain on the kidneys. Some people on a limited income simply cannot afford a premium cat food and Friskies Special Diet is suitable if that is your situation, but Wellness Turkey or EVO 95% Chicken & Turkey both come in 13 oz cans which makes makes it actually cheaper to feed than Fancy Feast, and not much more expensive than Friskie's . Merrick's before Grain Turkey, Beef, and their Cowboy Cookout and Surf-n-turf flavors only come in 5.5 oz cans, but they are within the same price range that you were paying for science diet and have a lower fat content than the Wellness and Evo.

I don't make much money, but I discovered that when you feed a higher quality cat food, you actually feed less of it, so it can actually end up saving you money. When Bandit was eating FF alone, he needed 7.5oz a day, and he only needs 6oz of food a day eating mostly Merricks. He needed even less than that when I was buying Wellness and EVO, but the high fat content irritated his stomach so I stopped buying those two. I actually spend less money buying the Merricks because of this than when I was feeding all Fancy Feast. I pay about $1.16 can if I get 24 at a time, which is about the same as 2 cans of Fancy Feast. When you take into account that I am feeding 1.5 oz less a day of the Merrick's, I'm saving money by buying the higher quality food.

Gabby, my CKD kitty, ate half Wellness half Friskie's Special Diet for a short while when I was going though a big financial crisis and before I had done some more research on CKD and realized that phosphorus was only one factor to consider along with sodium and protein quality. She actually much preferred the Merricks and PetGuard once I switched her to higher quality foods. Gabby wasn't diabetic, so I wouldn't recommend the PetGuard, but you still have several other options. Here's an updated chart of premium foods: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8Uu8g1u8Su9YTgxNGE1MDItM2MyMC00Y2Y3LWI4ODMtMzhkYTkxOGM4NThk/edit

 

Re: Researched Friskies v. FF for Phosphorus

The phosphorus content of the two Regular varieties I've been feeding Ragnar (Liver/Chicken and Mixed Grill) is much higher in the new chart than in the old. Presumably, that's because the recipes have been changed. Of the Regular varieties, Salmon (which used to be 1.5% but is now 1.32%), Country Style, and Turkey/Giblets(both also 1.32) are now the best.

The recipes for the varieties I've been using must indeed have changed, because I just got the results of Ragnar's test, and his phos. has gone up from 4.5 to 6. I've asked a local supermarket to order Special Diet With Salmon (0.95%), and if they don't get it, will buy it in quantity in Fargo.

All these Friskies flavors, however, are still much lower than Fancy Feast.

Blessings,

Shirley and Love

 

Re: Researched Friskies v. FF for Phosphorus

That's a good idea for some people/cats - though probably not for Ragnar because he's really picky about mixing flavors. If I mix varieties together, he reacts as if I'd mixed the spinach with the vanilla pudding. :razz:

By the way, his renal values are pretty good - a lot better than my own. He has only a mild impairment, and on Azodyl and this food, he's gotten better every time we've checked. But his phos. WAS up this time, and I notice that the foods he eats have much higher phos. levels listed on the CRF website now than they did when I started using them. Friskies must have changed the recipes. Now I'm switching him to a new set of varieties that have lower phos. This means, among other things, that the info on Tanya's website must be really, really accurate and up to date.

Blessings!

Blessings!