9 Lives vs Friskies [UPDATED 2022]: Which is Better? - OliveKnows (2024)

Purina Friskies Pate Wet Cat Food

Purina Friskies Indoor Delights Adult Dry Cat Food

If your cat likes a wider variety of flavors, then Friskies might be the brand for them. Alongside fish and meat, their kibble comes in cheese and garden greens flavors. This is primarily made for indoor cats, but it doesn’t really matter with this ingredient list.

Friskies Pate Wet Cat Canned Foood Turkey & Giblets

9Lives

Guaranteed Analysis

9Lives’ five dry food formulas come at an average of 31% protein, 9% fat, and 12% moisture.; this leaves 40% to carbs. This converts to 39% animal protein, 11% fat, and 50% carbs on a DMB. 9Lives’ macro ratio, too, is far from the ideal 50:40:10. This cheap cat food line relies on shoving carbs down cats’ throats to make them feel satiated.

Regarding calorie intake, the five formulas come at an average of 3400 kcal/kg, thus packing fewer calories than Friskies. To get 275 kcal, you’d need 2.8 oz of 9Lives kibble. Using the guaranteed analysis, this comes at 0.9 oz of proteins, 0.3 oz of fats, and 1 oz of carbs. Quite a lot of carbs for such a little creature as a cat, especially a domesticated one with limited daily activity.

Maybe the wet formulas will provide more natural flavor nutrition for your cat? They come in three lines – Hearty Cuts, Meaty Pate, and Tender Morsels. The first two come at an average of 9% proteins, 4% fats, and 80% moisture, leaving 3.5% to carbs. Converting them to DMB yields 51% proteins, 24% fats, and 21% carbs. At an average of 950 kcal/kg, you’d need about a 1 3/4 cans of food (10 oz) for a healthy 10 lbs cat. This would serve 0.9 oz proteins, 0.4 oz fats, and 0.4 oz of carbs. Pretty adequate, but the caveat is in the ingredient list. More on that, in the next section.

The Tender Morsels line is much better than the rest. It comes at an average of 10% proteins (some formulas go as high as 16%) and 2.5 % fats, leaving 4.5% to carbs. On a DMB, this comes at 59% proteins, 15% fats, and 26% carbs. The average energy density is 811 kcal/kg. So, two 5.5 oz cans of Tender Morsels will give your cat 254 kcal per day, which does meet the needs of a relatively inactive 10 lbs cat. However, it might not be adequate for a feline that tends to move a lot throughout the day.

How about macros? Two cans will provide 1.1 oz of proteins, 0.3 oz of fats, and 0.5 oz of carbs. It turns out that the 9Lives Tender Morsels line is adequate for healthy cats. Yet, we advise against feeding it to your cat because of some ingredients issues that we’ll discuss below.

Ingredients

Regarding ingredients, 9Lives’ five kibble formulas are identical. Corn, wheat flour, soy, unidentified meat, and animal digest seem to be the common primary ingredients in 9Lives’ dry diets. There are some meat and fish meals but no mention of whole meat. If you want a healthy and happy cat, these formulas don’t cut it.

Here, the wet foods do get an edge over the dry stuff. The 9Lives canned food does contain some meat in it, though meat-by-products still come at the top of the list, preceded in most cases by water. Another concern for us is the presence of colors, guar gum, brewers rice (a non-essential filler), and starch. These are all unnecessary ingredients for your cat and can cause an upset stomach and worse conditions in the long run.

The Tender Morsels line, though adequate in terms of nutritiousness, also contains concerning ingredients. Though some formulas do list tuna as the first ingredient, they also contain soy, starch, flour, colors, and artificial flavors.

Overall Impressions

Overall, 9Lives pet food brand is not something that we’d feed to our cats, and we advise cat lovers like yourself to stay away from these formulas. The dry foods are especially concerning, and even the more higher-end Tender Morsels wet line didn’t live up to our standards despite our initial excitement due to the guaranteed analysis.

9Lives does come in pretty packaging, so it is likely to fool pet owners who don’t know how to choose the right cat food and would instead go for a cute bag. The substance inside, however, is not something that will make for a happy nor healthy pet.

Now, let’s put Friskies and 9Lives up against each other brands.

9Lives Products

9Lives Plus Care Dry Cat Food

This 12 Lb Bag of Dry Cat food contains100% complete and balanced nutrition thathelps maintain the urinary tract health by reducing urinary ph. In addition, It containsvitamins minerals which help promote a healthier immune system in your feline friend. (Serving size should be adjusted on your cat’s age and activity level.)

9Lives Daily Essentials Dry Cat Food

Delicious cat chow that, as the name states, offers daily essential nutrients for your cat. It contains omega 3 essential amino acids and high-quality protein content supporting muscle growth and maintaining a healthy heart and vision.

9 Lives vs Friskies

Guaranteed Analysis

To make it easier to compare the guaranteed analysis of all formulas, we’ve created a spreadsheet that will give the complete picture.

*A note on the difference between on “per fed basis” vs. “DMB.”

Dry matter only refers to a formula’s macro ratio without the added water and leftover ash. Suppose you’d like to calculate macro intake regarding weight. In that case, you need to use the percentages provided by the manufacturer since your cat will get the food with the moisture and ash included.

We have only used DMB to make it easy to compare dry foods and wet foods. Without accounting for water, comparing cat food labels would be like the proverbial apples and oranges.

For example: say you need to compare Formula A, which only contains 1 oz of protein and 1 oz of water (50% protein content), and Formula B, which only contains 1 oz of protein and 2 of water (33% protein content). It seems as Formula B has less protein because it contains more water. In reality, both formulas contain the same amount of protein on DMB.

Ingredients

Regarding ingredients, there is no need for comparison. Both brands count mostly on the same low-quality ones – corn, wheat, and soy fillers, meat meal, artificial colors and flavors, and by-products. Except for some fish in some of the wet formulas, there is no whole meat. As we’ve discussed many times over, cats need whole, complete meat to survive. They cannot thrive nor live on plant-based diets, and while they might ingest some carbs in the wild through their prey’s digest, these amounts are negligible.

FAQ

Where are Friskies and 9Lives manufactured?

Chewy states that Purina manufactures its animal food, including Friskies cat food in America, but it also sources some proteins and other ingredients from overseas.

I couldn’t find an official source on 9Lives cat food, but some sources say their dry food is manufactured in the US while their canned cat food is manufactured in the US and overseas.

What company owns Friskies and 9Lives?

Purina owns Friskies, and 9Lives is owned by Smuckers.

Should I feed wet or dry food?

Ideally, you would feed both wet canned food and dry food to your cat. Cat’sget most of their hydration from their food, so they need wet food in their diet to keep them healthy. Dry food offers dental benefits for cats and should be fed as well.

Overall Impression: 9Lives or Friskies?

Friskies and 9Lives do not surprise with either ingredients or guaranteed analysis. Manufacturers need to cut many many corners to achieve such low prices. Unfortunately, the low price comes at a high cost – an unhealthy cat whose menu consists of unnatural cat foods, non-nutritious for felines.

Both brands seem to be very focused on branding to make their products more appealing. This is especially the case with Friskies, whose package and website designs are quite entertaining. Yet, animations of a bright blue sea and Ferris wheel don’t improve the quality of the formulas. Why would a cat get on a Ferris wheel anyway? To reiterate, if a cat ends up at an amusem*nt park, he’ll go straight for the meat, not for the corn, and certainly not for the attractions.

We understand that many owners are budget-conscious, and cat foods might not be high on the priority list when it comes to money. Yet, getting a pet means getting not only cuddly times but also a basket full of responsibilities. If you are about to get a cat, consider whether your budget allows you to buy decent food. If you already own a cat (or any pet), but are not well financially, opt for brands that are easy on the pocket, yet provide nutritious and healthy formulas like Merrick.

Further Reads

• Meow Mix vs Friskies [2022]: Which is Better?
• How To Find The Best Cat Food
• The Best Treats for Your Cat
• Ingredients to Watch Out For in Cat Food