KatKin vs Whiskas: what’s the best food for my cat?

When we eat well, we can feel the difference. From more energy and healthier skin to a maintainable weight and better well-being. And guess what? The same goes for cats. The food you feed your cats can have a big impact on their health and mood. So why would you feed them anything less than what they deserve?

If you love your cat as much as we love ours, you'll no doubt want to make sure they're eating and feeling their best. We've all fallen victim to quick marketing schemes and cheap, convenient cat food. But it's time to change. It's time to put our cats' health first.

Where do you begin? Finding a new food that's right for your cat isn't the easiest thing in the world. Especially if your cat is a bit of a fussy eater. Well, we've got your cats' backs right here and will be comparing the popular Whiskas food brand to our own KatKin fresh food to see who comes out on top.

Psst: check out our comparison between Felix and KatKin too.

Whiskas has been making wet and dry cat food, as well as treats, since 1958. But did you know cat food recipes haven't really changed since the 1950s? Most brands still use mysterious 'animal derivatives' in their cat food. This is the meat that wasn't good enough for human consumption, ground down into powders and stuffed into cat food instead of heading to landfill. Yum.

The rest of the food is made up of grains and fillers. Cats are 100% carnivores. They need 100% meat. Whilst grains and fillers may taste and smell good to cats, they do nothing for them. And they can actually lead to digestive problems, dental disease and obesity.

High protein. High moisture. High quality. That's what cats need. (Psst - see why we scored 5/5 on quality in this vet's review.)

Unlike Whiskas, we don't make multiple versions of wet food in jelly, gravy or dry food. And we don't provide cats with any kind of milk either. Why? Because cats are lactose intolerant. And even Whiskas cat milk, with 98% reduced lactose, can still cause problems thanks to its very high-fat content. 

Our cat food is fresh. We use 100% human-quality meat, gently cooked in its own juices before being frozen. This means all of the nutrients your cat needs are locked in without the need for preservatives. KatKin fresh food offers more meat than any other brand and is full of protein and moisture, so your cats will thrive.

We compared the ingredients in our popular Cluck (chicken) recipe to the Whiskas ‘Adult with Chicken in Jelly Wet Cat Food Tin’ and ‘Adult with Chicken in Jelly Wet Cat Food Pouch’. Unsurprisingly, the Wet Cat Food Tin contained 'meat and animal derivatives', cereals, various sugars and vegetable protein extracts. In a huge 400g tin, it only had 6.7% of protein. The pouch featured the same ingredients, with only 4% of actual chicken and the rest of the meat unknown, and 7.8% of protein.

Our own Cluck chicken recipe is composed of 100% gently-cooked fresh chicken thigh, liver, and heart, along with the minerals in our KatKin Nutrient Mix. One tray of Cluck contains 16.3% of meat protein.

Whiskas chicken cat food contains a very small portion of actual chicken (4%), with another 35-40% described as 'animal derivatives'. The rest of the food is then made up of various cereal fillers, sugars, minerals and vegetable protein extract. We also found 'derivatives of vegetable origin' labelled in the ingredients, which are purely bulking agents made of unusable vegetable products that are highly treated and offer no real vitamins or minerals.

How much you feed your cat will depend on their age, breed and weight. An average, healthy adult cat should weigh between 4-5kg, depending on their breed.

According to Whiskas, they recommend feeding 3kg cats 3-3½ 85g pouches of their Adult with Chicken in Jelly Wet Cat Food per day. Cats who weigh 4kg should be given 4 packets a day, and cats who weigh 5kg should be given 4-4½ packets a day.

Typically, a box of these pouches will cost £15 or lower, depending on where you shop. In a box of 12 pouches, that's £1.25 per pouch. And, by their own feeding guide, a box will only last 8 days if your cat weighs around 4kg. Of course, you can buy boxes of 24 or 40 pouches which will last longer. But with the amount of packaging you'll need to throw away per day, it'll create a lot of wastage.

In comparison, just one tray of KatKin Cluck, which can be fed in the morning and evening, is all you need. One tray contains 100% of your cat's daily calorie and nutritional needs. No extra kibble or multiple packs a day are needed. Just one tray.

Your cat's fresh food plan will be tailored to their individual needs when you sign up, calculating the calories they should be having. It's that easy. We also calculate the price from the information you give us, like how many cats you'll be feeding. Our prices start from just £1.89 per day, and you'll only ever pay for exactly what your cat needs.

On average, based on a moderately active cat weighing 4kg, Whiskas recommended you feed them 3½ - 4 pouches per day. Presumably split over several meals throughout the day. It is also stated that one pouch of wet food can be replaced by 16g of dry food.

One 85g pouch of Whiskas Adult with Chicken in Jelly Wet Cat Food contains 62 calories. On average, adult cats need between 200-250 calories per day, depending on their breed and weight.

Whiskas is okay for cats. Not good. Not bad. Just okay. Feeding your cat Whiskas food every day would be the equivalent of eating processed food every day. With its low-quality meat content, 'animal derivatives', low protein and being full of cereals and fillers, it won't offer your cat the optimal nutrition they need.

While your cats can survive on Whiskas cat food, it's definitely not the best you can be giving them. Whiskas contain some of the least amounts of meat and protein in cat food. Not ideal. And because it contains so many other fillers, you might find your cat struggles to digest it properly, leading to stomach issues.

Young kittens need to be fed several meals a day, and more calories than adult cats, to help them grow big and strong. Since kittens are so active, they tend to burn through a lot of energy. Kittens may love the taste and smell of Whiskas food, but it's not the best for them. 

If your kitten was fed Whiskas before you picked them up, we suggest switching them to KatKin fresh food as soon as possible so they can benefit from all the nutritional goodness right away. KatKin fresh food is suitable for all life stages and kittens older than 8 weeks. This means you won't need to spend time hunting for new adult food

Whiskas is owned by the American company Mars, Incorporated, which also owns Dreamies, Royal Canin, Sheba and Iams.

You might recognise the name Mars. That’s because they also own many human food brands we all love such as Twix, M&Ms, Galaxy chocolate, Uncle Ben’s rice, Dolmio, and many others. They’re a BIG company and their focus isn’t streamlined to cats. Ours is.

KatKin comes out on top as the better brand for your cat. In fact, Whiskas is the second highest brand switched from in favour of KatKin. Our fresh cat food, made from 100% human-quality meat, replicates what cats were evolved to eat in the wild. Perfectly proportioned, free from preservatives and gently cooked, fresh is best. 

With KatKin, your cats will experience the following benefits:

• Better digestion 

• More energy

• More playfulness

• Shinier and thicker coat

• Less hairballs

• Easier to maintain healthy weight

For less than the price of your daily coffee, put your cat's health first. Plus, instead of buying multipacks of food, where you need to feed multiple pouches per day and throw away the flavours your cat doesn't like, you can choose the fresh recipes they love and only need one tray a day.

Find out more about why you should choose fresh cat food.