A Frustrating Experience with Blitz's Sensitive Cat Food

After ditching Pro Plan, I was left searching for a new food for my three cats. Since imports are constantly being restricted, I decided to stick with Russian brands.

The search led me to Sensitive cat food from Blitz, specifically designed for sterilized cats. However, I've been getting frustrated with the manufacturer over the past couple of weeks, which I'll discuss later.

xa0

Where to buy and how much?

Blitz isn't a common sight on store shelves, at least not from my observations. We buy the packs in Moscow pet stores like Markvet. You can also check out Beethoven, online marketplaces, or even order directly from the brand's website for self-pickup or delivery in Moscow or via SDEK across Russia. The website has a detailed list of physical stores in different regions where you can buy the food.

The price (current as of March 2024) is 1245 rubles per 2 kg pack (~623 rubles per kilogram).

xa0

Packaging

The available formats are 400g, 2 kg, and 10 kg. We find it most convenient to buy 2 kg packs, as three cats go through two such packs in four weeks.

The packaging isn't particularly impressive, except for the complete lack of a clasp or zip lock for closing, so you'll either have to catch the top or transfer the contents to a container. The pack is dense enough to withstand many transportation mishaps, but it's no match for our cats' teeth - they've managed to gnaw through a couple of packs by my negligence. Additionally, the contents are somewhat translucent when exposed to relatively strong light.

The inner workings are pretty impressive, with the logo visible on the left side.Most of the important stuff about the food is printed on the sides in both Russian and English. On the back, you'll find the production date and feeding guidelines.

xa0

Now, let's talk about the food itself and what's been worrying me

The cats seem to love this food. In fact, my two have been using it as a reward during training sessions.This food is a 100% Russian product. It's produced by Akana at the Provim factory in Klin.Composition (from the official website): dehydrated chicken meat (32%), corn, rice, hydrolyzed protein, dried beetroot, dehydrated and hydrolyzed chicken liver, corn germ, chicken and fish oil, albumin, vitamin and mineral premix (vitamins: A, D3, E, choline chloride, betaine, B3, B5, B2, B1, B6, folic acid, B12, potassium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, iodine, selenium, taurine), dehydrated egg, yeast - source of mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), dried apple, DL-methionine, cranberries, L-carnitine, rosemary and fennel extracts, Jerusalem artichoke, probiotic - live microorganisms Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis, Schidigera yucca extract, fucus.

Nutritional value per 100g:

- raw protein - 34%

- raw fat - 12%

- raw ash - 7%

- raw fiber - 4.5%

- moisture (not more than) - 10%

- calcium - 1.1%

- phosphorus - 0.8%

- vitamin A - 27600 ME/kg

- vitamin D3 - 2300 ME/kg

- Vitamin E - 200 mg/kg

- magnesium - 0.1%

Energy value per 100g: 374 kcal

Shelf life: 18 months from the production date

Checking the nutrition facts and ingredients, I was pleased to find that they're pretty decent, though I was expecting a bit less sugar as usual. The breakdown is surprisingly detailed, although the analysis on the packaging is a bit cut short. You'll find the most comprehensive info on the brand's official website (interesting to note that there are some minor discrepancies in the ingredient list, with one unspecified antioxidant missing from the site).

Now, let's take a look at the granule itself - it's your standard croquette: round or oval, brown and dark brown with small yellowish or reddish speckles. The aroma is pleasant but a bit confusing, like a mix of bread and meat. The granules are hard but not rock-hard, and they dissolve easily in water (or saliva). They don't crumble into a fine powder, which is a plus, and the minimal 'dust' mainly settles at the bottom of the package.However, I discovered a snag only while writing this review - the granules didn't match the sizes listed on the website. They're supposed to be 9-10 mm in diameter, but mine were around 12 mm in most cases.

And that's not all. When I received my next order, it was a relatively fresh batch from 29.01.2024... And the granules had shrunk significantly! I didn't need to whip out a ruler or compare them directly to the old batch to notice the difference right away when I opened the package.

I measured them next to the old ones - no difference. The left one's from September 23, and the right one's from January 24.Now, you'd think they'd be smaller, right? But nope, they're back to the right size, and everything else is still the same! My cats, however, didn't quite agree - one of them started eating way less because it was just too awkward, and food kept falling out of its mouth. Later on, the cat joined the protest against the small size, but after three weeks, they both got used to it. At first, I had to supplement with hand-feeding to make sure they hit their daily norm.I headed over to the representatives, feeling frustrated, looking for some consolation and answers to my questions... And this is what I got:

The exchange with the official representatives on VKReally, what's the difference between 12, 10, or even 8 mm granules? There aren't any regulations, apart from internal ones, but it's a 20% difference from the stated size! It feels like the official stance is, 'It'll be fine, just go with it!' - like in that cartoon about the 33rd Kingdom. They didn't even bother to explain what's going on with the other batches...I was already having doubts about the food, and this latest development has only made me more uncertain. The company's lack of transparency and willingness to downplay the issue is worrying.

Furthermore, there's an update planned for the Sensitive line, supposedly in the third quarter of 2024, as mentioned in the comments on the official Telegram channel. The details are still under wraps, but I'm watching it with a mix of curiosity and concern, given what they're doing with the holistic line.

So, the bottom line is: those dry holistics used to be made in Italy, but now they're trying to move production to Russia. They promised to release them in March, but we're still waiting. However, they did share some info about the ingredients (you can find the post "Holistic Коротко о главном. Часть 2" in their official VK group)... And from what I can see, they've clearly cheapened out the recipe and it's not as good.

As for me, I switched my cats to Holistic about a year ago, in late spring 2023. The transition went smoothly, and even great, considering my two cats have relatively low-shedding coats. Their fur looked and felt better after the switch. But over the past month, I've started to have some doubts.

xa0

The Verdict

So, I still consider this food to be good, and it's a great alternative to the overpriced PróPlan.

However, given the company's stance and the uncertainty about the future granules, I'm now watching other cat foods with interest, just in case I need to switch.