My Honest Review of Viskas Cat Food: Is It Worth the Hype?

My Honest Review of Viskas Cat Food: Is It Worth the Hype?

As a cat owner myself, I've tried various cat foods, and I'm always on the lookout for something that's not only delicious but also nutritious for my feline friends. In this review, I'll share my honest thoughts on Viskas cat food, a brand that's been around for a while but has gained popularity recently.

I have to admit that I wasn't a fan of Viskas cat food in the past, but after trying it again, I'm impressed with the changes they've made. Let me tell you more about my experience.

I've had cats for most of my life, and I've tried many different cat foods. My current cats, Sushlik and Senya, are spoiled rotten, and they deserve only the best. When I first started feeding them Viskas, I was a bit skeptical, but they took to it right away. The pâté version is a hit with them, and I love that it's made with duck, which is a great source of protein.

About my cats

Sushlik and Senya are my two beloved cats, and they're quite the characters. Sushlik is a bit of a diva, while Senya is more laid-back. They both love to eat, and they're always on the lookout for their next meal.

I've always believed that a cat's name should suit their personality. Sushlik's name is inspired by her adorable groundhog-like stance, while Senya's name is a nod to my friend's resemblance to him.

Why I switched back to Viskas

As a cat owner, I've learned to be frugal and look for affordable options without compromising on quality. With the economic crises and price hikes, I've had to make some tough decisions. I've tried various cat foods, but none have impressed me as much as Viskas.

My cats have tried many different foods, and I've had to give some away to stray cats because they wouldn't eat them. But with Viskas, they love it, and I'm happy to see them thriving.

Key details about Viskas Pâté with Duck

Name: Whiskas Pâté with Duck.

Price: 15 to 25 rubles (depending on the store).

Weight: 75 grams.

This is the second kibble I've come across with such a small weight. Those marketing tactics, right? It looks like the packaging is the same as before, but there's a lot less kibble inside.

Now, let's get down to business - the price per kilogram. I'm assuming one packet costs 20 rubles, so that's roughly 270 rubles per kilogram.

To be honest, I can still get chicken for that price, or some cheap fish like cod. But hey, the price is reasonable, right? It's not 800 rubles per kilogram.

Composition of Whiskas Duck Kibble

This is what I look for in a kibble - not the fancy packaging. Whiskas gets it right, though. The colors are still the same after all these years.

But, let's take a closer look at the ingredients.

This is a balanced diet, prepared just the way your cat likes it. The duck pâté will give your feline friend a real treat. Life is purrfect when your cat's food is not only tasty but also nutritious. Whiskas supports your cat's immune system, digestive health, and healthy skin and coat. Suitable for sterilized cats and kittens. Whiskas adult cat food is:

100% natural high-quality ingredients: meat and by-products - without added flavorings, artificial colors, or preservatives.Optimal balance of nutrients for a healthy lifeEverything your cat needs to stay healthy: Omega-6, calcium, phosphorus, and taurine, vitamin D and E, zincYour cat will be purring with delight!

Standard promises. Most manufacturers write in this tone - "our kibbles are made from high-quality ingredients", "lots of vitamins", "your cat will be meowing with joy".

Now, let's take a look at the actual ingredients:

Composition: meat and by-products (including duck), animal-derived products, amino acids (including taurine), thickeners, mineral substances, vitamins, beet pulp, sugars.

Honestly, nothing here really bothered me. The ingredient list isn't scary (no chemo), and there's no artificial coloring in the food. First and foremost, it's all about the meat and offal. The fact that the percentage isn't listed is just how most manufacturers do things (I've gotten used to it by now). Next come animal-derived products. Your imagination can run wild here) – it could be products directly from the animals or parts of those products. SECRET FORMULA))) In general, anything labeled as 'meat' in pet food is pretty self-explanatory – it's not going to be filet mignon or some 'good' parts of the animal. It's better not to think about it too much)))). Or then just feed them raw food.

Further down the list are amino acids, thickeners (no specifics given), minerals, various vitamins, and for the first time, I've come across beet pulp.

Beet pulp is a byproduct of sugar beet processing.

Beet pulp is rich in energy, with a good amount of calcium and phosphorus, and it retains sufficient raw fiber to aid digestion in both cats and dogs.

In fact, beet pulp is an ideal source of fiber, which is beneficial for the proper functioning of the digestive system. To put it simply, fiber is the real value in dietary foods used for digestive issues, and it's also found in some dietary supplements.

So, it looks like this is a decent source of fiber. So, the ingredient is acceptable)))).

The ingredient list wraps up with sugar (emphasis on the last syllable). I wrote more about this ingredient in this review. To sum it up, there's nothing wrong with sugar.

When you take a global look at the ingredient list, I wouldn't say it's bad. For the 'budget' segment that this food falls into – it's standard. If you take a closer look at the ingredient list of any food costing between 15 and 25 rubles, you'll see pretty much the same thing. But at least Viskas doesn't have SOY and a lot of cheap plant-based ingredients.

HOWEVER. I also want to draw your attention to the nutrient content in the food. Per 100 grams, there's a mere 8 grams of protein. That's ridiculously low – about four and a half times less than the 35 grams you'd get from 100 grams of cooked chicken breast.

For a cat weighing 3 kg, the recommended daily dose is 50 grams, which would give her (33/100)*50 = 16.5 grams of protein (5.5 grams per kg of body weight).

Chicken breast, cooked without skin, contains: 31 grams of protein and 165 calories per 100 grams of product. 80% of calories come from protein, and 20% from fat.

So, is Viskas a quality cat food or not? Here are my thoughts on this topic. Foods in this price range (15-25 rubles) unfortunately can't boast a super ideal composition. Everywhere it's roughly the same thing: some scraps of meat, something plant-based, diluted with vitamin complexes. So, for its price category, Viskas is a pretty decent food. I can't say anything else.

A little about the difference between 'then' and 'now'

When I bought this duck-flavored pâté before, I was buying the same thing, maybe with a different flavor (can't remember), and it was much drier. I didn't like that, because such a pâté sticks to the roof of the mouth, which isn't very comfortable for animals. But in this duck-flavored version, the pâté has a decent amount of jelly. I don't know, maybe the manufacturer changed the formula or finally understood that cats love it when there's more gelatinous stuff in their food.

Edibility of Viskas food

It ate everything. I repeat, my cats handle Viskas just fine.

I, on the other hand, say that for human olfactory perception, the food smells pretty pleasant. Yes, there's no duck smell at all. It just smells like pâté, cat food, and canned food.

I'm not a fan of the Viskas/Kitekat conspiracy theory - evil. There are just too many genuine stories about cats getting sick from Viskas.

Honestly, my cats aren't fussy eaters, but I've had my fair share of digestive issues with other premium cat foods.

However, I've never written off a cat food as being completely bad.

I've always assumed that my cat has a sensitivity to one of the ingredients in the cat food.

Recently, my cat had a bit of an episode with shrimp, and I've been cooking up some for my other cat, Sene.

Sene's the only one who'll touch it, though - Sussik won't even come near it.

My takeaways

For me, Viscach is a temporary cat food solution. I mentioned that at the start. In its price range, it's a decent, run-of-the-mill cat food with a standard composition. Nor better nor worse than the rest. Show me a cat food that's good quality and costs only 20 rubles, and I'll be a happy customer. There aren't many like that out there.

Cat foods with super natural compositions and just three ingredients cost at least four times as much. For example, I really like this Thai cat food. But comparing it to Viscach is unfair. 'Different weight categories'. I'm neither for nor against Viscach. I'll just note its pros and cons. Let's get down to facts, as they say)

Viscach's Pros:

relatively low cost of the cat food;pleasant smell (for human noses);I like the design of the packaging, it's easy to open, and the color scheme is nice;my cats love eating this cat food;no side effects;easy to find in stores, even outside of pet stores.Viscach's Cons:

low nutritional value;the composition isn't perfect, I'll emphasize that I don't call it good or bad;it may not suit all animals.It's clear that the ads showcase this food in a pretty idealized light, almost like an Instagram ad. The cats in the Viskas ads are always perfect and happy-looking. But it's not all smooth sailing like in the ads, and this food comes with its own set of pluses and minuses. I think it's always a good idea to analyze and understand that in our time, there are market laws that dictate certain conditions, and a food that costs twenty rubles just can't have top-quality meat and a slew of 'healthy' ingredients. Our carrots are currently going for around 150 rubles on average)