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The Felix Adult Chunks in Jelly formula is one of the few formulas offering flavored meals in one pack. There is much hype surrounding this formula. According to the manufacturer, this formula is made with nutritious ingredients that boost the overall health of your cat. They have also gone a step further to avail the formula in varying meat and fish varieties. The company claims that your cat will love every bit of the succulent meats.
This review seeks to establish whether the Felix brand company has delivered on the promise. Is the Felix Adult Chunks in Jelly formulas all hype and no substance or are they really that good? Read on to find out.
The varieties available
Tuna in jelly – made of tuna flavor in jelly.
Beef in jelly – comprises of beef dipped in jelly.
Chicken in jelly – made of chicken dipped in jelly.
Fish selection in jelly – comprised of different varieties:
- Salmon and trout
- Tuna and cod
- Pollack and sardine
- Shrimp and plaice
The meat selection in jelly – this is made of varying verities:
- Beef and chicken
- Rabbit and liver
- Duck and lamb
The mixed selection in jelly – this comprises of tuna, beef, trout and salmon dipped in jelly.
The poultry selection in jelly – this is made of turkey, poultry, duck and chicken in jelly.
Jelly specialties in jelly – these are comprised of:
- Chicken dipped in jelly containing spinach.
- Beef in a beef flavored jelly.
- Salmon in shrimp flavored jelly.
The meat selection meaty loaf – this comprises of lamb, turkey, rabbit and beef.
The fish and meat selection meaty loaf – this is made of rabbit, chicken, tuna and salmon.
The mixed selection in jelly – this comprises of chicken, beef, tuna and salmon.
An overview of the ingredients
Tuna, Trout, Cod and Pollack – All three of these ingredients are fish products. While fish does provide a high amount of healthy proteins and essential fatty acids, you typically don’t see many wild cats eating fish as a part of their regular daily diet. There is also some concern about the mercury levels naturally contained in fish. While mercury levels are still within’ safe limits, the long-term health effects of daily exposure in small amounts is still a bit uncertain.
Beef and Lamb – Beef is considered to be a higher quality ingredient. It is an excellent source of animal protein and contains many other nutrients that are very important for a cat to survive and thrive. Since this is not in “meal” form, that means this ingredient still contains all of its moisture content prior to cooking. Once fully cooked, most of this ingredient will have evaporated due to its high moisture content. That means, even when this ingredient is ranked highly, it will usually only provide a small percentage of the overall protein in the food. There is no dismissing this ingredient, though. It is high quality and we are pleased to see it listed.
Lamb is a very high quality source of meat protein. Generally, this ingredient is more nutritious in canned formulas than dry formulas, but in either case, it is nice to see this ingredient listed. Unfortunately, about 80% of this ingredient is lost during the cooking process. That means, there actually isn’t much of this ingredient left once it has all been processed.
Chicken, Poultry, Turkey and Duck – Chicken is a very popular ingredient for pet food and in this case, they are referring to whole chicken. This is a very high quality meat source and we are pleased to see it listed. In dry cat foods, whole chicken loses about 80% of its content during the cooking process. This is because chicken consists of about 80% moisture. After the cooking process is complete, the amount of whole chicken remaining is substantially reduced. However, in wet cat foods the cooking process is a bit different so this is much less of a concern.
Contrary to popular belief, poultry does not always consist of chicken products. Poultry can include a number of different birds including chickens, fowl, quail, turkeys, ducks, geese, and even pigeons. All of these birds must be “domesticated” birds, meaning they must be raised in a human environment like a farm. While we would feel much more comfortable knowing exactly which type of poultry is being used, generally poultry is considered to be a higher quality meat protein ingredient. Unfortunately, poultry contains quite a bit of water weight prior to the cooking process. Since all ingredients are listed by weight prior to cooking, most of this ingredient is lost during the cooking process. That means, it is important for this meat protein source to be complimented by another quality meat protein source.
As a whole meat ingredient, turkey is a fantastic source of very healthy animal based proteins. We are extremely pleased to see this ingredient listed. Unfortunately, in dry kibbles, there is not as much of this ingredient included as you might initially think. Ingredients are listed by weight prior to the cooking process and since whole turkey is about 70% moisture, the vast majority is cooked off. So while we think this is an excellent and nutritional ingredient, it does need to be complimented by other high quality meat protein ingredients when used in dry kibbles. In wet cat foods, however, this is not nearly as much of a concern.
Duck is an excellent alternative meat source and provides very high quality meat proteins for your cat. As a whole meat product, much of this ingredient is lost during the cooking process in dry foods, but in wet cat food products most of the moisture is retained. It is also less water heavy than other whole meat ingredients like chicken or beef. So, while much of this ingredient is lost during the cooking process in dry cat foods, it is still a very high quality ingredient and in wet cat foods, there are no major problems with this ingredient. In fact, it’s quite beneficial.
Salmon Sardine, Shrimp and Plaice – While sea food is not a normal part of a typical wild cats diet, many cats will eat fish or sea food animals from time to time. Usually, a cats sea food diet is limited to the stomach contents of its prey, fish who have beached themselves, or in some cases, cats may successfully catch a fish from a stream or lake. Some cat owners don’t like to feed sea food products due to naturally occurring mercury levels in fish. However, fish and other types of sea food typically provide a great source of protein and healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Rabbit – This is a great alternative meat source that provides excellent meat protein. When listed as “rabbit” that means this is whole rabbit. It contains the flesh, meat, and skin of the rabbit without the fur, bones, or intestines. While this is considered a very high quality meat source, it loses about 80% of its volume during the cooking process in dry cat foods. That means, in reality, this ingredient would be listed lower on the ingredients list if the ingredients were weighed after the cooking process. In wet cat foods, however, this is not as big of an issue since the cooking process is much different. In either case, this is a very high quality meat source and we are pleased to see it listed here.
Liver – In the wild, cats almost always eat the liver of their prey. It is a rich source of vitamin A which cats must obtain from their food since they can’t make it in their bodies. This is also a good secondary source of protein. If cats consume too much liver, it could cause toxicity, but the amount needed for liver to become toxic to cats is very high. Liver is provided in safe quantities in this cat food blend.
Can this formula cause allergic reactions?
This formula contains no allergy causing ingredients. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that it will lead to allergic reactions. Always read through the ingredients list of any formula to ensure it contains no allergens or harmful ingredients.
Ingredients to avoid
Soy, wheat and corn – All three of these ingredients are known allergens for many cats. In addition, many cats have problems digesting these grain based ingredients. Since cats are obligate carnivores, their digestive systems are designed to digest meat and not grains. All of these ingredients will help to boost the protein percentage in cat food, but not all protein is created equally. Cats do not digest plant based proteins in the same way as meat proteins and in fact, gain little to no nutritional value from these grains. Several “grocery store brand” cat foods include these products to keep the price down as it is a cheap filler to help make your cat feel full as well as a cheap way to add protein to the food.
BHA and BHT – Both BHA & BHT are preservatives that have been banned in human foods in many countries due to cancer risks. However, they remain approved for use in pet foods. A growing number of pet owners are becoming aware of the potential dangers these ingredients bring and are shunning all foods containing BHA and BHT. A quick internet search on these preservatives will show that the backlash is gaining steam with many cat food companies abandoning these ingredients. BHA and BHT are extremely controversial ingredients in all forms of pet food.
Animal by-products – One of the worst meat ingredients found in pet food today is animal by product. It’s true that this ingredient provides a very high amount of meat protein that cats need to thrive. However, animal by products are considered to be the lowest form of meat and it isn’t even approved for human consumption. Animal by-products are carcasses and parts of carcasses from slaughterhouses, animal shelters, zoos and veterinarians, and products of animal origin not intended for human consumption, including catering waste. Legally, this ingredient can even contain roadkill or euthanized animals. This ingredient may also contain what is called “4D meat” which is what the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) calls cattle that is dead, dying, disabled or diseased. This meat is considered unfit for human consumption, but is typically found in many pet food products. This is not something we recommend you feed your cat or any other pet.
Conclusion
The Felix Adult Chunks in Jelly formula varieties can be rated as average cat products. While they do not contain all the required ingredients, they are made with real high quality animal protein sources. They make excellent additions to formulas with all the nutrients required in cat formulas.
