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Do you own a finicky feline companion? This means that you need to be choosy on what you feed your cat on. Finding your adult cat’s favorite formula can be tricky as there are numerous brands in the market. Many of these brands are manufactured with low quality ingredients, and this can greatly affect the health of your aging cat. This is why you need to take special care when making a choice. The ingredients of any formula will tell you all you need to know about the formula’s quality.
Felix adult sensations sauce surprise is one of the adult cat formulas in the market. According to the manufacturer of the Felix brand, this is a combination of different cat meals made with fish and meat pieces that are immersed in flavored sauces. The company claims that this formula is made to meet your cat’s needs at their adult life stage.
Does this formula live up to the claims?
The varieties available
The sensations sauce surprise meat – this is available in meat types like turkey, beef, lamb as well as duck. You will find these meats in bacon, tomato, game and carrot sauces respectively.
The sensations sauce surprise fish – this is available with fish like salmon, Pollock, trout and sardine. These have been immersed in shrimp, tomato, herring and carrot sauces respectively.
An overview of the ingredients in the meat formula
Turkey – 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.
Beef – 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 – 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.
Duck – 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, but it is less water heavy than other whole meat ingredients like chicken or beef. So, while much of this ingredient is lost during the cooking process, it is still a very high quality ingredient and we are quite pleased to see it listed here.
Other ingredients in the formula
Bacon sauce – Bacon sauce contains much of the left over fat and grease from cooking bacon, with added spices and other flavoring ingredients included. Here is an example of how to make your own bacon sauce. This ingredient is probably the by-product of bacon which has been cooked for use in human grade foods. Bacon sauce can provide a decent fat source and even provide some protein, but it should be used in moderation.
Tomato sauce – This ingredient may surprise some cat owners because we often hear that cats should never eat tomatoes. Tomatoes are members of the Solanaceae family of plants, which includes the Deadly Nightshade, and contain a bitter, poisonous alkaloid called Glycoalkaloid Solanine, which can cause violent lower gastrointestinal symptoms. The leaves and stems are particularly toxic. However, tomatoes in pet foods are ripe, and should cause no concern because they appear in relatively small amounts. This ingredient may add some vitamins and minerals to the food, but overall, it doesn’t provide a whole lot of nutrition for your cat.
Game sauce – The word “game” can indicate just about any animal and the word “sauce” can also mean several things. We have absolutely no idea what “game” is included or how they make the “sauce”. With such a generic ingredient label, it’s hard to imagine anything nutritious is included here, otherwise, they would label it in a different way. The “game” in this ingredient remains a mystery and we are not comfortable with that.
Carrot sauce – Carrot sauce is simply carrot juice with a few additives for flavoring. You can see an example of you how might make carrot sauce here. A good source of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, carrots are becoming more common in pet foods. This ingredient is also known to boost the immune system and help promote healthy eyes in cats as well as providing a good source of fiber.
All these sauces make better alternatives to water which is used as a cheap source of broth in some cat formulas.
An overview of the ingredients in the fish formula
Salmon – Salmon is an excellent source of high quality proteins for cats and is extremely rich in healthy Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Some people worry about mercury levels in fish. It’s true that all fish contains some degree of mercury, the level in salmon is much lower than other types of fish and the FDA doesn’t believe it is cause for concern. Most salmon in cat food is farmed salmon, but higher end cat food (especially those labeled “natural”) can often times be fished from natural lakes and streams. The biggest problem with fish ingredients, including salmon, is if the fish includes an antioxidant called ethoxyquin (EMQ). It is believe that ethoxyquin could be very harmful to cats and other animals. Always make sure you are using “Ethoxyquin free” cat food blends when they include fish ingredients. When in doubt, call the customer service number and ask.
Pollock – Pollack is a greenish-brown fish of the cod family. Like just about any other type of fish, cats gain quite a bit of protein value from this ingredient and can also make good use of the healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Since all fish contains trace levels of mercury, many cat owners like to shy away from fish based products. However, to date the FDA and EPA indicate mercury levels are still within safe limits.
Trout – Fish ingredients have become much more common in dog food over the years and now, this ingredient has found its way into cat food. While fish is not the typical prey for cats in the wild, they do supply a healthy amount of protein and extremely beneficial fatty acids as well as other nutrients cats can benefit from. Some cat owners worry about the mercury level that naturally occurs in fish, but the FDA continues to state that the mercury levels in fish are safe for both humans and pets. There is also some concern about where this ingredient might be sourced from. If the fish contains ethoxyquin, this is definitely something you would not want to feed to your cat, but we are unable to verify whether this ingredient contains ethoxyquin or not. Also, most of the time, fish used in pet food is the fish that has been deemed unfit for human consumption for whatever reason. Nonetheless, this ingredient does provide a fairly high amount of healthy nutritional benefit.
Sardine – A sardine is a young pilchard or other young or small herringlike fish. Some cat owners like to avoid fish in cat food because sea food is not usually a part of a cats natural diet. All fish products also contain a certain level of mercury and some cat owners fear that over time, the ingestion of mercury could be harmful (although there is very little evidence to suggest a significant risk). Overall, this ingredient does supply some extremely nutritious properties including protein and very healthy fatty acids.
Other ingredients in the fish variety
Shrimp sauce – Shrimp sauce is made from fermented ground shrimp mixed with salt and takes the form of a paste. Shrimp in general provides a high amount of vitamins, proteins, coper, zinc, and very healthy fatty acids. While shrimp is not a part of a normal diet for most cats in the wild, they do provide a decent amount of nutrition and shrimp is becoming more popular in modern day pet foods.
Tomato sauce – This ingredient may surprise some cat owners because we often hear that cats should never eat tomatoes. Tomatoes are members of the Solanaceae family of plants, which includes the Deadly Nightshade, and contain a bitter, poisonous alkaloid called Glycoalkaloid Solanine, which can cause violent lower gastrointestinal symptoms. The leaves and stems are particularly toxic. However, tomatoes in pet foods are ripe, and should cause no concern because they appear in relatively small amounts. This ingredient may add some vitamins and minerals to the food, but overall, it doesn’t provide a whole lot of nutrition for your cat.
Herring sauce – Herring is a silvery fish that is most abundant in coastal waters. Fish provides an excellent source of proteins as well as high amounts of healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Some people worry about mercury levels in fish. It’s true that all fish contains some degree of mercury, the level in salmon is much lower than other types of fish and the FDA doesn’t believe it causes any problems. Most herring in cat food is likely farmed herring, but higher end cat food (especially those labeled “natural”) can often times be fished from natural environments. The biggest problem with fish ingredients, including herring, is if the fish includes an antioxidant called ethoxyquin (EMQ). It is believe that ethoxyquin could be very harmful to cats and other animals. Always make sure you are using “Ethoxyquin free” cat food blends when they include fish ingredients. When in doubt, call the customer service number and ask.
Carrot sauce – Carrot sauce is simply carrot juice with a few additives for flavoring. You can see an example of you how might make carrot sauce here. A good source of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, carrots are becoming more common in pet foods. This ingredient is also known to boost the immune system and help promote healthy eyes in cats as well as providing a good source of fiber.
Can this formula cause allergies?
Though not much information is given on complete ingredients list in the formula’s website, the information made available does not show any traces of allergens in the formula. Therefore, this formula can be given to all cats.
Conclusion
The adult sensations sauce surprise formula is a very good source of protein. However, it does not seem to contain a lot of other beneficial nutrients like vitamins, mineral and supplements which are required for general growth in cats. The formula’s website gives very little information regarding the formula, and this can be a source of concern to cat owners. Therefore, it is best to feed your cat on this formula as a part of its daily meals alongside other formulas with all rounded nutrition.
