Cat Food Around the World

My own cats' favorite (unanimous vote among my tinned-food eaters) is Whiskas Ocean Fish Platter produced in Australia and brought here by a friend with a sense of humor. Interestingly British Whiskas got a firm thumbs down despite "eight out of ten owners saying their cats prefer it". Sorry chaps, but they'll plough through endless bowls of supermarket own brands, but barely sniff at a plate of the purple-packaged stuff, a reaction normally only reserved for anything called "chunks in gravy" (any brand).

Whiskas in Australia comes in a number of intriguing flavors including Salmon and Chicken, Minced Beef, Beef with Rice, Lamb with Egg, Salmon with Cheese and the Ocean Fish Platter much loved by my cats. Aussie Whiskas is produced by Uncle Ben's of Australia; Uncle Ben's is best known in the UK for rice and sauces. Australian Whiskas can also be found in Malaysia, Singapore etc. Fancy Feast, a brand familiar to US cats, is also available in Malaysia - in the UK it is known as Friskies Gourmet.

While considering the ubiquitous Whiskas brand, Whiskas kitten food was available in multiple flavors (Beef, Rabbit, Chicken-and-Liver) in France long before it was in Britain. I also first found cat food (both dry and tinned) with "petits legumes" (vegetable pieces) in France. In Britain, Kit-e-kat "Turkey and Carrot" variety was discontinued although a number of small foil-tray cat foods incorporate have added vegetables and some dried foods have vegetable or dairy flavored pieces.

I have found Japanese brands rubbing shoulders with American and Australian brands in some Singapore stores. "Mimy" a fish cat food in plain fish, fish-and-egg or fish with carrot and baby sweet corn flavors. English slogans are currently much used in Japanese advertising hence "Aijou Monogatari Series for every occasion and scene, maintains good relationship with your companion animals". Hills Science Diet produce a can of "Canine and Feline Mixit" which I assume is dual purpose food and many other international varieties are found in Japan: Kal Kan (i.e. Whiskas and Brekkies), Sheba, Royal Canin, Iams, Purina Cat Chow, Natural Life Feline Formula, Friskies.

Cat Food Advertising

As you would expect cat foods are advertised and described in ways to appeal to particular countries. British varieties are relatively free of hype. Sainsbury appealed to hunter-gather in an island race by producing "Fisherman's Choice" and "Gamekeeper's Choice" lines. Hi-Life produced Breakfast Platter which contains egg and bacon - the components of a good early morning fry-up in the UK. In comparison, American cat foods are more often promoted as "Feast" or "Entree" (dried food is known as "kibble" in the US). British foods may be "Gourmet" or even "Purrfect" while French varieties are "Pate", "Bouchees", "Terrine legere" or "Delice de".

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