Friskies Special Diet canned cat food no longer available...

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Been thinking further about this. In addition to the stick of a boycott, you might also include a bit of a carrot by telling people about the good results you got for your cats when feeding Friskies Special Diet foods - 'good for your kitty and good for your bank balance' sort of thing - and maybe encouraging people to post on Purina's Facebook site to say that they would like to try Friskies Special Diets for their cats if Purina were to continue making them. As we all know, corporates think with their shareholders' wallets.
 
Critter Mom said:
I agree wholeheartedly.

I'm no social media expert but I have some idea of the principles.

As well as asking for support from Purina customers who buy the Special Diet Flavours, why not ask for support from ALL Purina customers by running a #BoycottPurina type campaign. You could maybe create a short post on Facebook and maybe set up a simple website petition telling all Purina customers why the food matters so much to cats with diabetic/CKD/urinary problems and how it will affect kitties' health if they discontinue it. Then you could ask all Purina customers to support the campaign by boycotting the whole general range of Purina foods until they agree to reconsider their decision. The Twitter campaign could then include a link to the web page or Facebook post to tell people where to find out why the food is so important to kitties' health and wellbeing (and ladle on thick just how nigh on impossible it is to find foods that help them).

Just my two penn'orth.
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Great idea, now who wants to make the FB campaign page thing? It would be awesome if people would post their "testimonials" to the page explaining why SD was so important to the health of their critters.
 
Merlin said:
I saw the shelves emptying here in Phoenix about six months ago of the Special Diet. The store managers had no idea why they were not getting their orders filled so I think even the stores were perplexed. I knew something was up. Anyway, I did contact Friskies recently as well and shared with them how much I am going to miss SD T&D and that I will not be purchasing their replacement. He has done so well on Special Diet T&G these last couple of years. However, since I had to switch to another product, Merlin is doing well. It seems that since I switched to Wellness Turkey Grain Free, his numbers have improved.
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What do you do to care for Merlin when on vaca for 2 months??
 
I have emailed purina at Purina.com, telling them I will never buy another Purina product until they start making Friskes special diet can food again.....there is strength in numbers.....everyone do it......and I have also called them.....
 
I have also wrote purina. I may not us the special diet but enough of you all do. Purina should be ashamed of what there doing. It's just to make people pay more. So please everyone even if you don't use it write them and speak up for our special need kitties. I figure it's the least I can do you all helped get my max in remission.
 
How about setting up a new thread (or change the title of this one) to ask all FDMB members to support the campaign by emailing Purina and/or posting on their Facebook page? Maybe draft a template response to make it quick and easy for everyone to send a consistent, basic message and they could optionally add a testimonial about why Friskies is so important to their cats' health and wellbeing?

If someone could do that, I'd be very happy to post links on other forums to ask their members if they can lend their support to the campaign as well.
 
Forgot to add that when pitching the campaign to people to make it clear that every reader's support would be valuable and appreciated, even if they don't feed Friskies.
 
Please type in and do a search for this web site...and read it its mind blowing, do search as I've typed....

top 1,049 complaints and reviews about purina pet foods

add your comments....its sickening
 
We really depended on that food for our cats. We have sick animals that rely upon healthy food. We are your customers do you really want us to buy other products. Well we want that food. You making money with us buying it even if it isn't as much as you want. It is offset by other things. Come on do you have a heart. Think about these animals. Have a heart. Take pity. We love our cats and we want them to be happy and healthy. Please aren't customers always right. Ty
 
Just found this forum after returning from yet another unsuccessful Walmart trip and trying to figure out what is really up. Glad to see I'm not alone in this. My cat doesn't have diabetes, but does have UTI and crystal issues. He's been on the Special Diet for months now and has had zero issues. I did the Twitter thing (okay, I hate social media, so I felt more comfortable making an account for my cat, not me), and got a canned response to contact their FB. Messaged FB and got a canned response to please call them. The customer service rep was kind (just doing his job) and is sending me five cans of the Special Diet and coupons for free cans of the Purina One, but this is NOT what I want long term.

I agree with the boycott idea. We have a really good feed store nearby and I'll be visiting them tomorrow to see what non-Purina options may have been overlooked, but the Wellness sounds like my best bet for right now.

Frankly, this is outrageous. It's obviously just a ploy to get people to switch to the more expensive PurinaOne, but we are smart cookies, and that's just not happening. Here are a couple of things I thought of:

1) Let people at your feed store/pet store/etc. know of the situation and tell them about the FB and Twitter. Explain the health impact if they don't understand. As has been mentioned, even if your pet is healthy, this is an issue for all pets.

2) Talk to your local animal shelter. It's especially hard for them to place special needs animals, and this just complicates issues further. If there is not an affordable way for these loving pets to be cared for, more of them will be euthanized. They are a powerful voice and if we can get the shelters behind us, it will be a big win.

3) Start a dialogue with 9 Lives. If Friskies won't do it, let's get their competition to pick up the slack and make what we need to keep our pets healthy in an affordable manner!

I really like the idea of one of the petition sites and will be all over that like white on rice in a snowstorm. So please keep us updated.

So happy to have found a supporting community like this. I'm not usually one for forums, but this is a big issue and if there are other forums where this message needs to be spread, please just point me there.
 
Purina just bought Merrick pet food so their pockets are deep and they are buying up small companies I could trust. I know cost to feed is a huge factor, but I'm trying to find non Purina foods to feed that my 7 cats will eat. It's getting harder with Purina buying up companies & then using China sourced ingredients.
 
Some more ideas for putting pressure on Purina to bring back Friskies special diet.

I called my vet and asked him to also call Purina and complain about the Friskies special diet and he agreed.

I also called the Humane Society of the Untied States and stated our problem and the problem it will cause for thousands of animals, not just ours but those in shelters.....they will get back to me...but please call your vets get them on board and also call the Humane Society of the United States...you can check there web site, but there number is 202-452-1100...remember there is strength in numbers....
 
Hi, I just joined this site after finding out I can't get Friskies Special Diet cans any longer.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but a useful site
to find foods comparable to prescription diets is www.catinfo.org , written by a vet, Lisa Pierson.
I used her charts to convince my vet that using Friskies Pates & Special Diet cans were comparable to
the more expensive prescription foods (that I couldn't afford regularly).

Also, FYI, I wrote to Purina & got the below response, which must be the same as those who commented on them
pushing an alternative line. I'd still rather have Special Diet back & will sign any petitions.

"We appreciate your interest in our Purina® Friskies® Cat Food Special Diet and our Purina® Friskies® Cat Food Senior Diet canned foods. We regret to inform you that these products have been discontinued. Please know this was a very difficult, yet, necessary decision, based on extremely low sales due to a decline in consumer demand, even in areas where the product was readily available. Once the product is gone from the shelves of your favorite store, it will no longer be available for purchase. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

In place of our Senior Diet foods we suggest you try our Purina® Pro Plan® brand Cat Food – Focus™ - Senior Cat Age 11+ Chicken & Beef Entrée – Classic. Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate that Pro Plan Focus Adult 11+ Chicken & Beef Entrée Classic provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance of adult cats.
This product is made with real chicken & beef and has vital antioxidants to help fight the stresses of aging. For more information on this product, please visit https://www.proplan.com/cats/products/focus-adult-11plus-chicken-rice-formula/.
In place of our Friskies Special Diet canned foods we suggest you try our Purina® Pro Plan® brand Cat Food – Focus™ - Adult Urinary Tract Health Formula - Chicken Entrée – In Gravy.This product is made with real chicken, has low magnesium and helps maintain urinary tract health by reducing urinary pH. For more information on this product, please visit https://www.proplan.com/cats/produc...tract-health-formula-chicken-entree-in-gravy/.
We cherish you as a loyal customer and are mailing you some coupons so that you can let your cats try this new product. Your coupons should arrive in 10-14 business days. To learn where you can locate available coupons, we encourage you to visit: https://help.purina.com/answers/where-do-i-find-purina-coupons.
Your Pet Advisor,
Sherrie "
 
Yes, many of us know about Dr. Pierson's excellent site but it is useful for those who don't know about it. It is wonderful that you were able to show your vet Pierson's chart! More vets need to be educated about inexpensive, commercial wet/canned low carb diets for diabetic cats. So many vets are still set in their ways in pushing expensive prescription diets.

Purina seems set in stone in not bringing back Special Diet but it is worthwhile that we continue to voice our protests.
 
If you are in the Northeast, Wegmans has their own version of Friskies Special Diet--only the Ocean Whitefish flavor. It's the store brand Buju & Ziggy.

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/s...toreId=10052&catalogId=10002&productId=566365

5.5 oz.
Animal feeding tests using Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) procedures substantiate that Wegmans Buju & Ziggie Special Diet Ocean Whitefish Dinner Food for Cats provides complete and balanced nutrition for maintenance. Made in USA.
Ingredients
Ocean Whitefish, Meat By-Products, Chicken, Sufficient Water for Processing, Poultry By-Products, Brewers Rice, Potassium Chloride, Guar Gum, Vegetable Oil, Salt, Choline Chloride, Vitamins: (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamin Mononitrate, Niacin, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin), Minerals: (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Manganous Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenite), Carrageenan, Taurine, Natural Flavor.
Directions
Feed according to the age, size and activity of your cat. Feed at room temperature and refrigerate unused portion. Your cat should always have access to clean fresh water. Adult: Feed about one can per 6-8 lbs. of body weight per day.
 
Thanks for that, Laura. Sadly I'm in Texas and we don't seem to have that here. Keeping it up on Twitter, though. This is really becoming a matter of principle to me. Discontinuing a great, affordable item and trying to pawn a more expensive, higher carb option on us is simply not cool.
 
Given that it appears highly unlikely that Purina is going to bring back the Special Diet series; what are others purchasing as a substitute now? I have about 2 weeks worth of food left for my diabetic cat and am wondering what to do now. I looked at Lisa Pierson's nutrition information guide and it appears that a few of the 9Lives formulations might be a good substitute. Some of the Ground and Dinner formulations look okay - i.e. very low carbs. I've been buying the Friskies Special Diets by the case from PetFood Direct and now I'm at a loss as to what to do. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
After trying about six different products, I landed on Wellness Turkey Grain Free. Cats didn't like it at first but after I tried five other foods and then went back to Wellness Turkey, they liked it....or finally just gave up. I needed to keep in mind the phosphorous level too as well as carbs.
 
Does Wellness still make Grain Free Turkey or GF Chicken? I can't find it online and didn't see it at Petsmart either. I guess I'm going for EVO Chicken and Turkey. I'm a little leery of feeding 9 Lives all the time.
 
I picked up some Felidae Cat & Kitten today. Boots seemed quite happy, but I'm not sure how long I can afford that. It did give me a great opportunity to talk to the girl at the feed store about the current predicament. She promised to pass the info on to others.

Boots has been keeping up on Twitter, too. I'm trying to think of good people to reach out to. Grumpy Cat is a Friskies spokescat these days, I did post to her Twitter and got a follow out of it. Perhaps other internet catlebrities (is that even the term?) should be made aware? Getting public opinion on our side is key for this, since it's definitely going to take PR to get Purina to reconsider their actions. The more attention we can draw the better. I know this seems an uphill battle, but no company likes bad PR and drawing attention to this may be hard, but it seems worthwhile for our furred friends.
 
@ursa68 Yes, Wellness does still make GF Turkey and/or Chicken. I buy it at Pet Supplies Plus normally (It's currently 5/$8 a 5.5 oz can). I know my local Petsmart and Petco carry it, but they are always way more expensive. You can also order it from Chewy.com or Amazon. If you sign up for the Wellness email newsletter they send coupons every month. And remember, since it's a higher quality food with less filler and more fat, the cat will eat less and feel fuller longer.
 
@Laura & Heffernan Thanks , so I guess it's what's called "Complete Health"? Still, I don't think I saw it at my Petsmart. I will order some, in addition to the Evo. Unfortunately, Colby is an acro cat, so he can really go through the food! I'm trying my best to keep costs down and still keep him happy, but Purina isn't helping me any!
 
I'm going to be working on a change.org petition tomorrow for this issue since Sandra is having some computer issues. I'd love to have some pics of kitties to make a brief video highlighting the problem. If any of you have photos you wouldn't mind me using, please send me a conversation.

Thank you all so much! I'll be sure to post here as soon as it's finished.
 
I finally got a response from the Friskies company...yes it was the canned response. They indicated another type of food for the urinary problem even though I explained in my email that we were dealing with diabetes and kidney issues - not urinary problems. I promptly sent them another email indicating that I didn't appreciate a canned response and that I want to deal with a company that listens and reads. This is so frustrating!
 
Here's the basic petition letter. Can anyone think of something else that needs to be added? Greatly appreciate feedback.

"Please bring back the Friskies Special Diet and Senior Diet canned food lines.

They allowed many households to properly care for their pets with medical and dietary needs in a cost-effective fashion. Eliminating these lines will force us to switch brands (often for a lower quality product at a higher price), or put our pet’s lives at extreme risk by not feeding them the appropriate foods.

Continuing the line allows not only us to give our feline companions the great care they deserve, but helps eliminate the burden on animal shelters throughout the nation by making adoption and care of senior and special needs pets affordable to all. "
 
I'd suggest keeping the tense in the present:

e.g.

Please continue to produce the Friskies ...

They allow many households ...

Also focus on how hard it is to find species-appropriate foods that help with health issues and emphasis that it's kitties' health that will be negatively impacted, not the caregiver's wallet. Appeal to emotion! ;)
 
Pro-tip, it takes longer to make your first YouTube video than you would expect! But there it is. Thank you for the great suggestions, Critter Mom. The full petition will have a much longer explanation, just need something small for the letter portion.
 
I've used this cat food off and on for years whenever I get a male with UTI issues. My current problem is Pete, a 7 year old Maine Coon who started having issues with crystals at age 5. In addition to Pete, I have two other males (DSH) and two females (DSH and Maine Coon). Pete is the only one with the issue (for now).
So, after the first $1000 ER/vet bill, my vet suggested all the usual "vet" food (both dry and canned). Since it's near impossible to feel Pete anything different than the rest, they all get to eat this stuff. Well, it would have broken the bank (dry food $12 for a 3.5lb bag!) and canned food $2 for the usual size can. Plus, none of them would eat the wet food no matter what I did to it (all the usual tricks).

I'm using the Pro Plan Focus UTI dry; the vet said it's "3rd tier" but he can live with it. And, they all eat it and it's "reasonable".

As for the wet, Friskies was of course the go to. My cats don't eat a lot of wet (thankfully they are all water hogs) but I did want to give them (Pete) something good for him.
Believe it or not, he'll only eat the chicken in gravy version of SD. The others will eat anything.

So, now I'm in the same dilemma as all of you. What to feed him? I do have some of the Pro Plan wet food but now that I've read all of your comments, I'm not thinking I'll buy any more.

I also contacted Purina and got the same basic crap response. I contacted them again via live chat because the emailed response said something about some of their regular pate and savory shed entrees are also low in ash and magnesium. I asked them which; they are now sending me all of the labels so I can do my own comparison.

GAH!

I signed the petition, BTW (only #16) and posted it on my Facebook page. Maybe Friskies/Purina will do something about this, but, I doubt it.
 
I just found this message and my cat just went into remission again but it looks like he may be heading for urinary problems so my vet suggested Hill's. We decided to try a case while I research what you all are using but I just called up and ordered it and it is $2 per small can!! I was #27 to sign the petition.

Maybe you should start a new message with the petition info so everyone will see it now that you have it up and running.... I know it probably won't forget much good but I am going to e-mail Purina and hit their FB cuz my cats won't be eating Fancy Feast either so Purina has lost my business cuz I have no choice but to go elsewhere...
 
I signed it...then posted it on my FB and begged my friends to sign it...got 4 of them! If we can all get just a few to sign it, we can reach the goal soon.
 
Signed (#37).

I strongly suggest creating new threads on Feline Health and also in the insulin support groups (especially L&L) to make more members aware of this petition and to get their support behind it. Remember to ask ALL members of FDMB to support this, not just US members. Also, I'd suggest asking people to go to the petition site to read the reasons for signing, then clicking 'Like' for the reasons they agree with.

I really hope Purina respond positively. As the human of a cat with pancreatitis, food sensitivities, diabetes and early renal insufficiency I know how terribly difficult it is to find foods that meet the dietary requirements for multiple health conditions, and also why affordability is so important (especially in this day and age).


Mogs
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@chevronmoon - Fantastic video! :cool:

EDITED TO ADD: Really cool flyer, too. :)
 
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I have been in contact with Purina many times, phone email etc....I also signed the petition to no avail....then I looked up Nestles products----wikipedia had the hole list of the companies nestels/purian owns ..unbelievable ...I will boycott everyone of there products.....look it up and do the same email or call purina and tell them ...special diet comes back or you will never buy any of there MANY products......
 
Anyone find a comparable alternative in terms of cost, carbs, and phos? I just recently discovered this problem when I went to buy more and they told me it was discontinued.
 
I am using Wellness Turkey which is 1 carb less and slightly more Phos than Special Diet. Merlin's BG numbers actually improved since I started Wellness Turkey (grain free). See SS since June 6.
 
I'm using 9Lives pates as well - though all I can find reliably is the Meaty Pate Super Supper or Real Beef. We don't like to feed her seafood and sometimes I can find the Real Chicken.

We also tried Authority, which I believe is PetSmart's brand. Kitty said "no." She ate it for a bit but then she just refused. Even our non-sugar kitty, Ripley, who eats like he has a tapeworm (he's been checked out, he's fine), refuses it. Thankfully, they took it back. Ripley's eating Friskies pates (non-Special Diet).
 
stacia said:
I'm using 9Lives pates as well - though all I can find reliably is the Meaty Pate Super Supper or Real Beef. We don't like to feed her seafood and sometimes I can find the Real Chicken.

We also tried Authority, which I believe is PetSmart's brand. Kitty said "no." She ate it for a bit but then she just refused. Even our non-sugar kitty, Ripley, who eats like he has a tapeworm (he's been checked out, he's fine), refuses it. Thankfully, they took it back. Ripley's eating Friskies pates (non-Special Diet).
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Do you have a Shoprite nearby? The one near me (northern New Jersey) has something like 8 shelves of 9Lives?
.
 
We don't have them here in Raleigh. The best selection I've found so far is at one specific location of our grocery store, Harris Teeter. Selection is really hit or miss.
 
I did a ton of research on this when this happened, and contacted friskies and purina. I got the actual food reports from friskies. The Friskies Classic Pate canned food are VERY comparable to the special diet in terms of carbs. They are not quite as low as the special diet but they are all still very low and that is what we are using now.



JohnZ said:
Hi All,

I've been to 2 different Walmart stores and 2 different Shoprite stores and the shelves are empty of all Friskies Special Diet Pate cat food!

I suspected (and feared) that Friskies Special Diet Pate cat food was no longer available.

Did a google search and found the following from Examiner.com... If it's true we are losing a major source of what was a readily available, low cost, good quality, low carbohydrate canned cat food. Might be a good idea to buy any Friskies Special Diet Pate cat food you can find! Thank goodness 9 Lives still has many low carbohydrate cat foods (Meaty Pate's), although my cats don't like it as much.

From Examiner.com:

Purina nixes Friskies Special Diet cat food

Pet food maker Purina has decided to stop producing Friskies Special Diet canned food, which was formulated for adult cats prone to urinary tract problems, a company representative said June 15.

“We discontinued the items due to slow sales and declining consumer demand, ”Purina spokesman Bill Salzman told Examiner.com. “We offer a wide variety of cat food options in wet and dry form, and consumers ultimately determine which ones stay in the market.”

Special Diet was low in magnesium, a metallic substance that can contribute to crystal formation in the urinary tract. The food came in five varieties: beef and chicken, chicken bits, ocean whitefish, salmon, and turkey and giblets. The product line was introduced in 1995, Salzman said.

The news will likely disappoint some cat parents. The main non-prescription wet food alternative is Purina Pro Plan’s Urinary Tract Health Formula—Chicken Entree, a premium brand that typically costs several times more than Friskies. Prescription food prices also far exceed those of Friskies.

“Bring back Special Diet; I depend on it,” an anonymous person wrote on a Friskies website. “Prescription food and the other alternatives are too expensive.”
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stacia said:
We don't have them here in Raleigh. The best selection I've found so far is at one specific location of our grocery store, Harris Teeter. Selection is really hit or miss.
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Jillian Keller said:
I did a ton of research on this when this happened, and contacted friskies and purina. I got the actual food reports from friskies. The Friskies Classic Pate canned food are VERY comparable to the special diet in terms of carbs. They are not quite as low as the special diet but they are all still very low and that is what we are using now.
Click to expand...

@Jillian Keller This sounds like good news! What are the carb numbers that you came up with? Is it possible to share the Friskies food reports? :) Thanks!
 
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