| Website | Optimum |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Available from | Pet Circle |
Do you think celebrity vet Dr Chris Brown likes Mars Bars? Do you think he would endorse them as a nutritious diet? Probably not… but it may surprise you Mars also make Optimum. They’re big boys in the pet space and make many of the pet foods you find on the shelves. Not many of them are good, but they’re very well marketed.
Let’s take a look at the Tuna recipe, made from cereals, more cereals, by-products of undisclosed types of poultry, and preserved with undisclosed and likely chemical antioxidants…
So where shall we start? Tuna Meal is the 4th ingredient, but Australian standards require only a minimal amount of the ingredients to justify the “with Tuna” on the label. Realistically the top three ingredients will be the prominent ones, and the poultry is weighed prior to losing around 70% moisture when cooked into a kibble. That makes ingredients #2 and #3 most likely the bulk of the food, and they’re both cereal ingredients. This is called splitting, as otherwise the ingredients would read as cereal first and meat second. Cunning, eh?
You may be surprised to know this isn’t the worst Mars food, as the likes of Crave on the shelves of Coles is worse. But if you have your heart set on feeding a Mars product to your cat, then opt for Advance or Royal Canin as the *marginally* better alternatives.
Ingredients
Poultry and poultry by-products, cereals, cereal protein, tuna meal, poultry digest, salt, beet pulp, minerals (potassium chloride, zinc sulphate, ferrous sulphate, copper sulphate, potassium iodide), vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, C, D3, E and choline), methionine, taurine, antioxidants, inulin and yucca.
Considering the prices of imported cat food after Covid, the budgets needs to be balanced. Therefore I am switching to locals brands that are affordable so I’ve just bought Optimum on special. And I believe, it’s poor judgement of the autor to say that because the manufacturers of Mar bars make Optimun then the ingredients are going to be damaging to cats. Many people consume Mars bars without abusing them, chocolates are not the devil, but gluttony and weakness. Yet, she did not mention Fancy Feast made by Nestle, also manufactures of chocolates and sweets, and yet is known as top food for cats. I do hope my cats like Optimum, so I can mix the kibbles with Hill Science and Royal Canin, as I begin to reduce and fade out such brands for their un-interruptive price increases. But if they vomit, I shall return to this platform and report it. The vet industry is holding pet parents hostage.
A good metric to determine whether any cat food is good for your cat is whether it contains grains or other starches/carbohydrates. A cat as factually obligate carnivore means they do not need these ingredients in their diet. If a diet marketed as cat food contains these ingredients, then ask yourself why.
Changed my cat to optimum over a month ago and she has never been sicker, she’s 18 so it’s definitely not something I take lightly.
Why can I not find Optimum Sensitive dry cat food on the shelves in any supermarkets any more? I’ve checked Coles, Woolworths, and IGA but can’t find it anywhere. It’s the only one that agrees with my cat. He brings up any of the others I give him. Where can I find the Sensitive cat food again?
This (optimum kitten biscuits) is the only dry food that has made my kittens vomit.
The 1st time, I thought it could be just coincidence, but just in case, threw out the remainder of the packet.
Bought a new packet, and tried them on it again, but again made them vomit.
They have had a variety of both wet and dry kitten foods, and vomiting has not occurred with any other product.
I see from above comments that this has happened with others.
Why is this product still available?
it’s been the only catfood my cat has been able to eat. unfortunately I have been finding it hard to buy the optimum sensitive catfood . for over a month now. with neither coles ,Woolworth, Iga stores or drakes .
Hi Hayley, have you considered Pet Circle? They have it and it’s usually cheaper and quick to deliver. Here you go.
Ingredient Yucca schidigera. Not liking this ingredient. Keep googling through the praises by pet food ind. eg. toxin controlled in quantity recommended, you’ll see All parts of the plant is toxic to cats, dogs. Has toxic steroidal “Saponins” a natural detergent. Toxic symptoms are to central nervouse system, liver disease, pain in abdomen, digestive upset.vomit, increased heart beat, co-ordination, seizures.My cats are sitting on belly. Not normal. Not curled to sleep. Quantities of this sarponin poison every day can’t be good. Better None at all! Thirsty, leaving other food. I gave them cows milk which I don’t usually & some butter & they’re sitting normal asleep.
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