December 11, 2021

Great Cats! Should She Be Canned?


Great Cats! Should She Be Canned?
Canny kitties can always find a good can | Abeer Zaki on Unsplash

Shall I slag off the bravery and gumption of adventurous journalist Olga Afanaseva and ask, “What kind of a burning question is the quality of cat food?”

No, no I shan’t, because on November 28, Afanaseva herself tested ten brands of feline vittles to determine which would best nourish our darling comrades for a report in Komsomolskaya Pravda.

The journalist chose to aid creatures who serve many not only as moral support, great entertainment, and part-time therapists, but also as independent and stubborn role models in a world hostile to those who are not afraid to turn up their tails and chase the fresh stink of the day.

The food ranged in price from 20 to 90 rubles (about $0.25 - $1.25 USD) and included brands such as Kitikat, Whiskas, Felix, Royal Canin, and Proplan. Gastroentologist Anna Mateevna assured Afanaseva that the cat food is prepared with meat, bones, and offal from the same farms that provide the fixings for human recipes. In the United States, she added, there is even a law that requires any cat food to prepared with ingredients that are suitable for human consumption. How is that for good stuff?

The journalist’s explorations revealed that some brands were, truly, unpalatable for human sensibilities. One smelled appetizing but came away leaving her wanting for taste; another was like “cheap dumplings with soy,” and the fancier brands tended to be more neutral in flavor. Others, however, were just as delicious as the meat pâté you might find in a more refined grocery aisle.

Veterinarian Alexander Samsonov gave an expert opinion on why much of the food came off as so tasteless, even if the aroma might be appealing. “The [meals] are not salted, no spices are added. We can say that food for cats is made of better quality, nothing is masking the taste of meat… Economy class pouches (food bags) add a lot of flavors… The food smells more appetizing, but cats often give off an allergic reaction to this and the treatment costs a pretty penny. Premium food will be almost tasteless, and there is a lot of protein. But they still try to make the aroma attractive to the animal - hence the various sauces.”

Afanaseva’s conclusion?

Her cats eat better than she does.

Perhaps this is deserved! We mustn’t forget that, as divisive in today’s society as the creatures might be, they do know how to sniff out a good rat.

 

You Might Also Like

Akhmatova's Cat Goes Missing
  • October 20, 2021

Akhmatova's Cat Goes Missing

After a brief scare, the oldest cat at the poet Anna Akhmatova's museum in St. Petersburg has returned safely back home. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955