Last week, there was an edition to my under-crowded household - a tiny little kitten whom I named Tish (after actress Tish Dean. Funny my dog is named after Nigel Harman...both were on-screen lovers and siblings in EastEnders!). She is gorgeous and provides me with great company! I love her so much, and only want to do what is best for her, so naturally I want to give her the best cat food I can get my hands on! Though do Whiskas pouches do the job?

Whiskas is a company that provides cats and kittens up and down the country with a selection of fine kitty treats for them to indulge in. One product they offer is their Kitten Pouches; packets of wet cat food to meet the needs of your hungry cat. Why did I choose to purchase these though, over other brands such as Felix? They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but I have always liked the look of the Whiskas products. The main colour of their products is a delicious purple shade, very deep and girlie. The Whiskas kitten can always be found standing by the 'kitty head' logo; a very cute little tabby cat with beautiful golden eyes and a mischievous little smile. Drawn to the box, I purchased a pack of Whiskas Kitten Pouches in Jelly: Meat and Fish.

There are four flavours to choose from within this pack, with three sachets of each kind. As the title indicates, these are a selection of meat and fish tastes: chicken, turkey, cod and tuna. It's a well known fact that cats like fish, so I was sure this pack was going to be a winner. When I arrived home from shopping, it was Tishie's teatime. I tore open the little cardboard strip from the side of the box. This reveals a flap lid so you can open and close it for easy access. Inside, you will see twelve pouches, a mix of purple and silver with the cute Whiskas cat mounted on the front. The flavour is written on the top and bottom, in six different languages. The first one I pulled out was Tuna.

At the top of the pouches there are two little slits so you can tear off part of it, ready to feed your hungry kitten. You can take this right off, though I always tend to leave a little bit on so I can keep the food more enclosed when I put the rest back (Tishie only gets half a sachet at a time just now). As soon as you have exposed the food, a most unappetising aroma bursts out. I cannot say it is just Whiskas that provide us with the stench, as it happens with all cat food. In fact, this was mild compared to some food I have used for previous cats! If the food smelled this bad, I feared what it would look like! I squeezed half the packet out into Tish's dish, only to reveal an unsightly substance. The jelly was an awful shade of yellow, with chunks of deep brown 'kitty food' through it. This was probably the part that would taste of tuna, though it did not smell like it.

Half a sachet was the recommended amount for my kitten, though in her bowl it did not look like a lot. Nonetheless, I put it down for her and she came darting over, obviously able to smell it - that explains the strong scent! For cats, it must be as glorious as a bottle of Kylie Perfume! Tish sat happily for a good ten minutes munching away at her tea, and polished off the entire meal. Thankfully, it was a winner! She hopped back onto my bed and curled up, purring contently. I popped the other half of the sachet, folded over, into the box, happy with my purchase.

The other three flavours all looked identical to this one, both in smell and appearance. I couldn't possibly have told the difference if it were not for the labelling on the sachet! To be honest, I don't know if Tish could either - it seemed she enjoyed them all equally. They seem quite healthy too; the box states they contain no preservatives and no artificial flavours either (you wouldn't think so when Tishie has her mad half-hour!). On the back of the box, you will find a lot of information. There is a table explaining how much food your kitten should have, and how often. For my Tish, she requires one and a half to two pouches a day, within four to five meals. We are even told why this is, and apparently Tish has a tiny stomach so needs fed little and often. Bigger kittens, which are ten to twelve months require two and a half to three pouches a day, two to four times. This table is coloured and easy to read. There is also information about protein,minerals, calcium and vitamins, and why they are important for kitty to be provided with.

Health-wise and apparently taste-wise, Whiskas are a winner, but how do they perform money-wise? From Tesco, this box cost me £3.60 (30p a sachet). That may seem quite reasonable, but since the box lasts around six days, you are forking out close to £12 a month on cat food. It is okay if you have just one kitten to feed, but if you are having to feed a litter of kittens then it could cost up to £70 a month easily! Though on a benefit, Felix are asking £4.15 for their Kitten pouches 12-pack, so you are definitely better of with Whiskas financially!

Whiskas definitely seem to be fantastic with their kitten pouches, and are certainly worth buying! To find out more about Whiskas, visit www.whiskas.co.uk, where they have loads of information about caring for your kitten and cats, and information about their products such as their milk, steam cooked pouches and dry food. We are told you can also sign up and you will get a free kitty care pack. I have just signed up for this and was told that if I meet the necessary conditions I will be sent one within 28 days. Though I just checked and it says applications needed to be in by 31st December 2008...why is it still on their site then? Oh well...

My kitten is the Cat's Whiskers, and she deserves only the best. Whiskas.

© Amy 2009