Sheba is a top-class food, but not without its drawbacks

Manufacturer

The Sheba line is produced by Mars. It markets not only food for domestic cats and dogs (Pedigree, Cesar, Royal Canin, Chappi, Kitekat, Whiskas, Perfect Fit), but also food and drinks for people. The feed came to Russia in 1991. Representative offices are located in major cities of the country: Krasnodar, Samara, Novosibirsk).

The official website is completely Russified, but the information on it is extremely scarce. For example, there is no accurate information: where the ingredients for making feed come from, the compositions are not written down.

Reviews from veterinarians and cat owners

I have been feeding my cat Sheba food for about 2 years now. There are different flavors of this product in stores. The product is packaged in convenient bags with special clasps. The cost of each is about 40 rubles.

Having opened the bag, you can see in it homogeneous pieces that have a brown color and a rather pleasant aroma. My pet Sheba really likes it. However, I use this food only as a supplement to the main diet.

Oleg Patrin, Voronezh

I have a cat named Barsik at home. I buy him Lams dry food and wet Sheba. Previously, I fed him from the common table, but the animal began to experience digestive disorders due to such a diet. Then I consulted with a veterinarian, who recommended feeding the pet with specialized food. Now the animal feels great and shows unprecedented activity. The only disadvantage of Sheba food is its high cost, but a true caring owner will never skimp on his furry pet.

Anna Kanunnikova, St. Petersburg

Long-term practice of veterinary specialists indicates that some cat owners give their pets food from their table. However, this can pose a danger to the cat's body, which is explained by the difference in the functioning of the digestive system and other organs. Canned food products (including Sheba) were developed specifically for representatives of the cat family, so they have a balanced composition and contain all the necessary nutrients.

Some cat owners complain about the high cost of Sheba products, but I would not recommend feeding your beloved pet cheap food of dubious origin. The fact is that such complementary foods are made from low-quality raw materials and can lead to the development of serious diseases. Therefore, if the owner values ​​the health and well-being of his pet, it is better not to skimp on its nutrition. I note that this food is best given to animals older than six months. During childhood, the cat's intestines are not yet formed, so at this time it is better to take specialized types of food.

Andrey Boyarsky (veterinarian), Moscow

Feed class

The manufacturer classifies its product as a premium class (and a corresponding mark is made on the packaging - the word premium is placed), but if you study the issue, it turns out that this is not so.

It is worth noting that there is little difference between economy and premium feed. Economy feed contains grains (wheat, corn), which are poorly digestible and often cause allergies; leftover meat production instead of quality meat; and the composition itself is extremely poor in composition. This kind of food brings little benefit: it also contains harmful chemical components, artificial preservatives, dyes and flavor enhancers.

Premium food also contains grains and dyes, but there is much more meat and offal, natural preservatives are used, and more vitamins and minerals. Buyers can easily find out the recipe, and the package shows what ingredients are added and in what quantities.

Since buyers are not presented with the recipe for Sheba feed, the percentage of components is also not indicated - these feeds belong to the economy feed class.

Positive reviews

Leonid

Sometimes I buy Sheba for my cat. He can eat one package in a day, or we can stretch out the pleasure over a couple of days. In any case, he always eats it all, there are no leftovers. The smell of Sheba food is specific and pungent. But in processed form (I mean the cat’s stool) they have a more tolerable smell when compared with food, which is cheaper in price.

The photograph is not a direct representation of the reviews presented in the review.

Anastasia

I know that most cat owners do not like this food because of its supposed harmfulness, but this food was ideal for us, and we tried a lot. It is the mini version that my cats eat with pleasure. The coat is shiny, the litter tray is on schedule, and they are very playful.

Range

There are 5 series of Sheba cat food available:

Sheba Pleasure (“Pleasure”) with several flavors: chicken with turkey and salmon; tuna with salmon; rabbit with beef or lamb; with duck and chicken; veal with tongue; shrimp with trout. Ingredients: meat and offal (the percentage of meat is indicated approximately), taurine, vitamins, minerals. Moisture: 82 g, vitamins E and A, fiber, fats, ash, proteins. The pieces are pressed and filled with liquid sauce. Packaged in sachets (50 and 85 g) and jars (85 g).

Sheba Delicatesso (“Delicacy”): can be bought in the form of pate (pate with slices) and fricassee. Options: chicken with veal; poultry meat; salmon; turkey with Bechamel sauce; duck with rabbit and vegetables; beef. Packaging: polymer jars with foil lids. Ingredients: rabbit (at least 4%), duck (at least 4%), offal and meat, vegetables, cereals, minerals and vitamins. Protein - 8.5%, fat - 5.5 g, fiber - 0.3%.

Sheba Naturalle (“Naturel”) with the following flavors: beef with lamb; turkey with chicken or duck; sea ​​fish. Sorting: 80 g per bag. Energy value: 55 kcal per 100 g. Ingredients: fish products and fish (tuna - 4%, navaga - 4%), animal products, meat and offal, taurine, vitamins (A, E), minerals. Fiber - 0.3%, protein - 6%.

Sheba Mini (“Mini”) includes 4 options: with beef, with salmon, duck and chicken. One bag contains 50 g of food. Components: meat and offal (including chicken meat - at least 4%), cereals, vitamins, minerals.

Sheba Appetito (“Appetito”) is available in the following variations: veal with tongue; turkey with chicken; salmon with tuna; rabbit with beef. in a pack - 28 g (75 kcal). Added vitamins A and E. Fiber - 3 g, protein - 11 g, fat - 3 g.

As treats for cats, we offer:

• assorted duck and chicken;
• sautéed chicken breasts;
• tuna with selected shrimps (cocktail);
• beef and chicken tagliatta;
• tuna in sauce.

How to replace Sheba food

If Sheba food is not available in the store or it is not possible to purchase it, then it can be replaced with other foods of different classes:

• premium (Royal Canin, Gourmet);
• superpremium (Leonardo, Brit Care);
• holistic (Moonlight).

Photo gallery: wet food to replace Sheba

Royal Canin is the most popular premium cat food in Russia

Gourmet wet cat food is produced in France and Russia by Nestle Purina Petcare

positions its product as complete nutrition

claims that its products are made only from natural, hypoallergenic and easily digestible ingredients

You can buy Moonlight food only in a specialized store (most often it is delivered to order)

Table: characteristics of replacement feed

Compound

Sheba cat food contains the following components:

• meat and meat ingredients (beef, chicken, rabbit, turkey);
• fish and fish ingredients (salmon, navaga, tuna, shrimp);
• tapioca (the root of the cassava plant - fiber to improve animal digestion);
• taurine (stimulates the digestive tract, sharpens vision, supports the heart and immunity);
• omega fatty acids (improves metabolic processes);
• vegetable fats (give hair shine, relieve inflammation);
• vitamins E and A (have a regenerating and anti-inflammatory effect);
• cereals.

Veterinarian advice

Advice and reviews from veterinarians, of course, are completely different, but we can say that most experts still recommend that cat owners feed their pets Sheba food.
And only a small percentage will prefer other food better. Particularly noteworthy is the presence of taurine, vitamin E and herbal components.

It is important that the food is not only tasty and attracts cats with its aroma, because many simply refuse regular food, but it is enriched with vitamin and mineral supplements

If the cat has a larger appetite and eats 2 packets at a time, then you can divide the daily amount by the appropriate amount of food eaten at a time.

Many people ask questions about animals “with special needs”, for example, is it possible to pamper your pet with similar food after treatment for urolithiasis or sterilization? In this case, you need to consult a veterinarian and get individual recommendations regarding feeding.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Sheba food is easy to find in pet stores, supermarkets and small shops with stands of essential goods for our little brothers. This saves time as there is no need to order products online.
• They are inexpensive and accessible to all segments of the population.
• The assortment is wide and you can always choose something to suit your animal’s taste: canned food or spiders.
• Sheba contains no allergenic or stomach-difficult components such as grains (wheat) and soybeans, dyes or chemicals.
• The packaging is convenient, dense, and attractive in appearance. One pack is for one meal.

• There are no medicated foods or dry options on sale.
• The composition indicates the approximate content of components, the list of minerals and vitamins is not specified at all.
• The phrase “meat and by-products” may hide waste from meat production: secondary products of livestock slaughter, for example.
• Veterinarians advise giving these canned foods not as the main food, but only as a supplement.
• Not suitable for very small kittens (less than a month old). It is also not allowed to feed castrated and sterilized individuals, sick and elderly cats.

Get to know interesting cat breeds with the help of our encyclopedia: Turkish Angora, Persian Chinchilla, Javanese.

Advantages and disadvantages of Sheba food

The advantages of Sheba include the following qualities:

• the food does not contain soy or cereals;
• food is produced in a wide range of flavors;
• You can purchase such a product in any supermarket;
• low price.

But there are also several negative qualities:

• according to most veterinarians, Sheba is not a complete food (although the packages indicate the opposite);
• the composition is not indicated in detail (perhaps some undesirable components are simply not indicated);
• Specialized lines and variations of dry food are not produced.

Previously, when I had very little experience in raising cats, I tried to contact a veterinarian with every question. And then I began to notice that veterinarians themselves do not always know well the features of the composition of the product they recommend. Nowadays, I consult on nutrition issues very rarely, only if I can’t find the answer to my question on the Internet.

Meat ingredients in “Sheba” range from 4 to 14%, but what exactly the components are contained (fillets, fish heads, bird feathers or liver) is not indicated

About the brand

The Sheba brand was founded in 1985. Probably its name is a reference to the ancient state of Saba or Sabea, which at one time was ruled by the legendary Queen of Sheba, who is called “Queen of Sheba” in English. The owner of the trademark proclaimed the symbol of the Sheba brand to be a cat of the Russian Blue breed, which represents the brand in all commercials, is depicted on food packaging, and also became the star of creative advertising - “Sheba”! Karaoke cat - five reasons."

The manufacturer claims that Sheba wet food contains only the highest quality ingredients, without soy, flavor enhancers, and other artificial additives, and is developed jointly by leading nutritionists and veterinarians at the Waltham Pet Nutrition Research Institute.