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The short answer: Purina Cat Chow narrowly wins — D/38 vs Friskies at D/37, a 1-point gap under the KibbleIQ Cat Food Rubric. Both are budget Purina formulas led by corn rather than a named animal protein. Per the AAFCO 2024 Cat Food Nutrient Profiles, cats are obligate carnivores; neither formula's grain-and-byproduct architecture aligns with that biological need. Cat Chow edges ahead by adding whole grains (whole wheat, whole grain oat meal) and skipping artificial colors entirely; Friskies adds four FD&C dyes that serve human-shopper aesthetics, not feline nutrition (per AAFP 2024). If you’re feeding either one, the real upgrade is a B-tier formula like Wellness (B/78), Blue Buffalo (B/76), or Taste of the Wild (A/90).

The scores

Purina Cat Chow: D/38
Friskies: D/37

A 1-point gap — within rubric noise. Both are budget cat foods from Purina/Nestlé, and the small spread tells you these formulas land at the same tier. Cat Chow holds the lead on whole-grain inclusion and the absence of artificial colors. Neither formula puts a named whole meat anywhere near the top of the ingredient list, and per the AAFCO 2024 Cat Food Nutrient Profiles cats are obligate carnivores whose primary need is animal-derived protein.

How the ingredients compare

Here are the key ingredients side by side:

Purina Cat Chow: Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Whole Grain Corn, Poultry By-Product Meal, Beef Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Wheat, Whole Grain Oat Meal, Brewers Rice, Dried Yeast, Calcium Carbonate, Animal Liver Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Salt

Friskies: Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Beef Tallow (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Meat and Bone Meal, Ocean Fish Meal, Animal Liver Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Added Color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, plus “Other Colors Added”)

Both lead with corn-based ingredients and plant protein fillers. Neither puts a named whole meat first — per the AAFCO 2024 Cat Food Nutrient Profiles, cats are obligate carnivores whose primary nutritional need is animal-derived protein, not corn or soy. The 1-point gap traces to two factors: Cat Chow includes whole grains (whole wheat, whole grain oat meal, whole grain corn) for fiber and B-vitamins, while Friskies adds four FD&C artificial colors (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, plus “Other Colors Added”) that exist for human-shopper appeal — per AAFP 2024, food coloring carries no demonstrated benefit for feline diet quality.

Where Purina Cat Chow pulls ahead

No artificial colors. Friskies carries four FD&C dyes — Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2, and “Other Colors Added.” These exist to make the kibble visually appealing to human shoppers; cats are dichromats whose vision does not perceive these colors the way the human eye does. Cat Chow skips the dye stack entirely, removing one category of nutritionally inert additives. Per the AAFP 2024 cat care guidance, food coloring carries no documented benefit for feline diet quality.

Some whole grains. Cat Chow includes whole wheat, whole grain oat meal, and whole grain corn alongside its less desirable ingredients. These remain plant fillers in a cat food context — per AAFCO 2024, cats are obligate carnivores — but whole grains supply more fiber and B-vitamins than the meat-and-bone-meal-plus-byproducts stack that fills out Friskies’ deeper list. Shop on Amazon →

Where Friskies holds its own

Price. Friskies is typically the cheapest cat food on the shelf, often undercutting Cat Chow by a noticeable margin per pound. If absolute lowest cost is the only constraint, Friskies delivers calories for less money. That’s the beginning and end of its advantage.

Availability. Friskies is sold in virtually every grocery store, gas station, and dollar store in the country. Cat Chow has wide distribution too, but Friskies edges it out for sheer ubiquity. Neither food requires a specialty trip to purchase. Shop on Amazon →

The bottom line

Purina Cat Chow narrowly wins this comparison by 1 point. The small spread reflects what these formulas have in common: corn-first ingredient lists, byproduct meals, and zero whole meats in the top five. Per the AAFCO 2024 Cat Food Nutrient Profiles, cats are obligate carnivores; neither formula’s grain-and-byproduct architecture aligns with that biological need. Cat Chow earns its 1-point edge with whole-grain inclusion and the absence of FD&C dyes — meaningful in margin, not in tier.

If you’re currently feeding Friskies, switching to Cat Chow is a small step up. The more impactful change is upgrading past both — a B-tier cat food like Wellness (B/78), Blue Buffalo (B/76), or Taste of the Wild (A/90) costs more per bag but delivers named meats first per AAFCO 2024 obligate-carnivore guidance.

Read our full reviews of Purina Cat Chow and Friskies for the complete ingredient breakdowns.