Friskies is an American brand of wet and dry cat food and treats owned by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, a subsidiary of Nestlé global. Friskies was initially introduced by Carnation Company in the 1930s as a dog food brand. When Friskies cat food was introduced in the 1950s, it was the first dry pet food product specifically for cats. The brand was acquired by Nestlé in 1985. From the 1970s to the 2000s, variations in Friskies cat food proliferated as the competition for consumer spending intensified.
Corporate
Friskies is produced and marketed by Nestlé Purina PetCare, a subsidiary of Nestlé. Friskies was first introduced in the 1930s by Carnation through its subsidiary, Albers Company. By 1973, Friskies was one of five companies that controlled two-thirds of the $1.75 billion pet food market. At the time Carnation was known for dry milk products, but also had operations processing animal feed for farms. It experimented with dry food products for 3.5 years at Carnation Farms, initially with stray dogs in improvised cages, and later with pure-breds in a formal kennel. Carnation International was formed in 1966 to market Carnation's pet food products internationally in Japan, Spain, France, England and Italy, among others.
Carnation was acquired by Nestlé in 1985 for $3 billion. After the acquisition, it was renamed Nestlé/Carnation Food Company, before becoming a Nestlé subsidiary in 1992, under the name Friskies PetCare Company. The Friskies brand had a market-share of 28.2% by 1992. Friskies was merged with Nestlé subsidiary Nestlé Purina Petcare in 2001, during the merger with former competitor Ralston Purina.
History
Friskies was first introduced as a dry dog food brand in 1934. It introduced "Friskies Cubes" that year, which was followed by pellets called "Friskies Meal," eight years later. Friskies sold well as a dry dog food on the west coast of the United States; then was increasingly distributed on the east coast. Only dry food was initially produced, because consumers preferred less expensive products during the Great Depression and World War II led to the rationing of tin for canned pet foods, in order to preserve metal for the war effort. The rationing of tin led to a growth in sales of Friskies dry food products, as competitors that sold canned foods were forced to limit production. The first Friskies brand canned dog food was released in 1951 and nine Friskies products were released from 1958 to 1963.
When Friskies cat food was introduced in the 1950s, cats were becoming more popular as pets, but dry food for cats had not been introduced yet. In the early 1950s, a series of specialty dog food products were introduced under the Friskies brand, including one for puppies and cats. According to The Encyclopedia of Consumer Brands, "it was soon discovered that cats disliked the new 'puppy food'." A sales manager named Henry Arnest was considered "eccentric" for advocating that Friskies make a pet food specifically for cats. According to Arnest, the company thought it was "a nutty idea." He convinced Friskies executives to do a market trial for cat food, which was conducted on the west coast of the United States in 1956. The cat food was made of mackerel byproducts, cereals, vegetables and vitamins. The trial surprised Friskies executives when the cat food sold successfully.
The cat food product was named "Little Friskies for Cats." A cartoon cat was used as its mascot. It was advertised on television, newspapers, and through Friskies Research Digest, a publication for veterinarians and animal breeders published by Friskies. Canned "treats" for cats were first test-marketed in 1958. They were initially popular on the west coast of the United States, but not in the east. In 1959, Carnation executives considered withdrawing from the east coast market, because its cat food products weren't popular there, but decided to stay. A Carnation report found that consumers preferred more upscale, single-serving food products, so the treats were rebranded as single-serving, canned foods called "Friskies Buffet" in 1967. Buffet became one of Friskies' best-sellers.