Top Life does not have a long life (Top Life Formula Kitten Milk)

Member Name: taker4376

Product:	Top Life Formula Kitten Milk
Date:	27/06/09 (132 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Added vitamins and Taurine

Disadvantages: Lumps of protein and cardboard carton

Top Life Formula Kitten Milk

About the Product
Everyone knows that cats love milk. What people are unaware of is that most cats are actually lactose intolerant. Cats, after weaning, do not produce the enzyme which aids the digestion of lactose. So while your cat may enjoy a bowl of milk now and again it will probably give them a tummy upset, cramps or make them sick.

Top Life Formula Kitten Milk is one of a few products which are specially formulated to ensure your Kitten does not get ill when drinking milk. It is designed by vets from pure goats milk and has added Taurine, and Vitamin C and E. Taurine is an essential element in a cats diet but they do not produce it themselves. Without Taurine your cat will have eye problems eventually resulting in blindness and can have fur loss and tooth decay. Thankfully cat foods are required to add Taurine to the food so that owners do not need to worry about their cat not having Taurine in their diet. But the fact that this kitten milk has it added is a bonus, especially if your kitten is very young and not yet eating solid food.

The milk can be used as often and for as long as the kitten needs it. It can be added to food to encourage the kitten to start eating and can also be used as a treat as your kitten gets older.


My Experience of the Product
I've often passed Top Life Forumla on the shelves in Tescos and decided against it. But I thought I would treat Simba and try this for a change. At 48p I didn't think there was anything to lose.

The carton tells you to shake very well before opening as due to the UHT process some protein can settle at the bottom of the carton. Fair enough, I thought, so I gave it a good shake and then opened it to pour some out. But nothing came out because a big lump of white stuff (Protein) was blocking the place I had cut to pour the milk out. I was hoping it was just going go to be one big bit and that the rest would be mixed but when I poured it out there was still loads of bits in it. I thought it was probably my fault for not shaking long enough so I poured it all into a jug and whisked it for a few minutes hoping it would dissolve... but it didn't. I decided to give it to Simba anyway. He gave it a try but then wandered off uninterested. I left the milk down for him and when I passed it later, he still hadn't been near it and furthermore the milk had separated even more and looked more like white water with bits in it. No wonder Simba wasn't interested. So I washed it down the sink and decided I would try again the next day. Again I had to whisk it and again there were still loads of bits floating around. I offered it to Simba who this time just looked at me in disgust and walked away. So I poured it down the sink again with the rest of the carton.

I think the benefits this milk provides are great but with lumps of protein floating around and not mixing in with the rest it cant taste very nice. The box does tell you to shake very well before opening but I think you could stand there for ten minutes shaking it and there would still be bits. If a whisk cant get rid of them I don't know what could. Thankfully I only bought one carton and as it was a great price of 48p I didn't feel that cheated.

Once opened the milk can last 4 days in the fridge, however if you still have it in a carton you can't re-shake it once its been opened and all the protein would resettle so you would have trouble for the next 3 days attempting to mix it.
This product gets a 2/10

Alternatives
Simba does like milk and there are much better alternatives to the Top Life formula.
Whiskers do a cat milk, but I would rate it as 4/10 as it tends to congeal after a couple of hours and goes a nasty yellow colour.
Felix would get a 7/10 as it's a good milk with pleasant packaging but is for cats and not kittens.
The best alternative is the Pets at Home own brand kitten milk (they also do an adult alternative). They always have offers on 5 for £3. Their milk also lasts 4 days in the fridge so it works out at 15p a day for milk. You don't need to shake it and it doesn't go nasty until its been out about 6-8 hours. It's definitely Simba's favourite milk. The packaging is also recyclable. 9/10.

Summary: Go for an alternative