Hi everyone. Your thoughts would be most valued, as I'm not so much a cat person ... my children adore our cat though! We have had our rescue cat for around 4 years now (picked by my ex, who has now left!), and he's a lovely boy on the whole. When we brought him home from the rescue, he was on 3 Felix pouches a day. Soon after, I thought it would be better for him (and my purse!) if I cut it down to 2 pouches a day, but with a bowlful of good quality dry food for in between times. So that's what I've been doing since way back then.
He absolutely loves the Felix pouches, and therein lies the problem. The stuff is like cat cocaine to him, always has been. I can't go into my kitchen without him following me, crying for more, sometimes only an hour or so after the last pouch. I am fond of him, but he's doing my head in with this. It didn't used to be so bad in our old house, but we're now in a much smaller flat with the main living area right beside the kitchen, so it feels like there's no escape from his begging!
So here is my evil thought: would it be ok, do you think, to cut them from his diet completely and replace with a top notch dry cat food (one that's highly nutritious and tasty - it's pretty much Iams at the moment, but I assume there's better out there?)? I could jazz it up sometimes with a bit of tuna, his most favourite thing in the world (beside Felix 
).
I understand that rescue cats may well be a bit more food fixated than the rest, but this is something else. And I find it so difficult to ignore the crying - for me, it's quite frankly the equivalent of nails down a blackboard.
I want what's best for him, and he deserves that, but don't want my relationship with him to suffer. I know it sounds daft and dramatic, but that's what I feel is happening, in my role of feeder. He has no other health issues.
What do you think about this? My reasoning is that he would get used to the change in diet; he is a big boy so probably does have a voracious appetite, but is looking porky, so it may even be good for him? And he would probably beg for more Felix no matter how much I gave him, so in a way I might as well remove from his diet??
Oh, and if you concur that this might be a good way forward, some dry food recommendations would be very welcome.
Sorry, didn't realise this would end up so long, and many thanks in anticipation.