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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

WARNING Felix - Purina Cat food

121 replies

Whatamesssss · 19/07/2021 08:39

Just thought I would let people know who might have had trouble with their cats not eating the new recipe Felix food. There have been a lot of cats either refusing the food or getting quite ill after eating their food, and most thankfully recovering when different food is fed.

There has been no recall yet but if your cat is ill or not eating might be worth a look.

Here is a link to a Facebook group for more info.

www.facebook.com/groups/250384740220868

OP posts:
Cecillie · 19/07/2021 10:14

Basically they have changed packaging and removed colourants .
Really bad coincidental timing with the desperately sad situation with the other food manufacturer, but not in any way related or similar .

WARNING Felix - Purina Cat food
WARNING Felix - Purina Cat food
TheSecondMrsAshwell · 19/07/2021 10:37

Oh now that's funny, because my neighbours - who do a joint Pets At Home order with me - said they didn't want to do an order this month as their cat had gone off the Felix.

Anecdotal or not, I'll let them know and they can make their own minds up.

Physio32 · 19/07/2021 10:45

Don't all cats go off food from time to time? Our fussy furface loves Purina but also likes variety so if we don't mix things up and give her a few sachets from different brands in a week she will get bored eventually. Purina is her absolute favourite though and their cat ball preventing dry food is a saviour.

Bargebill19 · 19/07/2021 10:46

I just informed my non eating cats that felix is off the menu for now. Senior boy responded by having a pop in my bed.
They are happily eating purina gourmet. Perhaps it is just a recipe tweak.

clairethewitch70 · 19/07/2021 10:47

My cats won’t touch the new Harrington’s. Used to be their favourite food but only two flavours were available. Now four flavours are available and cats won’t go near or even taste any of the flavours including the original ones which appear to have been reformulated. Not a heat thing. Been weeks now. Both cats too

Bargebill19 · 19/07/2021 10:47

It wasn’t pop. I really really wish is was pop.
(Death stare big eyes from night shift at cat who couldn’t care less).

Physio32 · 19/07/2021 10:55

most thankfully recovering when different food is fed
This is so inflammatory. If only most recovered the rest died and I'm sure that's not the case. Shameful way of writing an op.

ZoLemur · 19/07/2021 11:01

@Physio32 I agree quite a lot of cats are really fussy with food, my cat wouldn't eat the beef felix even before the change, but she loved all the previous Felix fish recipes. However when I bought the new box (ocean feasts) she stopped eating any of the flavours very suddenly, and then seemed lethargic and vomited once.
I did wonder whether she might be becoming fussy even though previously she ate most things, so I bought a few different flavours of Hilife and Blink, but she's eaten all of those.

I can't prove it is the changed recipe stopping my cat from eating, the only way to do that would be to feed her the old food and see what happens, that would be good scientifically, but I couldn't do that!

warmfluffytowels · 19/07/2021 15:49

I have three cats on Felix and we have had no issues.

I don't think the title of this thread is very helpful considering what's happened with other foods. These cats aren't unwell, they just don't like the new recipe.

ijwmtb · 19/07/2021 16:14

My two (indoor) cats have been on Felix pouches for 6 years with no problems. They have been a bit fussy about the food for probably 6 months (but I thought it was cats being cats), and last week both had bad vomiting and diarrhoea and had to be treated by the vet. They were really quite unwell. After doing some research online I found the Facebook group. I am far from a conspiracy theorist, and I'm certainly not suggesting this is comparable to the heartbreaking Pancytopenia situation, but so many people are reporting issues that it has to be worth further investigation.

When I reported the issue to Purina they were at first fairly defensive and insisted there had been no changes to the recipe. After pushing, they admitted that the issue was that pet ownership has increased so much over the past year that their Cambridge based factory cannot cope. So they are now having some pouches produced at their 'sister factories' which are based overseas using local ingredients. So some cats might suffer stomach upsets because they are sensitive to the local ingredients.

I obviously don't know exactly what has happened and it certainly is possible that my cats' illness was unrelated to the recipe changes. I would prefer it if that was the case - it's not nice to think there could be an issue with a cat food brand I've trusted in! Regardless, I'm going to do my best (if they'll let me) to move them to a new brand of food. Because even if the issue is just the local ingredients point, that does seem like a fairly big change to me.

stellaisabella · 19/07/2021 18:50

My kitten is on as good as it looks felix kitten food as she won't eat anything else! She's still fine, I can't find another kitten brand she will touch.
Does Sheba do a kitten food? Anyone else with any suggestion? She won't touch anything that doesn't look like real shredded meat, eg whiskas kitten food she turns her nose up at completely.

1starwars2 · 19/07/2021 19:38

We have had our cat nearly a decade and she has eaten Felix throughout, as the rescue she came from said it was her preference.
She has been eating less and less, and I posted on here yesterday asking if it was likely to be the heat.
I have bought both w
Whiskers and Sheba this morning and she has eaten 2 meals, the most she has eaten in a week. We're going to give Felix the swerve for now.

Wolfiefan · 19/07/2021 19:44

I contacted the manufacturers. This is rumour and speculation. Just because a cat eats Felix and then is ill it doesn’t follow that Felix has poisoned them. Hate FB rubbish like this.

Sparklingbrook · 19/07/2021 19:48

No issues here either. That FB group is a bit Hmm and hostile isn't it?

Original poster
Whatamesssss · 19/07/2021 20:25

@Sparklingbrook

No issues here either. That FB group is a bit Hmm and hostile isn't it?
People do tend to get hostile when their own experience is dismissed as bollocks, especially when they are worried and scared for their pets.
OP posts:
warmfluffytowels · 19/07/2021 20:28

People do tend to get hostile when their own experience is dismissed as bollocks, especially when they are worried and scared for their pets.

But hostility and rudeness won't help their cause. Neither will scaremongering.

Sparklingbrook · 19/07/2021 20:34

Exactly @warmfluffytowels

I have only ever been a member of two FB groups and the people on them were strange to say the least, and the Admins were off the scale with their rules and regulations.

TheBalletCats · 20/07/2021 04:47

If you’re only feeding wet (& thus need a complete food) Thrive now do a kitten food; but if you mixed-feed there are more options (I can’t remember now if Almo is complete, is such a long time since my two were on it…). Cosma’s kitten foods will be shredded meat/fish, but suspect they’ll be harder to get than Thrive.

TheBalletCats · 20/07/2021 04:48

(Sorry, above was for @stellaisabella, but for some reason tag decided not to work HmmConfused )

Shellingbynight · 20/07/2021 08:03

I have four cats whose main food is Felix. They are all continuing to eat it and no one has been ill. One or two of them will 'go off' particular flavours from time to time- "no I am not eating beef" but they've always done that.

Whiskas was reformulated a while ago, can't remember the details but I noticed the chunk/flake size changed, and they have never been as keen on it since. Fussy beggars.

Nazarina · 21/07/2021 12:11

Thank you for the heads up.

My boy eats a mixture of Purina One (I am personally interested in how this must taste, as my neighbour's cat/my cat's bestie has been known to charge in and head straight for the Purina!), Sheba Fresh Choice (gravy) and various brands of cat soup.

I worry so much about these things... I want my boy to be safe and happy!

Thank you again.

StepBackPlease · 21/07/2021 12:19

My mum's cat eats this food - he ended up at the emergency vet a couple of weeks ago and almost died. They couldn't figure out what it was, he had every blood test going and scans at great expense. My mum had mentioned that he'd gone off his food just before he started getting sick so she's wondering if this was it.

Obv this is anecdotal and could also be a conincidence but it was awful for her.

YesItsMeIDontCare · 21/07/2021 12:21

I thought going off food was just something that cats did, usually after you've just bought in bulk 🤷🏼‍♀️

WARNING Felix - Purina Cat food
Want2beme · 21/07/2021 15:29

Mine have this week, turned their noses up at WhiskasGrin, and are happily munching Felix AGAIL & ShebaHmm

Bargebill19 · 21/07/2021 15:55

@YesItsMeIDontCare. 🤣🤣🤣 very true.
I’ve put it down to the heat as all five plus the ferals are refusing to eat felix. But I went and bought some blink yesterday and they have wolfed that down.
So I’m not so sure 8 cats would all decide to stop eating it just because they know I’ve four large boxes. Non have been ill, but I wonder if it’s akin to humans not liking a change in receipe with Heinz etc.