WARNING Felix - Purina Cat food

[Whatamesssss]

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

@YesItsMeIDontCare

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

You've got that right

Thanks for posting this OP. My girl is has been refusing to eat her Felix AGAIL for weeks and I thought it was either the heat or her fussiness but realised today it must be the meat itself as she wont even nibble the top when I crumble treats on it to tempt her.

I recalled a thread in the Litter Tray quite a while back about the new repackaged Felix which is what I came looking for. Something isn't right.

I'm a member of this group and the stories are quite upsetting.

There is definitely a link between Felix and vomiting, diarrhoea and food refusal (which is dangerous for a cat). Cats who have been put onto alternative food have soon recovered, but some have died.

My cat is still eating Felix senior (he only likes the fish one though). I alternate with Sheba and the only one he turned his nose up at recently was the Sheba, but I’ll keep an eye on things. He’s a bit sleepier than usual, but I put it down to age. I’m not on FB so can’t see the page, but it does seem odd that they won’t allow people to post pro-Felix comments.

There are a lot of complaints being raised on Purina's twitter feed too. So many people with very similar stories can't be coincidence.

TomorrowIsAnotherDae it's because it's seen as perverse and owners of sick cats don't really want people to minimise their experience by others claiming there isn't a problem.

This food appears to be causing pancreatitis in some cats and this can kill, it's also very painful and distressing with feelings of constant nausea as well as sickness and diarrhoea. These poor animals are desperate to eat, but know that the food is making them feel very ill. Not eating in itself will cause pancreatitis in cats, so it becomes a vicious circle. My heart goes out to the animals who have owners who don't know, or care, and who are only putting Felix down for them. Some people are reporting that their cats have died.

Feeding poor quality food is never a good idea, but this food is quite literally, rubbish and causing illness. I would urge anybody to get their cats off it immediately and there are plenty of alternatives. Even if a cat seems okay with it, it could still be causing a problem which emerges in the future.

Felix/Purina offer a massive range of different foods. If there really is a causal link with pancreatitis, what is the possible mechanism and which of the foods does it apply to?

(My cat eats some Felix/Purina wet food and seems absolutely fine so far.)

This food appears to be causing pancreatitis in some cats
No evidence for the above other than anecdata.

I've noticed that Covid numbers in the UK have fallen since Felix changed their recipe.
Clearly cause and effect...

@daisycottage - well that’s me told then!

Hundreds of people are complaining about the effect this food is having on their cats. Don't patronise me with 'anecdata'. The only way of getting something done is by ordinary people sharing their experiences. There is obviously a problem and the symptoms point to the biliary system being affected. Some cats have died, this is not a joke.

But which food? Is it one specific type of food, or from one factory? Has anyone made an attempt to gather this information?

@JoanOgden - My cat is having issues with Felix As Good As It Looks (AGAIL) fish and meat flavours including Doubly Delicious. I've emailed Purina with details and they've asked for photos of the boxes, the serial numbers on pouches and will be sending a return envelope for some of the pouches.

And the sneering poster dismissing others concerns can fuck right off.

I realise (as a scientist) that the data are not part of a proper trial, but also acknowledge that we sometimes only find out about things that could be a problem when a few people notice, then a few more... and then someone can go and collect proper evidence.

We have used Felix normal pouches plus a good dry food for years; we bulk-buy the Felix and are currently within a week or two of needing more. Thanks to this thread I can 'test' the cats out on a small box first, before I spend ££ on lots of big boxes that they may not like. So I am grateful for the heads-up, however circumstantial.

I'll let you know what my fussy little b*ggers think!

News today on brands affected - read this, it's shocking!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/05/toxic-cat-food-fear-as-vets-struggle-with-mysterious-illness?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

@NomDePrune

Yes - but that is nothing to do with Felix or Purina.
This article is about a real problem quickly picked up by the RVC and followed by product recalls about a month ago.

My cats are in rude health and chomping though vast amounts of Felix. This is concerning to read.

@NomDePrune

News today on brands affected - read this, it's shocking!

[[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/05/toxic-cat-food-fear-as-vets-struggle-with-mysterious-illness?CMP=Share]]iOSAppp_Other

This has absolutely nothing to do with any wet cat foods and doesn't even mention Felix or Purina.

It relates to a known issue with certain dry cat foods- AVA, Applaws, Sainsburys and I think Wilko recalled some too

So sorry - I thought it would be of interest. Please ignore.

@NomDePrune

News today on brands affected - read this, it's shocking!

[[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/05/toxic-cat-food-fear-as-vets-struggle-with-mysterious-illness?CMP=Share]]iOSAppp_Other

I think this also first came to light when people were discussing their cats issues and they started a Facebook group. Just because it's on Facebook doesn't mean it's not true.

Hopefully Purina will take this seriously and inspect their factories.

Thanks for posting.

Oh, my cats only eat Felix As Good As It Looks, but the last couple of weeks they haven't touched it, one cat, who is never ill, vomitted all the through the night and was so lethargic.

I tried Whiskas, which one cat will eat and Sainsburys own (which was a panic buy) which the poorly cat eat, he ate like he was starving, he is fully recovered now, but I was so worried.

Got 4 unopened huge boxes of Felix , I will probably just bin it now then, thanks for info

If the boxes are unopened, most retailers will refund. Try taking them back.

We are now most of the way through a small box of Felix with no problems. It is not AGAIL though.

I'm going to restock tonight but will not be getting AGAIL if that's all they have in Costco.

I'm getting a rescue cat this weekend - apparently he eats anything - so I've only just started looking at cat food. Any recommendations, if I am to avoid all the brands mentioned?

If you getting a rescue, then start off by feeding it whatever the rescue centre is feeding it at present.

But obviously not the recalled AVA, Applaws or Sainsbury dry foods.