I'm getting to despair of ever getting Biffy to EVER eat anything other than Gourmet pouches! I have tried...
Grau tins
Smilla tins
So Fishy (because previous owner told me he liked them)
Potty about gravy
HiLife pouches
Gourmet gold
Sheba pouches
Bozita cartons
Schmusy pouches
and probably the odd other thing too early on that I have forgotten

All pretty hopeless until the bozita he was up to about 1/4 bozita to 3/4 gourmet and he took that for a good few days, and then he just bloody stopped eating it! Sorry but I just despair because I bought more of the bozita and now he's not eating it at all!! Grrr. I got the Schmusy because it said "flakes" but it looks just like the chunks in bozita. He has tried the schmusy a couple of times and then BOOM no more! So I keep giving the Gourmet pouches just to get him to eat wet.

He's still on dry too, mainly a mix of GoCat and Applaws now, as he started leaving the Orijen pieces...which he did initially eat! Argh!

I have some Miamor in the cupboard...I'm just getting to the point of is this worth it?! or should I just back off and leave it for a while? Has anyone else got this problem? Has anyone got their cat from Gourmet Perle onto anything else? Is there anything with a similar texture? Because it is pretty immediately obvious when it isn't flakes like the Gourmet. I haven't even tried their other ranges of pouches yet, so worst comes to worse, I can keep trying slightly different variations on the Gourmet!!!

__________________

My 9 year old was (and to an extent still is) a Gourmet addict - not just Perle, he'll eat the other foods in the Gourmet range too. He refused everything else I offered and so, a couple of years ago, I gave in and gave him Gourmet all the time. The sad thing is that, until I started reading this forum, I thought I was giving him a brilliant, if expensive, brand of food

Getting a new kitten has helped - I was determined my Oscar wouldn't get addicted to Gourmet.....unfortunately Oscar had other ideas and they frequently swap bowls - grrrrr

But -amazingly - both cats now seem to prefer the other foods I'm feeding Oscar: Hi-Life, Purely Scrummy Yummy and the occasional can of Applaws wet. I'm weaning Harry off the Gourmet gradually and it seems to be working - I am hoping to order some of the Zooplus foods soon. Texture doesn't seem to be as much of an issue with Harry - the Hi-Life, Purely and Applaws are all different to the Gourmet (both of them won't touch the ordinary Purely pouches though).

One of mine will not eat the same brand of food for more than a few days, no matter what it is. He likes variety. We have given up buying boxes of pouches, I just buy as I go. They like the sheba domes and gourmet perle, some applaws and I bought a new one in a black tub from Asda the other day - can't think what it was called, but they liked that because it was new! I despair sometimes.

Oh my goodness, I suppose that means I should be grateful he will at least eat one brand...! He ate a new flavour yesterday that feels like an accomplishment.

__________________

yes i have gourmet addicts in this household and its not cheap either

__________________

From what I've read, much of the problem with Gourmet Perle is the high sugar content. Basically, cats develop an addiction to the sugar, so other foods don't give them the "sugar rush" they're looking for. I've noticed this in my Sam since I've been trying to wean him off them. My thread about changing Sam's diet is here.

He will eat Gourmet Gold Double Delicacies and Gourmet A La Carte as well, but his favourite is Perle, particularly Ocean Delicacies and Marinades. I think there are a couple of things going on. The sugar content - all the Gourmet range contains added sugar - and he also likes the rich, wet gravy that most of these come in.

The best success I've had is with his supper, which used to be a big plate of one of his favourites, and is now a 50/50 mix of Marinade and Applaws fish (pouches), with a little water added to keep the very moist consistency he likes. He tucks into this with a lot of enthusiasm, and the plate is always empty by morning. The problem here, of course, if that Applaws is not a complete food, so he can't have it all the time.

The other foods he's eaten (as you can see from my thread) are Animonda Carny, Grau Gourmet (Grain Free) and Terra Felis. People have commented on here that Grau Grain Free is expensive, but it's actually cheaper from Zooplus than Gourmet Perle if you can get the 24 tin multipacks, which I wouldn't recommend unless you're confident he'll eat it! I've got him to eat them by mushing up Gourmet Gold Gentle Bits (again from Zooplus) and mixing in the new food really thoroughly. The mushing up wouldn't be possible with Gourmet Perle, but if I was having the problems you're having, I'd probably trying pureeing the Perle in a blender to get a good consistency for mixing.

I hope this helps, and I also think we're both going to have our work cut out here because love of Gourmet Perle does seem to be more of a addiction than having a fussy cat.

__________________
Proud Mummy to:

Sam (born June 1999, found August 1999)
Milly (born May 1999, adopted September 1999)
Eva (born 2010, adopted us August 2011)

Molly stand's up ..... 'My name is Molly and I'm a gourmet addict'


She is on the gourmet solitaire atm, her favourite being beef slowly cooked in sauce with tomato!! Makes a right mess of the carpet!!!


I have also tried all the 'best' food, but she wont touch it, give her a can or sachet of gourmet (not too keen on the fish) and she will lap it up.

__________________

I could have written this exact post a couple of weeks ago, except in my case it was a Whiskas/Felix addiction! I spent an absolute FORTUNE on various brands only to have them turn their noses up at anything I put down for them.

Have you tried Animonda Carny? Mine used to point blank refuse pate, but for some reason they both adore this food. They're not too keen on the Grau that I give them, but I'm astonished at how well they've taken to eating Animonda!! They also get the occasional Applaws tin which they also can't get enough of.

I have to admit, this has taken two years of trying (and wasting!) various foods, but with Animonda it was a first-time success.

This may sound a tad silly, but have you left him till he's genuinely really hungry? I've started being a bit stricter with my two (I used to be total soft touch and was feeding them small meals 4-5 times a day) - they now get fed three times and that's it.

__________________

Mine absolutely adore this flavour - and I've only ever given it to the older one (my kitten has been nicking it when he can, or at least trying to)

I can absolutely guarantee this one will be devoured and, as feeding cats - when they actually eat with gusto - is so rewarding it's gonna be hard to give this one up at the end.

It´s as if you are writting my story with Merlin. I´ve spent a fortune on his food and he just doesn´t eat what he doesn´t like (he smells it from a distance and decides it isn´t worth his while to come into the kitchen). He likes Hills best and after reading Hobbs post I saw that it wasn´t good for him especially as he loves RC (both high on carbs).