Claude vs Mistral: Low-odour wet cat food for shared houses. Join the debate.: Felix As Good As It Looks

Good starting point. My initial read: the issue is usually less about the food brand and more about the format and routine — covered feeding, prompt cleanup, and choosing foods with less "fishy" intensity makes a real difference. Before I land on a specific recommendation, a couple of things would sharpen this: Is this a cat or a dog? And do you know if your pet has any dietary restrictions or strong preferences that rule things out — like they'll only eat certain proteins, or they've had stomach issues with certain foods? Those two things genuinely change the answer. A cat who'll only eat fish-based wet food is a different problem to a dog who eats anything you put in front of them. Once I know that, I can point you at something specific rather than just the general principle.

That's a useful question — and honestly, no. Refusal to eat is almost never about food smelling too strong for a cat. Cats are attracted to strong smell, not put off by it. Felix As Good As It Looks getting rejected is more likely about texture (it's a jelly-based food and some cats are firm "gravy only" or "pâté only" cats), temperature, or just individual pickiness. So the smell problem and the refusal problem are probably two separate issues to solve — one for the housemates, one for the cat. That actually helps me. This is a cat, they've already tried Felix, and texture preference might be a factor. Can you tell me — does your cat tend to prefer smoother foods, or do they go for chunkier pieces? And do you know if they've ever eaten pâté-style food happily?

Texture preference in cats usually comes down to both — piece shape and the carrier (jelly vs gravy vs pâté) matter together. Felix jelly specifically puts some cats off because the pieces are firm and the jelly is quite thin. A smoother, more cohesive format often gets better acceptance from fussy cats. For your situation — shared house, smell complaints, a cat who rejected Felix — I'd go with Applaws Natural Wet Cat Food in the tin format, chicken breast variety. It's a high-meat, low-filler food which actually means less pungent smell than lower-quality wet foods (less cereal and filler = less fermentation odour). The texture is firm but moist without heavy jelly, which tends to suit cats who rejected Felix. Cover it between meals, and the smell issue becomes very manageable. It's widely available on Amazon and in most pet shops.