V.I.P. Petfoods Gourmet Fresh Mince

Please bring back Gourmet Fresh Mince – My cats loved this. I'm struggling to find something else they'll eat now. The only thing not being rejected is FreshSteakMinceforDogs which isn't designed for cats. Please bring it back. Show details

VIP Cat Mince – I cannot seem to be able to buy this VIP Cat Mince from Woolworths or Coles now and I'm really disappointed because my cat will not touch that horrible Fussy Cat Mince either. Human consumption is what I've had to resort to and is not agreeing with his stomach. PLEASE BRING IT BACK!!

Changed now to Fussy Cat Mince & just as bad. My cats HATE it! – My 3 cats used to LOVE this mince for YEARS. Then suddenly a couple years ago there were inconsistencies between batches. My cats stopped enjoying it, leaving most of it in their bowls when they used to INHALE it. It started smelling different, weird & the texture was sometimes just sticky brown sludge. Then they changed the packaging to Fussy Cat… Read more

Mince & my girls hate that too. This stuff is just sludge all the time now. Its lost its minced texture. Im not sure what its mixed with but its not the meat it used to be. I moved the back to the expensive Fussy Cat mince sachets but even those theyre not eating anymore. Weve had to change to PAWS brand & theyre much happier & its heaps cheaper so a bonus! I dont know what you did to this mince guys but you ruined your brand. Its a shame because we used to purchase $20+ per week & Im sure there are many others just like me. Do not buy!

My cat loves it! – My cat fell in love with this product and is never bored (over 1.5 year maybe). He did not gain the weight, the fur is shining and no leftovers. My cat is very fussy and likes organic milk, yolks only bought straight from the farmers and expensive cheese. Therefore I can say that this meat is very fresh and of a good quality, in other words pure… Read more

meat. We were feeding cat fresh meat from the table, but with VIP Gourmet, it is not an issue anymore.

Just out of curiosity decided to go through all the reviews and was surprised by so many negative comments. It makes sense because we usually tend to leave negative comments.

Thank you VIP Gourmet. Even if it goes in price, we will buy it, because it is my cat’s choice. ... on behalf of spoiled cat Max ❤️

Bought a Pack to try, 3 cats ate 3/4 of it in one day! – My two 20 year old female cats, one with kidney disease and my 10 year old male cat, where pushing there dishes all over the room trying to lick up every drop of the now non existent food they had already eaten, and kept turning around begging for more. I usually have all sorts of trouble getting them to eat anything and they usually lick off the… Read more

Jelly or gravy of tin or satchel cat food and leave the rest,. or often turn there nose up at Human Lamb or Beef Mince.

But with the V.I,P they just cant get enough, and I want the cat with kidney disease to eat as much as she can in reason, to get some weight back on.

So first Pack was a huge success, will get more.

My cat refuses to eat other brands – My 16 year old cat loves this product and her coat is very shiny. She won't eat other brands of cat mince only this one. The best product you can buy. October 22nd 2018 Update: No issues perfect product All of my cats ( including elderly cats) love this product and I have never had any issues with it. I am surprised at the bad reviews as my… Read more

cats are in perfect health when feeding this product. Will continue to buy this and am a long term satisfied customer.

Why did you change a wonderful product? – My 3 cats used to love this but now none of them want to eat it. Please go back to the old formula..... they loved it and were happy and healthy. Now I'm going through all the different brands trying to find something to make them happy. What a waste of money. You had a best seller, why change what wasn't broke? Show details

Won't be buying it again – I have a 15-year-old male cat who used to love this fresh food. Now I find that he just pushes it around the bowl and eats a little of it but the rest ends in the bin. He will then resort to eating the dry food and one time even ate vegetables that I was eating he was so hungry. Show details

bring back the old formula – I have multiple cats and they loved this fresh meat .I have been buying it for years...no more... .since they changed the formula none of my 5 will eat it ...bring back the old recipe .. Show details

Smelt bad, white growth on it and still many days on it before use by date – I opened a pack with plenty of days until use by , top layer looked brown and red underneath, then i noticed white bumpy bits growing all over it ! it didn’t smell right either ! I took a video but no pics Show details

VIP sometimes fresh cat mince – My Cat Ally lives off VIP fresh cat mince but about one in every six or seven I buy she walks away from it and won't touch it costing me around $6.00 to feed the bin. I believe it is not always fresh and sometimes looks brown in the packet even tho the used by date has heaps of time on it. I also believe that it is occasionally pumped with a… Read more

chemical to make it look fresh and cats can smell this immediately, I have also had many conversations with other customers in the cat food isle at Woolworths and they all agree they have had the same issue with the mince and refuse to buy it anymore. Unfortunately my cat will only eat that mince so I know for sure she isn't being fussy she will not eat any of the bad mince no matter how hungry she gets therefore I'm forced to throw that one away and buy a new one. I'm very annoyed that Woolworths will not refund or exchange the bad mince because of the used by date. I have 4 other cats and they usually finish off Ally's mince at the end of their meal but if she won't touch it they won't either, even the dog next door refuses this mince. This issue needs to be resolved by the company where this mince is made immediately or it will no longer sell because people are sick of throwing money in the bin.

Inconsistent quality, complementary only – My cat used to like this a lot but he's become very fussy when I feed him this. I notice the quality seems to vary a lot with this product. Perhaps it's an issue with the reliability of suppliers. Sometimes the meat's grey and flakey, other times it's bright red. That might just be because colour dye has been added though. Too often these days he… Read more

refuses to eat this at all and it just goes into the bin which is a big waste of money and so I've gone over to Purina Regal Cat Mince which looks and smells much better than this stuff. It doesn't get frozen before purchase either. (Unfortunately it's constantly sold out though.) However by far my main gripe with this product is that I'd been feeding my cat this for quite a while when I noticed in tiny lettering on the side of the package "COMPLEMETARY CAT FOOD ONLY". In other words, it's not a complete food. It's not even supposed to be supplemented with a complete food, it's supposed to be fed as a minor part of a complete diet. I seriously wish pet food companies were legally obliged to put on their packaging LOUD AND CLEAR when a pet food is a complete food and when it's complementary only, not just hide that notice away on the side somewhere where no-one notices it.

No longer any good – This used to be all my cat would eat. Not anymore, she wont touch it since it changed early this year. Bring back the old formula because its now crap. I wont be buying the current inferior product that no cat likes.

Failed Product, time to move on everyone – Totally agree with other recent comments on this product, the quality has changed overnight. Since January this product has turned to rubbish. You can see the change, it is pale and dry and flakey. Won't stay together like normal mince. Businesses I purchase from who supply this product in Devonport are Coles, Woolworths and Hill Street. I would… Read more

suggest they consider de-stocking or reducing their purchase of this product until it improves or find a better quality substitute. Sick of wasting money expecting it may come back to standard. The cat won't eat it at all.

Now inedible - according to our three cats !! – The last two packs have been absolute rubbish - texture, colour, and according to our three, taste and odour as well. 90% of both packs ended up in the bin. Despite our perseverance none of the cats would accept it. We have now moved on to human grade kangaroo. Should have asked for our money back - definitely not "fit for purpose"

What happened to this product? – I have fed my old Burmese on VIP roo mince for many years. She always loved it. The past two packages have been very different and she refuses to eat it. Even our other (teenage) cat who normally hoovers up anything has refused it. My hens end up getting the plate most days--and they don't seem thrilled, either. It's lighter red and finer… Read more

ground and very 'crumbley' now. I am going to have to resort to human-grade roo meat if VIP can't get their act in gear. ADDED Note September 2018. After our teenage cat went missing, we adopted a middle-aged cat who WILL eat the VIP mince, although not as enthusiastically as one could hope. She, too, prefers the more expensive brand. The VIP some days seems to be more like its former formulation--but it seems to depend on the batch. Added note, January 2019: In fairness to VIP, I should tell you that the middle-aged rescue cat will now eat the roo mince most days without complaint. The product seems to have returned to its original formula, as it is not pale and crumbly as it was when I wrote my original review. The old Burmese still turns up her patrician nose, however--she has become spoiled by the ritzier product.

Quality declined – Totally agree this product used to be great now it’s pale and crumbly, I feel whether it’s supply and demand issue or a greed issue but Its definitely not all meat. I buy 5 a week my cat loved it, now I give most of it to the dogs, am currently searching for a different product.

My cat loves it – My cat has gone from a non fussy eater to a fussy eater, that's why you lost A Star haha, because he only wants to eat this now. I have never had a bad batch but have only been buying since June 2017 so hopefully the problems were resolved. I would also wonder what the expiry dates were on bad product? Mine has never smelt bad nor have I had… Read more

any issues with texture. I too supplement with grain free and my cat is healthy, has a shiny coat and no weight issues and he wants it three times a day. I won't feed them can crap, it's like giving an animal McDonald's everyday of the week.

Concerned about the inconsistent quality between batches of this product – My two cats have enjoyed this product often in the past but now it's like an (un)lucky dip - and I know which batches they're going to hate as soon as I open the packaging and the smell hits me. I've worked in labs and this product occasionally smells like a mixture between vinegary fermentation and formaldehyde, despite still being well and… Read more

truly before the use by date.. Sure enough I serve it up and the cats refuse to eat it. Occasionally the greedy one will eat a batch that's a bit on the nose, and has vomited soon after. I've decided to give up on this brand, but I'd be happy to see some feedback from the company about all of these negative reviews.

Not so good any more - – I have given up giving these people a chance. I buy it periodically but the cats won't eat it anymore. I decided to try the more expensive 5 serve prime cat mince and the cats won't eat that either. I have 6 packs in the freezer and can't use it. We now use dry cat food. Forget the meat. Too many preservatives I think. You can smell it and you can see it.

Horrible changes to this product - Cat will no longer eat it – My cat used to LOVE this product. However over the past few weeks, the texture and appearance of the meat has physically changed. It's more like sludge or meatloaf than fresh mince and he now turns his nose up at it. I don't know what's been altered, but from the look of it I'd imagine it's now a higher percentage of "filler" and a very small… Read more

amount of actual meat.

Gourmet to Gross!

I'm currently looking for an alternative, as my cat simply won't eat this any more. And I can't blame him. Yuck.

Same name but the product has changed – My previous review was glowing in praise but something has changed in the last couple of months and not for the better. I noticed the change in texture of the mince a couple of months ago I'd say. I was alarmed when I fed my cats and they looked up at me with the look of "do you expect me to eat that" on their faces. The mince is more like sludge… Read more

now and it stinks too. It goes off very quickly too and appears to have a lit more sinew in it as well. My cats aren't happy and nor am I. I wrote the company an email last year to commend them on their product and told them not to change anything. Well they sure have changed and will be getting another email but it won't be so complimentary. If they don't revert their mince back to what it was I will not buy it again. I'd say that unless their sales have dropped they won't change anything. I was happy to pay a premium price for the old style premium mince but won't be paying that premium price for the rubbish on offer now.

It was great but now no cat will touch it – I was so happy when V.I.P. introduced this product. My cats (I have 3) used to love it and I used to buy a lot and freeze. It was getting worse but still every so often there was a good batch so I buy couple to try. During December I wasted a lot of money as not a single batch was acceptable. I leave it outside for strays but they too ignore it.… Read more

What happened. The meat looks lovely, has a right colour but there is something very wrong with it. I am very disappointed.

vip mince – i have been giving my cats this for a while but lately i freeze them ad i get a few i have 3 cats last couple of lots smelt funny my cats smelt it and did not eat it one cat does not eat anything else i have not looked at the back before front misleading its kangaroo meat i was very disappointed so when i shop next time i wont but anymoes evan the small single are kangaroo

Fantastic for shiny coat – My 2 Devons love this, and their coats are incredibly soft and shiny. The breeder told me to feed them raw meat as it was better for their coats and I totally agree. I tried human beef for quite a while, but they have been on this for the last 6 months and they have never been healthier. I haven't been able to get it though for the three weeks, as Woolies have stopped stocking it, and my cats are back to human beef. They are not happy campers!

2 cats went from healthy to very sick in two weeks – I thought I'd put my two Bengals onto this product instead of canned food, thinking it was going to be good for them. Within two weeks, both cats became very sick. They were both vomiting after eating it, then went off food completely. They got very thin and weak. My vet suggested changing back to what they knew, within a week, they were much… Read more

better. They are breeding cats and in seperate enclosures well away from each other so it was not a viral disease. I'm extremely angry this happened and will never touch your products again. Get your act together.

Cat's Favourite Food – My cat has beating eating this for 18 months now and he loves it. If he doesn't get this for whatever reason such as it's out of stock for a day or two he becomes very annoyed and starts keening for it. I have been known to travel across Melbourne so he'll stop crying for it. As far as I can tell it's healthy and balanced. My cat only gets a wet… Read more ·  1

diet of raw meat and like other posters, I tried just feeding him raw meat packaged for humans but he wasn't much into that. This stuff he loves though. His weight is under control (even though he's neutered), his coat is shiny and he's very healthy overall. I hope this product never disappears from the shelves for any reason.

BEWARE!!!! – This mince is so high in preservatives! I had 4 cats and just recently lost my beautiful Burmese to cancer. The vet asked me what I have been feeding him and I told her that I have been feeding the VIP pet mince for the last year because my cats really seemed to like it. She said that the preservatives in the meat are 90 times higher than in human… Read more

mince and cause inflammation and eventually cancer in pets. Naturally I instantly stopped feeding this product and switched to preservative free cat food. If I would have realized the danger of this food earlier, my lovely boy would still be with me. If you love your pets, make sure you check the labels on their food.

Cats get ill – I have tried your mince with my 2cats about 5 times, and every time they get ill, throw up the mince. I don't get it. yet your fussy cat product they love. have you ever opened those easy peels on the packets? good luck. now is the mince stored at the supermarkets too long, some have smelt sulphery. what gives! Cats get ill,one is a bit offa guts and the other is cautious. had these cats 14years.

Cat loves it! – Our cats vet recommended giving our cat raw meat, after reactions to some canned foods caused her to become unwell. Wasn't really sure where to start, and initially tried using beef strips and lamb pieces. She would eat them, but she wasn't fussed. My parents had been using this mince for a while and said their 17 year old overweight cat loved… Read more

it and was helping him to lose weight. Was a bit skeptical, our cats a fussy eater, but she loved it. In fact she always wants more! (she just has to do with the dry food the rest of the time, to balance her diet - much to her disgust LOL )

We always check expiry date, make sure packaging and colour looks ok, haven't had any worries. Most supermarkets I've been to have it in the 'human meat fridges' so its looked after like normal meat - sometimes I half wonder if the reports of some pet meat being off and gross is due to it not being stored properly??

We prefer to freeze it into portions for her as soon as we buy it. Makes it easy and keeps as fresh as possible.

Didn't think she would like it, but as I said to the folks - I'm happy to have been proven wrong! easy to find, cheap, cat loves it. nothing i've noticed

Another bad review to add to the list! – Feed both my cats this product last night and one cat threw up 10 minutes later. This is a healthy cat who never throws up. Last year a friend gave me all the VIP Fussy Cat meat he'd bought for his cats as they refused to eat it. I had to throw it all out as mine wouldn't touch it either. The smell and texture was dreadful. Smell, texture. Four cats wouldn't touch the Fussy Cat. One cat threw up up after the Gourmet.

Cats Love it and even eat it straight from the fridge – My friend who is an anavid cat person and shows and has abundant knowllege on cats advised me to feed my cats this mince, so I have changed my cats diets to mainly a raw food diet. This is an effective way to feed lean meat (Kangaroo) with the convinience of added Calcium and Thiemne. Thought it is not a complete diet i suplement their diet with… Read more

V.I.P Grain Free + range.... Shinney Coats, Eatting ALL that is given to them. quite expensive 800g at $4.95 just last 4 days for my 2 cats

wow what a stench!!! – I am a new cat owner and this is the first time I have purchased this product. Never again!!! I am glad to have found this site and realised that this particular mince should not smell this way. I could also smell the stench through the packets while trying to freeze the so called fresh mince. Lucky i only had it in my freezer for an hour before… Read more

realising something was wrong. My cat has eaten a small amount of the awful smelling meat and I just hope he is ok.

Foul stench

Terrible – I would be interested to hear other opinions. Is it the ingredients that have changed or the way it's being preserved? Is it full of sulfur dioxide or something; has it been irradiated - or what? Sorry, none! My cats used to like this mince, for years, but in recent months (possibly as long as a year ago) it has changed fundamentally and they hate… Read more

it. It doesn't look, smell or feel like meat. It is slimy and horrible, and sticks to containers and the only way to get rid of it is to soak it and wipe it out of containers with a sponge. Not only do the cats shun it, but the ants and even blowflies won't go near it! It doesn't smell, even after it's been sitting in the bowl for an entire hot day. I don't know what it is, but it bears no resemblance to any meat I know of! I certainly won't be buying any more of it.