Posted By: Doug and Lumpy
Date: Sunday, 24 September 2000, at 9:56 p.m.
Post # 16619

After I awoke this morning to take care of Lumpy, I realized I had committed myself to an actual taste test of Lumpy's FAVORITE food, Purina DM ("IT'S STINKY!"). I administered Lumpy's earprick and checked his blood (as usual) and having found him in no need of an insulin shot this morning, I proceeded to feed him.

I made sure this was going to come from a fresh, unopened can, as I wanted to be sure I was getting that 'fresh-right-out-of-the-can' flavor. As I grasped the pull ring, Lumpy sat at my feet, looking up at me, also in anticipation of his beloved morning feast. After all, I surmised, a food that causes my cat to dance in circles and vocalize his delight in such an enthusiastic manner MUST be something that tastes great!

Once the 'pfffffft' of the lid being removed quieted down, I was faced with the realization that the odor wafting up to my nose, in a bizarre sort of way, almost smelled appetizing (remember, this is at 5:15 am on a Sunday morning, prior to any breakfast on my part). I took that as a good sign, as the cat had started his dance of delight.

I spooned out half of the can onto his plate, and moved the can up to my nose, to take in the full bodied aroma of the brownish-gray paste (about the consistancy of cookie dough) - and I didn't stop at the top of the can, I placed my nose into the empty area, and inhaled a deep breath. The ensuing assault on the olfactory areas of my nose nearly caused me to faint, as a *strong* odor of fish permeated my head. At that point I could not differentiate between the ingredients as listed on the can - Liver being the most, however the least detectible via aroma.

I proceeded to spoon a SMALL amount (as a comparison, think of how much toothpaste you put on your toothbrush - now think about 1/4 of that amount) onto my finger tip and observed it closely. I could detect some granules, as well as other unnameable things...with that, I placed that small amount upon my tongue and let it sit and 'cook'. Immediately I COULD detect the distinct flavor of trout and fish meal, which was nearly overpowering again..however, the undertones of the liver clearly came through with a somewhat 'spunky' flavor. Immediately I noticed some 'grittiness', along the lines of a fine mixture of grits. It was salty, and the beef tallow gave it a not-unpleasant smooth texture below the 'grits'. I found the corn gluten meal to be on the bland side.

After that, I really didn't want to savor any more of this flavorful feline feast, and immediately rinsed it down with a glass of water. The after-taste proved to be overpowering in itself, and now makes me realize why I call Lumpy 'fish breath'. Why does my cat LOVE this stuff? I don't know, he's not talking, and all I can offer at this point is that I won't take the reactions of an animal that has a brain the size of a walnut (sans shell) in choosing what I eat!

As an addendum, once he realized I was eating it and not immediately putting it down for him he nearly lost his mind!

Purina DM..."IT'S STINKY".

p.s. I had to brush my teeth. Twice. And use Scope, to get the awe-inspiring aftertaste out of my mouth.