A BOURNEMOUTH mum of three wants to warn other pet owners after discovering 'maggots wriggling' around in her cats' gourmet breakfast.

Fabiana Afonseca lives in Bournemouth with her husband, three children, and two beloved cats, Kipper, 17, and Noddy, 10.

She usually feeds them Purina Gourmet Perle wet cat food.

However, when feeding her feline friends on Tuesday morning she noticed something strange wriggling in the sachet.

The 45-year-old says they were maggots, commonly known as larvae.

Bournemouth Echo:

The white-coloured critters can clearly be seen writhing around in the pictures shared by Fabiana,

The cleaner said: “It's horrible, I still have some sachets I always give them this food and I never noticed.

“I was surprised that the cats backed away from the bowl of food and when I picked up the bowl it had a horrible smell, and I noticed the larvae [crawling] in the food.

“They were moving around in the food.”

Fortunately Kipper and Noddy didn't eat any of their cat food. 

To be on the safe side and 'prevent contamination', Fabiana cut up the bowl and poured the 'maggot-infested food' down the drain.

Now Fabiana is sharing her experience and hopes that raising awareness will stop other cats from potentially getting ill.

She said: "Always check pet food before giving it to them to eat so they don't end up sick."

In 2022, Purina previously faced criticism for the quality of its food.

Leeanne Whittaker felt “sickened” when she opened a box of Felix pouches, owned by Purina, and saw around “200 flies and maggots”.

She had bought the food from a supermarket in Blackburn, Lancashire, and later demanded a refund.  

Purina later apologised and said it tries “really hard to make sure that the products that our feline friends love always reach them in perfect condition”. 

The firm said it has “stringent safety and quality procedures during manufacturing and the packing of its pet food".

The Daily Echo has approached Purina for comment.