Best Read of the Morning: Appetizers for Cats

fancyfeast.com/appetizers

Fancy Feast's "Seabass & Shrimp Appetizers in a Delicate Broth"

One of our favorite Post-Dispatch scribes, Todd Frankel, has a most delicious story out today documenting a secret operation at Nestle Purina. The project, 3.5 years in the making, is hailed as a plan to shake up the pet food industry and (it would seem) finally ensure that our furry friends are as fat as we are.

Introducing hors d'oerves for cats. Yes, last month Purina began shipping to supermarkets and pet stores its Fancy Feast Appetizers for cats -- gourmet snacks that include such haute cuisine selections as "tender Tongol tuna," "steamed Tilapia," and "seabass and shrimp."

So far, cats and their owners are gobbling it up.

"It means my cats eat better than most people in the United States and in developing countries," Laurie Ruettimann of North Carolina tells Frankel. "But I have no problem spoiling my cats."

Wow. And here I thought my fellow RFT staff writer Aimee Levitt was nuts for admitting and (worse) blogging about the gourmet meals she cooks for her cat. But apparently Aimee's fancy feasts are quite normal when it comes to kooky cat lovers.