Fancy Feast Cat Food, Now in New “Choking Death” Flavor
Update (4/3/2007): Over 2,900 people have visited this page in the last two weeks, looking for information about the recent pet food recall. Several have posted questions, which I’ve done my best to answer. The original blog post has nothing to do with the recall, but you may find answers to your questions in the comments. Please read all the existing comments before making a new one.
To avoid any confusion, here are a few points I want to make clear from the beginning:
- I do not work for Purina, the makers of Fancy Feast cat food.
- I’m not a veterinarian, I’m a website developer and graphic designer.
- If you want to make absolutely certain your pet’s diet is safe, you should talk to your veterinarian about it.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope the information in the comments is helpful to you. Also, feel free to roam around the rest of the site. 
I write on a wide variety of topics here, and you may find something else that interests you.
I feed Riley from Purina’s Fancy Feast line — a supposedly “gourmet” brand of cat food — because just about every other wet food seems to make him puke. Overall it’s a very good product, but tonight as I was dishing out his diner of “Flaked Fish & Shrimp Feast” I noticed something wrong.
Mixed in with the mashed-up fish and actual tiny shrimps (this is premium shit, I tell ya) were a bunch of fish bones. Some were little hair-fine bones of the type you can never really remove, but there were at least three big hard chokers in there. I won’t be getting this particular flavor again. Just a heads-up for the other cat parents out there.
Note: No cats were harmed in the making of this entry.
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Have any of your products been recalled? There was a news broadcast of some brands being recalled after the death of some cats.
Comment by Jetta Ward — March 18, 2007 @ 10:05 am
Hi, Jetta. A friend of mine sent me an e-mail about the recall a couple of days ago. Fancy Feast wasn’t one of the recalled brands, but over 40 brands of cat food (all made by a company called Menu Foods) were recalled.
USA Today has some information about the recall, and this story from TheCitizen.com gives a list of the recalled products. Menu Foods will be posting updates and information to a special area of its website.
Comment by Adam Messinger — March 19, 2007 @ 11:16 am
Interesting. Actually I am writing about the fairly new FF Medleys. I am “owned” by 7 cats, from 5-18 yrs. My finicky fussy one, Kee-Kee scarfed up a whole can of FF MEdleys when I decided to try the two-fer-one trial packs. SO, I went back to the store and bought about 50 cans of it. It is a little more expensive, and one other cat, Billy, is on a precription diet, so my food bills for my “kids” can be high! Anyway, I am soooo hoping that this food recall will be nipped in the bud before more cats die, this is horrible. I found your site while surfing for the recall info. But I am confused. One site says Purina foods not affected, and another says it is. I may be boiling chicken and rice till this is over..suzanne
Comment by suzanne stone — March 31, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
Thanks for your responses. I shopped at Pet Smart today and was assured that they had removed all of the food in question. I still bought the Fancy Feast Medly because my 6 cats like it. I understand that part of the problem was related to wheat being in the food. It took forever to read what was in the mixture because the labels are so small.
If anyone hears about any other food problems, please let me know.
Comment by Jetta Ward — March 31, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
Hello fancy feast cat food corporation.I am writeing this letter to you in reguards to the cat food scare.We have been feeding our cats fancy feast cat food all of our cats lives. now i am wondering if you have had any fatalities or sicknesses with fancy feast brands wet and dry.??????? see me and my wife are concerned for our cats. the only cat food my two cats will eat is your grilled cans. they will also eat your dry. but we have been feeding them the purina cat chow naturals plus vitamins and minerals it is a dry kind. and they love it but i am very scared. but i will no longer be feeding my cats the purina. i want to be assured that fancy feast cat food is totally safe for them.????????? wet and dry.??? please send back e-mail as soon as you can with this information. for the time being i am makeing my own cat food until `I GET THE FACTS ON FANCY FEAST CAT FOOD’. MY CATS ARE VERY SPECIAL TO MY WIFE AND I. THEY ARE VERY LOVED.. THANK- YOU AND WILL BE WAITING FOR YOUR RESPONCE ON THIS. SINCERELY ANDY ARCHAMBAULT………… P.S. DO YOU HAVE ANY COUPONS FOR FANCY FEAST CAT FOOD IF IT IS SAFE?????????????? THANK YOU..
Comment by andy archambault — April 1, 2007 @ 6:18 am
Just stumbled on this site as I was looking for info on FANCY FEAST food and the wheat gluten controversy. Just saw a vet on CNN this a.m. that said to be safe, DO NOT FEED YOUR CAT ANY BRAND of cat food with wheat gluten in it. I was checking all my Fancy Feast cans and found one so far that has wheat gluten as an incredient..It’s the GRILLED CHICKEN FEAST in GRAVY. If I come across any more, I’ll put them aside too. It sounds like a safe thing to do…
I’m Hey Jude, from Arizona
4/2/2007
Comment by Judy Swidler — April 2, 2007 @ 11:03 am
ALL i can say as a consumer is that we are spending alot of money to make sure that our furry friends are eating good and safe. i sure would hope and think that fancy feast will never use the wheat gluten in there food again.. i am seriously thinking about just givin them dry food for now on.. it is a damn shame is all i can say…this is not a threat but a promise i will sew the pants off of your company if either of my cats get sick and die from your fancy feast cat food…………hey judy from arizona, thanks so much i really have trouble reading that small print. wow and my cats eat the chicken grilled.. hmmmmmm. not any longer though..SURE hope they straighten this all out.sincerely and respectfully andy archambault
Comment by andy archambault — April 2, 2007 @ 12:01 pm
For the person who was worried about the fish bones in the fancy feast. They probably would not hurt your cat. My barn cat eats the skulls and bones of chipmunks, squirrels and mice that come into barn for the grain. The only thing that she leaves is the tail. My house cats leave anything behind that they cannot chew. I’ve fed the Fancy Feast fish flavors and found little bits of bone or whatever left over. Our little furry friends do not seem to ‘gulp’ down their food like the dogs do. I’d worry about a dog choking. They eat everything.
Comment by Lorel — April 2, 2007 @ 1:49 pm
I feed my babies fancy feast. They are my life. Thanks for the info on the GRILLED CHICKEN. I will have to stop that one for now, even though it is their favorite.
I only feed chicken flavors since I hear fish and milk are not really good for them.
I would love some homemade recipes if anyone has any.
Thanks Rose
Comment by Rose — April 2, 2007 @ 2:24 pm
ALL OF THE GRILLED HAS WHEAT GLUTEN IN IT . WOW THIS IS BAD BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT MY CATS LIKE IS THE GRILLED. WELL GOSH DARN IT. HOPE THIS FANCY FEAST IS SAFE.???????????
Comment by andy archambault — April 2, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
Wow. This two-year-old post has suddenly gotten very popular!
I’m too busy today to respond at length to the new comments, but I wanted to address some misunderstandings and misinterpretations that have cropped up. I know that people are upset about this situation, and that accurate info can be hard to get with the hype level as high as it is on this pet food story.
I’m writing this comment with the best information I can find right now, and I hope it’s helpful for you all.
Andy Archambault said:
I don’t work for or represent Nestlé or its Purina division, which makes Fancy Feast cat food (I’m actually a freelance website developer and graphic designer). This is my personal weblog, where I write about things that happen to interest me. This particular post was written two years ago, when I found a few large bones in my cat’s can of Fancy Feast.
If you want to contact Purina, you can do so from their website. You also mentioned an interest in coupons, which you can find on this official Purina Web page.
For those who want to know, Fancy Feast cat food has not been affected by the recalls. Some of Purina’s Alpo-brand wet dog food has been recalled in U.S. markets, however. You can get the details on that recall from this Purina press release. Alpo food in other countries may be safe (see this Canadian press release, for example), but you should ask your vet about products in your own country to be absolutely sure.
Judy Swidler said:
I think it’s important to point out that wheat gluten itself is not dangerous. It’s actually pretty common practice to use wheat gluten (or corn starch) to thicken gravy or sauce in human foods, and gluten has been used this way in pet foods for a long time.
The problem with the recalled brands is that their wheat gluten was contaminated. According to this article from the Cincinnati Post (see the bottom of the page), the companies that manufactured the recalled foods got their gluten from a source in China. It seems that the recent wheat gluten production from that source has been contaminated with rat poison.
The CNN vet that Judy mentions made a good point, however. There’s no way for regular consumers like us to know whether a particular brand of food has safe or contaminated wheat gluten in it. Until this problem blows over, the safest bet is to feed your pet gluten-free food.
Lorel said:
That was me.
Thanks for the information!
Rose said:
Be cautious about preparing a homemade meal for your cat. Feline dietary needs are complex, and very different from those of humans. This article goes into more detail about the possible drawbacks of attempting to make your own cat food, and it’s important reading for anyone who’s considering the attempt.
The safest bet is to ask your veterinarian for recommendations of safe cat foods that you can use until this wheat gluten crisis is settled. If you’re determined to give homemade pet food a try, your vet could probably also hook you up with a couple of safe and tasty recipes.
Do not implicitly trust any pet food recipe you get from the internet; run it by your vet first.
Comment by Adam Messinger — April 2, 2007 @ 3:37 pm
If any one hears about any recalls about Fancy Feast being recalled I hope that they will E Mail Me. Our two babies are the love of our lives and our female cat who is going to be seen years old has breast cancer.
Comment by Margaret Hicks — April 2, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
Thanks Andy, for your comments.
I too, was not CERTAIN about avoiding wheat gluten in ALL the cat/dog foods, and as I said, the vet on CNN did suggest to avoid it for now, JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE…which I happen to agree with.
There are many, many Fancy Feast cat foods without it. Also,many other brands you can choose, such as SOME MAX CAT Gourmet Classics are still on the shelf without any trace of any contaminant (wheat gluten or the aminopterin (rat poison)that played a part in the recall in the beginning can be used. Friskies, 9-Lives have flavors without it and can be used. Look at the Web Site for Pet Food Express.. they have a good explanation for much of this problem.
I also happen to use the Natural Balance dry food for my cat and checked that just to make sure the wheat gluten isn’t in it.
To my thinking, for the time being, avoiding wheat gluten in anything may be the ONLY SAFE THING TO DO. That way, you wouldn’t be saying “What if…” later down the road and it’s such a simple thing to do, why not?
Comment by Judy Swidler — April 2, 2007 @ 6:18 pm
I was hopeing you can tell me were you guys buy your wheat gluten for fancy feast cat food.china or were????????????????????????thank you. my cats have been eating fancy feast all of there lives and we have never had any propblems with this brand of food. and we have been feeding them the grilled ever since they were baby’s i quess you could say they have good taste because fancy feast is the only kind they will eat. they sniff the other brands and turn there noises up and walk away open a can of fancy feast and they are ready to chow it down..if you can please give me imformation on were you are buying the wheat gluten for fancy feast;it will be highly appreciated. i feel so bad for the people who have lost there cats to the cheaper brands.. i am very relieved that fancy feast has not had any casualtys with there cat food. sometimes more exspensive is just plain worth it. i love my kitty cats. they are like my kids since all my own kids are grown and haqveing kids themselves.. respectfully…….ANDY ARCHAMBAULT :+ }
Comment by andy archambault — April 2, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
Just a quick head’s up on the fancy feast fish meals…
It is very important not to feed your cat ANYTHING with fish in it. It can cause very serious health problems including FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract infections), kidney stones and uremia (urine into blood due to bladder rupture). People are mislead to believe that fish or fish based products are naturally nutritious for their pet.. Beware!! This could make your cat very ill. For more information do a search and find out for yourself. I’m a veterinarian technician and it’s important that people know the truth
Comment by J — April 2, 2007 @ 7:12 pm
Is any of the fancy feast on the list of foods taken off the market for killing the animals?
Thank you
Pat Lovato
Comment by Pat Lovato — April 3, 2007 @ 6:23 am
My biggest concern is where does fancy feast get their wheat glutten??????????????? i have since stopped using that food altogether..yesterday i bought my cats gerber baby food, chicken, turkey, and beef, and one small bag of cat chow …thank god for cat chow huh?? well, they ate every bite and even licked the bowl..something they don’t even do with fancy feast..but hey they ate and that’s what’s important. i also bought tuna with water to give once a week. so in the meantime they will have to live on cooked boiled chicken and cat chow until we know for sure and what is being done about it. I honestly believe the pet’s food was savataged as china and usa are not getting along!!!!! moreso than ever. And it’s a matter of time before our food will be contaminated.
Comment by annicka spradlin — April 3, 2007 @ 10:08 am
MY CATS ARE EATING PURINA DRY FOOD FOR NOW BUT IT HAS GLUTEN IN IT ALSO SO I AM STILL CONCERNED…. THEY CAN STAND TO LOSE A POUND OR TWO IF NESSESARY. THEY SURE ARE BEGGING FOR WET FOOD THOUGH. WOW BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY.THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFORMATION. HOPE THIS OPENS UP THE PET FOOD MANUFACTORERS EYES???????????ANDY ARCHAMBAULT…
Comment by andy archambault — April 3, 2007 @ 11:44 am
Is all other fancy feast wet foods okay? Is it just fish? Please let me know. My cats love that food..Should I just stop giving them that wet food at all??
Thanks, Pat Lovato
Comment by Pat Lovato — April 3, 2007 @ 8:15 pm
Here’s how to keep track of new developments in the pet food recall: Visit this Google News search, then click the “News Alerts” link on the left side of the page. Fill in your e-mail address and click the “Create Alert” button, and you’ll be sent an e-mail message every day that lists the latest recall news.
To answer a question that keeps coming up here, Fancy Feast hasn’t appeared on the recall lists yet. Concerned pet owners should monitor the news for updates on new recalls.
J said:
That doesn’t match what I’ve heard about the subject, but my information might be old. I do know that fish alone isn’t enough to sustain a cat, however. Another problem is that wild-caught fish contains poisonous mercury, thanks to the pollution of our rivers and oceans. If you choose to buy cat food with fish in it, confirm that the fish is farm-raised rather than wild.
Of course, if you want to be absolutely sure that your pet’s diet is safe you should talk to your veterinarian. After all, it’s hard to tell if anyone on the Internet — such as J, or even me — is talking nonsense or not.
Annicka Spradlin said:
I touched on this in my earlier comment, but here it is flat-out: do not feed your cats human food! Cats’ dietary needs are complex, and very different from those of humans.
It would be safer to feed your cat a store-bought food that is not on the recall lists than to try and sustain them on food designed for people. If you want to prepare safe homemade pet food, ask your vet for recipes.
Comment by Adam Messinger — April 3, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
My cat’s been puking up fancy feast’s tuna in gravy every other time I’ve fed it to
him in the last few weeks and now his creatinine numbers are up…I smell
a rat….
Comment by DF — April 3, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
DF, your cat may have other health problems that are causing the increased creatinine levels and vomiting. You should work with your vet on this, and be sure to bring up any concerns you have about the food.
Comment by Adam Messinger — April 3, 2007 @ 10:27 pm
Adam …that’s true….but he actually did have one of the foods on the menu foods
recall list in the last two months….haven’t seen how far back they think it went…
My cat definitely had Ocean Fish w/ tuna flakes canned from IAMS in the last two months…..
Comment by DF — April 3, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that, DF. I hope you have your vet keeping an eye on him, and that his recovery is quick.
Comment by Adam Messinger — April 4, 2007 @ 4:14 am
A handful of new pet foods have been added to the recall list, including some dry foods. It’s looking more and more like gluten-free food may be the safest bet for the moment. To get all the information, check the Google News link that I left in comment #21.
There’s also been some worries about whether any of the contaminated gluten got into the human food supply. I’m writing a separate blog post about that topic; when it’s finished a reference to the new post will appear as a comment on this one. If you’ve signed up to receive comment notifications for this post (by checking the box under the comment form), you should get an e-mail when the new article is ready.
My thanks to all the people who’ve stopped by to offer information and ask questions. I hope that you and your pets make it through all this safe and healthy.
Comment by Adam Messinger — April 4, 2007 @ 1:55 pm
A pet food manufacturer confirms that the contaminated wheat gluten to blame for pet deaths is ‘food grade.’ In other words, it can legally be used in human foods…
Pingback by Pet Food Recall Causes Human Food Scare (8 Ways to Sunday) — April 4, 2007 @ 3:21 pm
FANCY FEAST AND FRISKIES MAY NOT BE ANY GOOD!!!!!!!I have checked on all of the lists and Fancy Feast is not on any of them but I have seen on them that the ingredient wheat gluton is what is making them recall the products and I have talked to some of my local vets and they have all said to throw out any food with wheat gluton in it and guess what I found a couple of fancy feast and friskies with wheat gluton in it I did not find any 9 lives though.
Comment by ashleigh — April 4, 2007 @ 4:57 pm
Hi, Ashleigh. There’s a good chance that any wet food with sauce or gravy has wheat gluten in it as a thickener. Some dry food may have it as well. To be extra safe, check the ingredients of any food you buy your pet.
Comment by Adam Messinger — April 4, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
I have 2 cats and feed them Fancy Feast wet and Whiskas dry . I have not fed them any type of fish , just don’t eat it myself and don’t like the smell .I have been reading this board and was surprised to learn that fish is actually not healthy for them anyway .
Comment by sherry — April 5, 2007 @ 1:42 pm
My 12 year old (very healthy) cat Wiskers died December 8th. He suddenly began having seizures several days before. His diet consisted entirely of Fancy Feast Sliced meats in gravy (hearts& liver, beef and turkey). The first thing the vet suspected was poisoning but since he was an indoor cat and this was before the current pet food scare we were quick to rule this out. This variety of Fancy Feast does contain wheat glueten. I’m not sure if Wiskers died as a result of eating Fancy Feast… I’m only writing this in case other cats have had similar symptoms. I would definitely stay away from wheat glueten products.
Comment by Christina — April 5, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
Just an FYI 2 cans into a new case of Fancy Feast gravy elegant medley chicken florentine my cat became very ill (3/23/07)foaming at mouth projectile vomiting very skittish and distance, within 24 hours my other cat had less server symptoms but similar lot of lip licking not wanting eat gagging. Stop the food both seem to be doing better youngest cat had blood work and scope w/ biopsy all came back normal baffled vet, convinced it was food vet feels the same and now they both need blood work done again in 2 weeks to makes sure no permanent damage was done to their kidneys. Last July both became ill youngest bloody stool and liquid feces and crystals in urine other violent yellow foam vomiting, they were eating IAMs wt control and hairball form mixed and fancy feast fish with ASPIC and tuna with gravy( the oldest could keep down the savory salmon FF which does not have gravy) if you notice ASPIC disappeared off shelves vet told me the older one had developed sensitive stomach and the young one just needed SC C/D. Could not give any really answers of symptoms now I know it was the foods they were eating. YIKES. Will let you know how their blood work comes back . Please stay clear of anything even if not on list that has wheat gluten that FF is still not recalled and my have ruined my cats kidneys forever all because they say it is safe. Using Merrick wet food only ones with no gravy, even though it does not list wheat gluten have heard organic doesn’t have to list stuff used in small quantities, trying to find a dry not associated with Menu foods, Diamond or Purina, the only thing I can come up with is Felidae…anyone have any comments on its safety.
Comment by Lorie — April 6, 2007 @ 8:03 am
Fancy Feast is off the menu for my cats . At least until we know more . Who knows how long that could take ?
Comment by sherry — April 6, 2007 @ 8:47 am
Fancy feast is off my cats menu to until this all gets resolved. it is a damn shame because my cats have always loved the grilled fancy feast. i am scared to feed any cat food to them. quess a dry cat food diet they will be on for a while. my little cat has been throwing fancy feast up every once in a while for a long time. i thought he had a sensative stomache but it must have been the food. it is a pisser. really makes me angry spending the high dollar trying to give my cats the safe good stuff and it is as bad as any… what a real bummer.. andy a
Comment by andy archambault — April 6, 2007 @ 9:53 am
I have simply resolved not to buy canned cat food that contains any type of fish. Bones seem to be in nearly every can, and I just can’t take the risk of my cats choking on fish bones that should have been removed before packaging. Kudos to you for posting this information about the Fancy Feast food. I typically use fancy feast as a treat for my cats, and luckily none of my pet foods have made it onto the recall.
Comment by Amelia — April 6, 2007 @ 10:26 am
I feed mine fancy feast. Have for 3 years. They love it but, I have stopped the ones with wheat gluten. I noticed the dry fancy feast has corn gluten. Is that okay? MY cats have also had blood in the stool and thrown up yellow and frothy vomit. One time about 6 months ago my female was very sick acting but, a mouse had come into their cage and she had been licking it. She was dehydrated, laying around and had bloody stool.
she is doing good now but, I am thinking maybe we should all get them blood tested.
Iam going to.
Thanks Rose
Comment by Rose — April 6, 2007 @ 11:37 am
I, too, had stocked up on FF Elegant Medleys because my 4 cats love it. They especially love the seafood blends. I checked the FF website and it states that the wheat gluten found in their cat foods is not from the particular China plant that shipped the bad stuff. I am now feeding them the regualr FF canned food without wheat gluten until we know everything possible about this mess. I won’t throw the Elegant Medley food away just yet though. I have sent away for samples of another kind of food and will see how they like it. This is all very scary to me and I would be devastated if I unknowingly harmed my cats.
Comment by Kathy — April 6, 2007 @ 1:51 pm
This is Suzanne, I posted here very early during the recall scare, I see many folks have also found this site, The author should be commended for it, although this is her personal blog and not a national pet food producer website, that others may have mistaken it for. Anyway, I have found a “kinship” here with other concerned pet (cat) owners. I have actually been carrying around in my purse a large magnifying glass, to read the cat food label ingredients. I have always taken my cats to the vet ( all 7 of them) for yearly exams as well as medical issues, My annual vet bill is probably in the 1000-2000 range, excluding expensive emergencies. I am not wealthly, just a middle class person & husband no children, only our cats, They are family. One cat is on science diet c-d. the food can be expensive, but not as much as a 500.00 catherization & hospitalization from urine crystals, lol. so i figured the expensive food is safe, NOT! My special kitty, Kee-Kee, always got FF or tuna for snacks. She is very finicky. The other cats got Dollar General small cans mixed with dry, usually 9-lives dry. WELL folks, what I can say is the best combination I have come up with through all this is: ALL my cats have been eating 9-Lives mixed with DG chicken/turkey giblets, NOT the tuna or salmon. No wheat or any gluten, real meat & lots of vitamins. If you have a Dollar General store nearby, visit there. The small cans are 4/1.00, also 9lives wet in cans is 4/1.10. a good bargain, PS I am not an employee of dg, I just want to report my findings. I hope this helps. Suzanne. PS I hope and sincerely pray this matter gets resolved, isolated and we can go on. Surely this is not a “teaser scare sabotoge act”, like, what’s next, people food?
Comment by suzanne stone — April 6, 2007 @ 7:16 pm
I found this website very interesting. I have always had indoor cats that eat Fancy Feast Cod, Sole & Shrimp Feast and flaked Fish & Shrimp Feast. Each afternoon they get a dish of Orca Bay wild cold water Pink Shrimp. Yes that is “People food” but about 2:00 p.m. each day they come to the kitchen and yell their heads off until I give them their shrimp. One cat is 17 and the other is 19. If fish is bad for them, then why are they the picture of health? They are both spoiled rotten, and members of the family. They are both rescue kitties and are loved by everyone including the two big dogs.
I have tried over the years to give them different flavors of Fancy Feast, but they refuse to eat them. So it will still be sea food for my fur babies.
This recall for pet food just makes me sick. But I believe that the quality of pet food will get better due to this fiasco. I wish everyone the very best of luck and good health for their furry companions.
Comment by Pam Chater — April 8, 2007 @ 11:36 am
Just a quick note here for all the cat lovers out there that care what they feed their “kids”.
Cats are carnivores. What this means is that the feline body is unable to process ANY vegetable matter (unless it is in the system of the prey they just consumed). My bet is that when the animal deaths go up with this recall the number of felines will be much greater than the dogs.
The reason for this is because the fact that the feline body cannot break down the wheat gluten properly in the first place, coupled with the fact that there is a poison inside the wheat spells disaster for our loved ones.
I feed my cats fancy feast (SHOULD FEED THEM RAW) chicken hearts and liver (sliced in gravy). My concern is that for 2 months now the product IN GRAVY looks different. It used to have a nice looking gravy which was clear, and the bits were pronounced. Now the product is milky with all sorts of bits throughout. Has anyone else noticed this, or concerned about it????? I contaced Purina, here is a quote from customer service
“The situation you encountered is an unusual occurrence and certainly not typical of our products. We appreciate you bringing your comments to our attention. They have been noted and are being reported to the appropriate individuals in our Company.
We are at a loss to explain why your cat did not enjoy the product from this particular package. Please know that there have been no changes in the formula, quality of ingredients or method of manufacturing this product. It is possible that this product may have been stored next to a material during distribution, that gave off an unpleasant aroma that penetrated the product.”
I must note here that when I wrote in to them I quoted 2 dates/codes, but since tried 9 other codes/dates and they are all the same now. They sent me some coupons as to shut me up, and there was no mention of the recall at all to reassure me. I am more worried than ever, and I think I shall be doing more hours of reading on raw diets for my feline “kids”.
I wonder what others out there think!
Comment by Cheryl — April 8, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
Well, I’m surprised i haven’t seen it here already. On CNN two nights ago I saw they recalled fancy feast all chicken and beef in gravy.go to CNN.com to see.
thanks,
rose
Comment by Rose — April 8, 2007 @ 8:38 pm
I couldn’t find any news/articles about the fancy feast chicken and beef in gravy recall, on CNN.com or elsewhere. My cats eat Fancy Feast grilled and I am worried…
Comment by Hiromi — April 9, 2007 @ 3:24 am
I could not find the recall eitherbut, it was scrolling on the bottom of the screen on CNN. Maybe just check with the store to see if they recalled it yet. My babies also love grilled chicken FF. Their favorite but, I had already stopped since it has wheat gluton. There’s a chance for a recall later.
Rose
Comment by Rose — April 9, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
My cat Snoop had a very bad UTI. When I took him to the vet the dr. told me not to feed him food with fish in it. Read the label carefully because even if it says “Beef dinner” if still may have fish in it. Now I look for foods with no wheat gluten and no fish products. There are several Fancy Feast canned foods without either product that you can purchase from Wal-Mart and other stores.
As for the fish bones…….in the ingredient label many foods say “meat by products, chicken by products or fish by products.” To me, its the same thing as eating a hot dog. Its any leftover product such as, gizzards, bones, intenstines, blah, blah, blah. I havent found too many cat foods without it. I guess we have to pick and choose our battles. I havent heard of any animals getting sick from “by-products” so I wont worry too much about that, however, I will never buy any food with wheat gluten or fish.
Comment by Tracy — April 9, 2007 @ 4:45 pm
Purina still says that their Fancy Feast line is safe, but I found a few blogs mentioning cats getting sick from some FF brand. My cats had been on FF until a couple weeks ago. I am feeding them Figaro and some human food for now. I’m asking my friend to send me some Japanese dry cat foods to be safe. Avoid wheat gluten and Vitamine D. Inspect the canned food for any funny looking stuff mixed in before feeding it.
I am furious about the FDA and Menu foods for the cover up. Canadian media is estimating 34,000 losses of pets in the US…
Comment by Hiromi — April 9, 2007 @ 11:19 pm
Wow, thanks for so much good info! My 3 babies (11, 8 and 7 years old) have always enjoyed Fancy Feast Fish (the 24 pack with cod,shrimp,whitefish,tuna,etc. ) Last week I noticed the green label cans (all 8 of them) had a pink residue which had never been there before. The cats would lick it a little and stop. EVEN AFTER THEY HAD NOT BEEN FED OVERNIGHT. Normally the three of them would share one can and gobble it up at 5 AM when I get up. Now they won’t touch any of the cans. Just leave it on the plate to dry up. I’ve been thru four combo packs (all different dates) and have read all ingredients. I think it’s something MORE THAN JUST A GLUTEN PROBLEM HERE.
For the last 3 weeks the little bit of Fancy Feast Fish that they do try sometimes makes them throw up. I had no idea about fish not being good for cats as they loved it and I trusted that Fancy Feast was a premium quality food. I cannot afford to take them to the vet, I’m going thru radiation and chemotherapy myself and will probably not be able to completely pay for my own doctor bills, so I’m so appreciative for this blog.
My kitties and I NEED HELP! Now that we’re all scared and know what NOT to feed them does anyone know of a brand of food that is truly SAFE to feed them?
Today I’ll be calling the local Checkerhill Farms to see what info they may have as I’m sure they care. Been hearing 9 Lives seems to be safe, but who wants their precious little ones to be guinea pigs in this “wait and see” game”. All info will be appreciated. Thanks, Andrea
Comment by Andrea Rose — April 12, 2007 @ 4:26 am
My son gave me a can of 9 Lives fish food for my cats and WOW lots of fish bones in it. I check all foods before giving it to my cats and dogs. I guess the better way it to make our own and freeze it like we do for ourselves.
Pat
Comment by Pat Lovato — April 12, 2007 @ 8:29 am
I usually feed my cats just dry food and reserve the Fancy Feast wet food for a treat. It has been a while since I fed them the wet stuff, so I decided to on Monday night. I fed the cats some Fancy Feast from a new box that I bought at Sam’s Club. I was assured that Fancy Feast was not included in the recall. For the last two days my cats have been projectile vomiting frothy yellow stuff and have been very lethargic (sp?) anyways… I don’t know if it is from the Fancy Feast, but it sure does look suspicious. I agree with others who have said to lay-off the wet food until this recall situation blows over.
Comment by Maia — April 12, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
My 2 boys have been eating Fancy Feast wet food for all 4 years of their lives, mostly chicken and turkey. They seem normal to me, very active and playful, yet I still can’t help worrying about the fact that every can in the cabinet has wheat gluten in it! I’m not sure what to do, since my “children” are picky, as most cats are. I would love reassurance from Fancy Feast that FOR CERTAIN THIS food is safe!
Mother of two, Margee Dalton, Columbus, Ohio
Comment by Margee Dalton — April 12, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
I was looking for an address to ‘talk’ to Purina about the grilled tuna feast in gravy.
my Abby occasionally vomits when she eats fancy feast with large chunks, so I cut it up for her or mash some of their meat products. She’s only three and has the small Abby mouth and teeth, so I assumed the pieces were just too large and stringy. Found this blog and was amazed that Fancy feast is questionable as to safety. I also feed her the Elegant FF dishes on special occasions, but the last time, she wouldn’t touch it.
She hates the beef, loves the Chunky chicken or turkey, which I mash. I’m really annoyed that FF is not being more honest and forthcoming with real information to protect these pets. I trusted that since there was no recall on FF that it was SAFE. Is there any problem with Meow Mix ’cause that her favorite dry food?
Thanks for all your blogs. Any vets out there to give us a list of the best food to feed our cats. AND the foods to avoid such as tuna, chocolate, people food (which my cat loves.)
Everyone has an opinion as to what’s NOT good for cats; fish, mercury, foods that cause urinary and kidney problems. Please list what you really know to be harmful or just not healthy to feed felines. THX.
Comment by LISA Boston. MA — April 15, 2007 @ 9:30 am
I have really been bouncing off the walls over all this bad cat food.ff is what i feed my cats and i pay the high dollar not to have to woorry about them . sure hope i am getting my moneys worth..andy
Comment by andy archambault — April 15, 2007 @ 10:33 am
So it turned out they pulled the main food my cat was eating off the shelves….
a week after the fda gave the all clear and a week after I called nutromax…
they added the mainstays of his diet for the last 4 months off the shelves…
nutromax hunter’s stew with venison, hunter’s stew with duck and beef and egg skillet….Arrrggghhhhhh……
documenting the raised creatinine and my pet food bills itemized
sending nutromax/menufoods the bill
Comment by DF — April 15, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
I also have been feeding my cat fancy feast can food, until mid march. My cat had gotten really ill, throwing up, lethargic and dehydrated. He had last eaten the fancy feast grilled can. I now know it contains wheat gluten. He was in the hospital for 3 days with kidney failure. He is now recovering, but i do believe that the fancy feast food was to blame……just a warning for all you cat owners out there..
Comment by jani — April 15, 2007 @ 11:32 pm
I stopped feeding my oldest cat any food that had gravy in it. She always threw it up. FF or Friskies. As far as I can see through my magnifying glass, my FF cans all contain wheat gluten, except for the Tender Beef Feast. When I was young my mom would always feed baby food to cats when they were sick. I do that now. I also buy cans of real tuna from Costco instead of cat food fish. I also buy my cats packaged turkey, like Butterball or Oscar Meyer, (they also have sliced Chicken).
My oldest cat died the day after Valentines day. My other 2 cats are fine and don’t think FF had anything to do with it. She was 16 years old. I miss her more than anything. I do know that over the years she always knew if the can was not quite right and would refuse to eat it. It usually had gravy in it.
Comment by Stacy — April 18, 2007 @ 5:56 pm
Hi, I just wanted to let all the people who’s cats vomit after eating to make sure they are NOT EATING FROM PLASTIC BOWLS. I found out many years ago that LOTS OF CATS ARE ALLERGIC TO PLASTIC. Thank God I had such a great vet. My cat at the time immediately stopped vomiting after his meals as soon as I switched their bowls to glass! I know it has nothing to do w/the recall, I just wanted to put it out there b/c I know so many people are unaware of this. Please pass it on! Thanks and thanks for all the great info.
Comment by Stacey M Styles — April 18, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
just wanted to mention this~ there is a REAL natural brand called WELLNESS. none of their food has been on the recall because they use natural products(does not have preservatives). the cans are 69 cents each in nyc. its the same price as the other brands of pet food and it is much safer. the company makes a wide rage of flavors: chicken, chicken and beef, chicken and lobster, chicken and herring, turkey, and salmon & trout (they have other flavors on the website). they sell it in petland, petco, and other pet stores or ya`ll can order it offline. the website is: http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/cat_index.html
instead of waiting to see when ff or purina is going to be on the list, i decided to be proactive and research a brand that wouldnt be part of this whole mess. i feel this company is looking out for our best interest and our precious kitties too. hope this can help some of ya`ll out. “Wellness cat food formulas are free from meat by-products, potential allergens like corn, soy and wheat as well as artificial colors, flavorings or preservatives.” that is taken from their website~ i called them when the recall happened and they were extremely helpful with all my questions.
and my deepest apologies if u have been affected by this horrid event. unfortunately, it seems as though the wheat glutin was contaminated wit rat poison on purpose. hopefully our government will be proactive and do something about this. maybe a regulation~ the FDA should make it illegal to use oversea products when those countries do not have the same rules and regulations for their products. this whole situation makes me extremely upset because after i feed my kittens the cans go in the garbage. and if they were sick i would not have had the proof… very very upsetting
Comment by crissy — April 19, 2007 @ 12:15 am
Re: bones in cat food. Trader Joe’s is a national “gourmet” food store that sells really good tuna for cats (29 cents a can.) I often find small bones in it. They are soft and melt in my fingers, but I still clean the food B4 giving it to Cougar. Just so you know the bones are everywhere.
Comment by Tony — April 19, 2007 @ 1:17 am
My kitty loves Fancy Feast, dry and wet formulas. Since all the recalls, however, I decided I would play it safe and bought Natural balance canned and dry food. Now, Natural Balance is recalling one of its dry foods (luckily not the type I recently bought). So, I’m going back to Fancy Feast. I don’t know what else to do. First it was wheat gluten with arsenic and melamine, now it is malamine in rice products. I am looking for cat foot that contains no grain products whatsoever. I am trying to get her interested in baby foods, etc, but so far no luck.
Comment by J. Shiffer — April 19, 2007 @ 9:07 am
Did some of you miss the note from the vet asssitant that said Do Not feed your cat human food,including baby food or fish. Not at all!
Please take care of those babies they depend on us.
rose
Comment by Rose — April 19, 2007 @ 2:18 pm
I can’t afford expensive cat food. I’m on every email-alert, so I’ll know if Fancy Feast is put on the list. In the meantime, I’m giving Cougar the Fancy Feast. I’ve had a loving talk with him, and said, “Please don’t die… but if you do, thanks for being my best friend.” Fancy Feast is NOT on any list.
My suggestion = get all the facts, love your cat, and try not to get neurotic about it.
Every act, every day is a crap-shoot, so we do our best.
A BIG HUG TO THE OWNER OF THIS SITE! You’ve gotten yourself in the middle of this, heh? Thank you for keeping it going.
Comment by Tony — April 19, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
I have used fancy feast for 6 years before this all came about, and I am not neurotic. My cat was made ill from the Ff with Wheat gluten in it. you can think want you want but I am the one with the cat under observation for possible perm kidney damage and 1300 in vet bills. I have about 22 cans out of the case left that made her sick (second can into new case of 24 resulted in foaming at mouth troubleusingg back legs gagging etc..) (have had test done to rule out all other possiblities) if you are so sure it is safe if you would like to try it.
Comment by Lorie — April 20, 2007 @ 6:07 am
JUST SPOKE TO TECH SUPPORT AT PURINA RE: FF AND OTHER PRODUCTS. THEY, OF COURSE, STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. STATED THEY HAD ONLY ONE CONTAMINATED PRODUCT WHICH WAS AN ALPO DOG FOOD, USING A GRAIN FROM NEBRASKA PLANT. DENIED ANY PROBLEM WITH WHEAT GLUTEN.
PURINA STATED A NEW PRODUCT, NATURALS PLUS VITS AND MINERALS, WHICH I BOUGHT AND MY CAT HAS TRIED IN VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES INITIALLY, HAS NO COMTAMINATES. I WILL USE NATURALS AND SOME FANCY FEASTS CANS WITHOUT WHEAT GLUTEN. ALSO WILLTRY WELLNESS AND SEE IF KITTY LIKES IT. WILL KEEP UP WITH ALL YOUR BLOGS. THX
TO THE VET ASSISTANT: WHY NOT BABY FOOD? OR PEOPLE FOOD? WHAT’S THE RATIONALE BEHIND THIS? IS THERE TO MUCH SALT, SUGAR, FAT,ETC. PEOPLE WOULD AVOID THESE PITFALLS IF THEY UNDERSTOOD THE REASON.
Comment by LISA Boston. MA — April 20, 2007 @ 8:14 am
Fancy Feast makes several flavors without wheat gluten. Some of the flavors without gravy also have gluten in them. Read the labels carefully and feed the ones without any gluten in them.
Comment by Dana — April 20, 2007 @ 9:32 am
I didn’t mean to infer anyone could get neurotic, except myself. Sorry.
Comment by Tony — April 20, 2007 @ 12:22 pm
I’ve been buying FF Elegant Medleys. When they first came out, the cat loved them and there was no problem. When the two for one trial packs came out, I purchased a couple of dozen. She pukes these up. I bought different flavors and just now notice that one of the ingredients in wheat gluten. I called Purina to tell them and got a “ho-hum, that’s not on the recall list.” I told them when I get my cat checked if she shows any signs of kidney problems, I won’t be calling them, I’ll be calling Fox news.
Comment by Rita — April 20, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
If we keep changing the cat’s food, many cats will vomit from the new food itself.
Vets recommend adding the new food slowly, but that’s no good if we want to change the original food!
I’m keeping a “diary” of Cougar’s feedings - just in case of a lawsuit, it’ll be crucial to have stuff like “proof.”
That’s all from me. I wish all of you, and your cats, the best and long life!
Comment by Tony — April 20, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
I took the initiative to avoid feeding my kitten any of the Fancy Feast flavors with gluten in them. It’s not worth taking a chance especially when they offer so many different flavors. If you check the labels carefully, there are other companies that also make cat food without any grains. Need to avoid all grains at this time as rice gluton has also been a problem in foods by Natural Balance (whose source of rice gluten is different from the recently recalled ones). The problem may be beyond wheat gluten and may also include rice gluten.
Comment by Gina — April 20, 2007 @ 5:24 pm
Thanks, everyone, for keeping the comments and information coming. I’m sorry I haven’t had anything to say for awhile, but I’ve been super busy for several days now. I’ve got a little time to spare this evening, so I’d like to share some new info I found about homemade cat food and also respond to some of the comments that have been left recently.
In the April 16th issue of Newsweek magazine (page 104), there’s a small article about cat food safety. I’d encourage everyone to read it for yourself, but here are some of the important parts:
Now on to the comments…
Suzanne Stone said:
I truly appreciate the kind words, but this is “his” personal blog. Last time I checked, I don’t have breasts.
Rose said:
This comment was followed up by a couple of people saying they couldn’t find the story on CNN.com or elsewhere. I also couldn’t turn up any matching news.
It’s possible that this story was published hastily by CNN and removed from the site later when it proved to be false. Such things do happen, and I’ve noticed that online news sources often aren’t as good about admitting their retractions as printed newspapers and magazines are.
Stacey M Styles:
I found this information pretty alarming, since Riley always ate from a plastic bowl and was vomiting violently in the days before his death (two years ago, unrelated to the current food scare). A little Google searching soothed my fear that I’d killed my cat, however.
The only references to plastic bowl allergies that I could find mentioned feline acne as a possible result of plastic bowl use. Nicks and scratches in plastic can also grow bacteria, but Riley was found to be free of infection when the vet checked him out.
Crissy said:
I made exactly the same suggestion in my blog post about the contaminated gluten being “food grade” — in other words, usable in human food products. The FDA isn’t even adequately monitoring the human food supply.
Tony said:
That’s very true. Cats have pretty sensitive stomachs, and flipping them back and forth to different foods can make them sick.
That said, if for some reason you’re still using a food from the recall list you should switch them immediately. Their sensitive stomachs and picky taste buds may make the change difficult, but it’s for their own good. Of course, telling that to a cat probably works about as well as saying it to your kids.
Finally, several commenters have been worried because their cats started vomiting after eating one kind of food or another. Don’t panic. Cats are infamous for being finicky eaters and puking at the drop of a hat. Before this food contamination scare, it was actually a source of jokes among the “cat people” that I know.
Before you freak out, think over your cat’s history. If he or she has had vomiting problems in the past, the vet didn’t seem worried about it at the time, and your cat’s food isn’t on the recall list then you might not have anything to worry about.
If puking is a new thing for your cat, or if they haven’t done it for a long time, then you may have reason to take them into the vet. Even if their food is completely safe, there may be another problem that needs to be addressed.
Thanks again for all the comments. Here’s hoping this problem gets resolved soon and that all your cats come through safely.
Comment by Adam Messinger — April 20, 2007 @ 8:35 pm
Thought some of you would be interested in the following information. I’ve provided the link for the source.
Where Does the Wheat Gluten Supply Come From
It should be noted that the wheat gluten used in most pet foods is the same quality wheat gluten used in human foods. It is sourced from the same countries, the same suppliers and inspected to meet the same high human food quality control standards. The U. S. is the largest user of wheat gluten in total, and our country’s use of the ingredient in human and pet foods exceeds what is produced domestically by the agricultural industry. As a result, 80% of the U.S. demand for wheat gluten is fulfilled from Europe and Asia due to limited supplies in the U.S., where the remaining 20% is sourced
http://www.purina.com/WheatGluten.aspx
Comment by Gina — April 20, 2007 @ 10:10 pm
I agree with the earlier post about Wellness Cat Foods. I have been feeding my cats Wellness for years now and they are extremely healthy and have great immune systems. My 4 cats love the canned chicken formula and their dry food. I don’t work for Wellness or Old Mother Hubbard who makes the food…I am a DJ at a radio station and was talking about this story the minute it was out to alert as many pet owners as I could. I just love the Wellness brand because my 18 year old is thriving on it! She goes out and chases the grasshoppers in the backyard just like my 6,5,and 4 year old cats. “Wellness cat food formulas are free from meat by-products, potential allergens like corn, soy and wheat as well as artificial colors, flavorings or preservatives.” You can visit their website at:
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/cat_index.html
If you have a Natural Pet food store in your area…they may have samples to give you to see if your cats will like it. Otherwise you can buy it at Petco or Petland as suggested earlier. You can also bring the food back to the store for a refund if your kids don’t like it. I know all this has been very traumatic for all of us and I hope this gets the FDA off their butts to monitor things a little better!
Ginny
Comment by Ginny — April 21, 2007 @ 11:53 am
Rita i am sure you saw my comment earlier in this post both my cats became sick from FF Elegant Medley, i also called Purina on 3 seperate occassions and got the ho hum not on lis tspeech. My cats are showing issues so please get yours checked. maybe we should start keeping in touch on this. The batch that my my cats sick was best by Oct 2008
63031160L 4FV11416
Comment by Lorie — April 23, 2007 @ 5:57 am
While at the store, I looked at the ingredients for Fancy Feast Elegent Medly and decided not to buy any because they either had gluten or wheat (don’t remember which).
I went to Petco here yesterday and they didn’t carry Wellness brand. But the store locator at the Wellness website helped me find the nearest source.
Comment by Gina — April 23, 2007 @ 6:38 am
I’ve read through all the comments and like everyone else take this very seriously. Just a few thoughts: My cats live to be 19 and 20 years old, so I must be doing something right. I’ve fed them real food for the last ten years. I don’t call it human food, just real, living food. It’s no big mystery to prepare a balanced homemade diet. Raw meat (organic is best) contains plenty of taurine, which is destroyed in the cooking process. Cats are not designed to eat grain, so their dry food is Innova Evo, made from organic, raw ingredients. It’s important to add calcium to raw meat, which is high is phosphorus and must bind with calcium. It will steal calcium from the bones and muscle if it is not provided with the meat. I also feed wild-caught salmon and Alaskan pollack, fish that swim deep enough to be unaffected by murcury. Macheral is also considered safe. Read Pitcairn’s books about what has already been going in our pets’ food by these so-called knowledgeable and caring pet food manufacturers. Baby food meat is fine, as long as it’s without onoin powder. Remember too that “human grade” food is no better. FDA standards are not as high as my standards. Look at nature when deciding how to feed your pets. By the way, it is a myth that dry food helps keep teeth clean, but rather, it is the leading cause of chronic kidney failure in dogs and cats especially, as they are obligate carnivores and designed to get most of their moisture from their food. This came from the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Association. We must educate ourselves and trust ourselves about what goes into our bodies and those of our beloved animals. And yes, it is absolutely time for pet food manufacturers to be held accountable!
Comment by Marie — April 24, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
Some kittens will not eat raw food from birth. Sometimes kittens develop aversions to whatever food they are eating at the time they became sick like vomiting and so having options is important. If a cat develops an aversion to one type of food, try another. There will be times when keeping a kitten alive will take priority over what kind of food. I’m for whatever works. Plenty of cats have lived 20 years old on commercial food too. Lets not forget that cats are picky eaters. Everyday it’s a challenge getting them to eat anything whether raw or not, homemade or not. My kitten had been hanging around my yard for at least 3 days before I realized he was here. I offered him all types of delicious food both fresh cooked salmon/fish as well as raw. He would rather die than eat the yummy food I offered him. He prefers commercial food. Be glad there are people in the world willing to take them under their care. I understand that too many animals get the lethal injection daily based purely on people who don’t want to care for them. I’m grateful for all of those companies offering us options for our extremely picky eaters.
Comment by Gina — April 24, 2007 @ 5:45 pm
Melamine entered the human food chain report dated April 25, 2007. Hogs tested positive for melamine. Baby food is also being tested. The FDA is also inspecting gluten made from rice, corn, wheat, soy. Here is the article.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-fi-petfood25apr25,0,4316492.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Comment by Gina — April 24, 2007 @ 11:55 pm
I am very concerned about the safety of Friskies and Fancy Feast. Two days ago, I had to euthanize my eight year old baby cat. Her kidney level had taken a dramatic upswing since her last bloodwork a year ago.
What concerns me is that my last baby is now showing signs of kidney failure. I’ll be taking her in for bloodwork too. I’m terrified of what they’ll find.
It seems that just because a certain food is deemed safe now, it may suddenly become “unsafe” for consumption. I don’t know which way to turn. There doesn’t seem to be a definitive answer. These cats and dogs are not just pets to me, they are my children. I mourn for my baby and cannot even entertain the thought that I might have killed her by feeding her contaminated food. If I could switch places with her, I would. These cats are my life. I’m housebound, therefore, I have an extremely close relationship with them. If anyone hears about a recall regarding Friskies or Fancy Feast, please let me know. Thank you.
Comment by Sierra Dawn — April 27, 2007 @ 9:37 am
Sierra,
are you reading the labels on the Fancy Feast VERY CAREFULLY? Some have gluten in them and some don’t. You need to read each and every flavor VERY carefully. Please let us know whether or not you are reading the labels of the FF very carefully and are not feeding your children any of the ones that contain gluten. I have already taken the initiative not to feed anything to my kitten that contains gluten even if it has not been recalled. Why wait until something is recalled. Read ALL labels VERY, VERY CAREFULLY.
Please let us know. Thank you
Comment by Gina — April 27, 2007 @ 11:58 am
I also have avoided giving my kitten any of the Friskies because the bags stink terribly of chemicals. It is obvious that it cannot possibly be good for any living thing to eat those horrible smelling stuff.
Comment by Gina — April 27, 2007 @ 12:01 pm
Allright…here’s yet ANOTHER pet food recall:
CHICAGO, April 27 (Reuters) - Diamond Pet Food said on Friday it was withdrawing three canned products manufactured by American Nutrition Inc. following that company’s recall, and it had not heard of any quality issues or illnesses related to the products.
The company said the withdrawal comes after the FDA found that rice protein concentrate used by American Nutrition contained melamine, which is not approved for use in food.
Diamond is pulling its Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs 13 oz. cans, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Kitten Formula 5.5 oz. cans, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Puppy Formula 13 oz. cans from shelves.
If you’ve got any of it , bring it back to where you bought it immediately.
Comment by Ginny — April 27, 2007 @ 3:37 pm
With all that’s going on and being unable to trust anything with gluten, I have just started my poodles and cat with Flint River Ranch dry food. It contains no glutens, no by-products and no chemical preservatives. They all seem to like it. The problem I had with Fancy Feast Gourmet Medleys was with the trial two-packs with expiration date of December 2008. I was also feeding my cat the dry Fancy Feast. I tossed it in the garbage. On another note and since we are all getting very label conscious, I happened to check the ingredients on a cat treat “Whisker Lickins” by Purina. The first ingredient on the label is animal digest (source of chicken flavor). What? Purina is also selling this filth. They have deep pockets so who knows if they will ever be on a recall list. I hope so. Another product I had been purchasing regularly for my toy poodles, “Cesar” made by Mars lists the first three ingredients as beef by-product, chicken by-product, and meat by-product. This is ridiculous. I’ve been paying .75 for three-ounce squares of garbage. It’s high time these companies were held accountable.
Comment by Rita — April 27, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
My understanding of by-products is that they are the livers and gizzards and or hearts of the chicken. Some people believe animals need these by products. It is getting extremely difficult to know who to trust or what to feed our animals.
I have a kitten that I struggle to feed because he is so picky. I’m grateful that he eats anything at all. The only way he will eat anything is if I hand feed him.
Some people believe dry food is not good for cats, but there have been times when that is the only thing my kitten would eat.
Always appreciate brand recommendations. Thanks for telling us about Flint River Ranch. I will look into it.
Comment by Gina — April 27, 2007 @ 4:01 pm
SINCE THE PET FOOD RECALL I FEED MY 3 CATS AND MY 2 80LB HOUND DOGS THE GROUND CHICKEN…I PUT IT ON TOP OF THE DRY FOOD AND EVERYBODY LOVES IT…TAKES THE PLACE OF THE WET FOOD.-ITS IN THE MEAT DEPT NEAR THE CHOP MEAT..PREPACKAGED BY PERDUE ABOUT 2.89 FOR 1.5 LBS
Comment by BARBARA BRADLEY — April 27, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
Because of the lack of withdrawing any Fancy Feast foods, I only last week read the wet food cans my cats have been eating. They all contain wheat gluten. I have read everything on this site this evening, and, although my three cats have not been ill from the gluten-containing wet Fancy Feast, I would love to know how to prepare their food at home. In reading all the messages on this site, I have to say that Gina, whoever you are…you are the outstandingly well versed cat lover. You know your stuff, and I would love to know more about feeding my precious cats (three of them, and all elderly). I did note in one of your entries that you reference an article or book…I will definitely go back and view it. Thank you.
Comment by Jo Ann — April 27, 2007 @ 7:04 pm
Hello JoAnne
I think our best teachers are our pets themselves. This is the first time I have ever been around a kitten. I have learned everything from him. He is about eleven months old now. I recall a Fancy Feast commercial when I was a kid in the 70s. The commercial called cats finicky eaters. Now I know why.
Let your kitties help you feed them. If you decide to avoid commercial food all together, make sure to add taurine to their food. That should be available at the pet stores.
Keep reading labels. Don’t make any assumptions.
I have a bag of Natural Balance Pea and Venison that I purchased in January which did not have any grains at that time. Apparently, they added gluten recently. So it’s important to keep checking labels as we don’t know when a company decides to change the labels.
Maybe some other people here have ideas too.
Offer your cats fresh cooked salmon and beef and chicken. Hopefully, your kitties are not as picky as mine and they will eat homecooked food. Cats are meat eaters and don’t need starches or carbs.
If my kitten would eat home cooked food, I would keep to feeding him fish as there might be some issues with contaminated chicken with the milemine. Kittens are more vulenerable as they are more senstive than even human babies.
With raw you need to have some knowledge before jumping in because animals can get parasites if their immune system is not strong enough to fight them off and you might need to know how to handle the situatio. Sometimes they can get salmonela also among other things. You might need to be more careful with transitioning older cats. I have heard about cats bleeding as a result of raw food too. I can suggest a book to help you learn about raw feeding if you are interested. I think the book tells you how to handle parasites, etc.
There are some dogs who cannot handle raw either. Some do and some don’t. They get diahrea as a result. Ultimately, the animal will choose what they will or won’t eat. And what they can and can’t tolerate.
ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT CATS ARE EXTRA PICKY AND EXTRA SENSITIVE.
I have learned some stuff from the internet and some from yahoo groups. I cannot in good conscience suggest any yahoo groups as they are primarily controlled by money and are too biased (by one reason or another).
Comment by Gina — April 27, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
I think menu foods makes wellness, but double check that cause my head is hurting from all of this. This is complete *%#* I don’t know what to feed my cat. I am scared to feed her anything. Merricks is all natural, but my cat won’t eat it.
Comment by bee — April 28, 2007 @ 12:42 am
I am absolutely as parranoid as everyone else that loves there pets. but i have come to the conclusion that i am going to keep feeding my cats -2 cats fancy feast grilled. i mostly feed them the beef anymore. i would just be so upset if i killed them by buying the 50 cents a can stuff. exspecting it to be gourmet for them.. they have eaten it all there lives and they really dont like much else but grilled they will eat some friskies lately. wow i am really scared to feed my cats it is a crying shame. shame on cat food manufacturers who dont make sure there viddles are safe. i try to cut them back on the amout i feed them . i smell it before feeding them. but i would imagine rat poison blends right in with no taste or smell.. so very angry i am……….grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr come on people if everyone cared this world would be a better place with a whole lotta of love…thank god my cats are healthy they love wheat gluten food…frusterated oh so badly…. andy a
Comment by andy archambault — April 28, 2007 @ 1:12 am
Hi
I have 7 cats and yes I use fancy feast … only tender beef , cod sole @ shrimp , salmon , whitefish tuna feasts .. I stay away from any sliced or gravey cuts or grilled … they seem to be doing ok … have given them chicken breasts and sardines , and baby food , also plain yogart …I have them on c/d hills … but scared to buy another bag .. although they say it is ok .. not sure what else to do ..
Comment by Bonnie — April 28, 2007 @ 1:55 am
Interesting News Article in the Toronto Star, Canada, Ontario, today, 28 April 2007:
Hope this helps a bit.
Sierra
Comment by Sierra Dawn — April 28, 2007 @ 6:17 am
Bee:
Old Mother Hubbard makes Wellness Formula Cat Food
Comment by Jo Ann — April 28, 2007 @ 9:13 am
Innova makes dry and wet food for both cats and dogs which does not have any grains at all including gluten. That has been the only dry kibble my kitten has really liked.
Has been a great learning experience to find that cats are so different in their taste buds.
My kitten doesn’t like food with turkey, chicken or beef. He only likes the fish ones. And he prefers Fancy Feast.
It is a big shame that scientist are still struggling to find out what is in the food that is poisonous.
I think it has been most difficult for cat caregivers as cats are so picky and so vulnerable.
Let’s continue to keep a close eye on the ingredients of what we feed our pets and let’s continue to pray for the safety of our pets, and that their food whether homemade or factory made be completely safe soon.
Comment by Gina — April 28, 2007 @ 10:09 am
Chicken by-products: heads, feet, feathers, etc. I believe what you were referring to with livers, etc. is listed under meat by-products.
Comment by Rita — April 30, 2007 @ 6:32 am
Thanks Rita.
By-products are edible for both humans and animals.
Comment by Gina — April 30, 2007 @ 8:44 pm
A quick update - I’m still feeding “Cougar” Purina Fancy Feast, and absolutely no problems. C’s getting the tuna, the chopped grill feast, and the chicken feast in gravy. I live in San Francisco, I get the food @ Safeway, & I check the recall daily.
Comment by Tony — May 1, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
Please check the Menu Food website - www.menufoods.com for an updated list.
They added more foods to their recall list due to the possibility of cross-contamination to other pet food they manufacture.
These are products that do not include ChemNutra wheat gluten but were made at Menu Foods Plants during the period that the ingredient was used there.
Menu said it had received study results indicating cross-contamination.
This is getting scarier and scarier.
Sierra
Comment by Sierra — May 3, 2007 @ 6:18 am
If anyone is interested visit the website www.catinfo.org which is put out by Dr. Lisa Pierson DVM. She has changed the way that I feed my cats completely and they are changed kitties. Glossy coats, full of energy and bright eyed and bushy tailed!! Cats are true carnivores (unlike dogs which are omnivores) - according to her they should never be fed hard food which contains so much grain.
If anyone is worried about the pet recall - just read this webpage. I cannot afford the raw food that she recommends unfortunately but I went for one of the few canned foods that she recommends - it is 95% meat and no fillers or by-products. I just love what it has done for my three cats.
Comment by Linda Wolter — May 3, 2007 @ 6:34 pm
Linda, Thanks so much for the information. I sure would like to know how to get my kitten to eat. I have to hand feed him in order for him to eat anything at all.
Some people believe cats need to have the nutrients in the by products. I guess it depends on who you want to believe or what works for ones particular cat.
Thanks again
Comment by Gina — May 3, 2007 @ 8:33 pm
Although its impact will be felt for a long time, the pet food contamination scare is now drawing to a close. As a result, I’m disabling further comments on this post. If anything good has come from this crisis, I hope it’s that we all understand how fragile our food supply — both for humans and animals — really is.
Before I close things up here, a few more responses to comments…
Gina said:
That’s good info, Gina. Thanks for sharing the link with us. It’s another example of how much danger I think we’ve put ourselves in because of the FDA’s lousy inspection practices.
I’ll be adding a link to that LA Times article to my post about the human aspect of this food scare. You may also want to take a look at this ABCNews.com article about the dangers of poorly-inspected imported food.
Lorie said:
I’m sorry, Lorie, but I have to delete this portion of your message. Having your e-mail address exposed on my site is an open invitation for spam. Anyone who was subscribed to receive updates to these comments has already gotten it, so I’m sure that people you’ve met here will be in touch.
The author of this comment went on to explain how she fed her cat Fancy Feast, and then it got sick. This series of events doesn’t necessarily mean that the cat food was at fault, and the author of of the comment didn’t give any information about veterinary tests which proved the food was to blame.
I studied biochemistry in college. One of the most important principles of scientific investigation is that correlation does not imply causation. In other words, just because one thing happens after another thing happens doesn’t mean that the first thing caused the second thing. The tendency of people to think in these terms has lead to a whole field of study in cognitive psychology: the study of attributional bias.
I’m deleting this person’s comment about Fancy Feast for two reasons. First, it doesn’t offer any strong evidence for its claims and I don’t want it on here confusing and scaring people for all the years this site remains on the Web. Second, I don’t want to be exposed to legal liability because someone made baseless claims about Fancy Feast on my site.
In conclusion: Fancy Feast has never shown up on any recall list to date, and appears to have been safe all along. So far, there’s no indication that there’s any danger from this food. I’ve gotten e-mail from people who’ve read part of this page, don’t understand the facts, and want to know why Fancy Feast is still being sold. It’s being sold because it’s safe.
I’m glad my site was able to host a discussion among concerned pet owners, but it’s time (for me, at least) to close the door on this issue. Thanks, everyone, for contributing. I wish you and your pets a long and happy life.
Comment by Adam Messinger — May 9, 2007 @ 7:46 am