Warning - Cat food recall linked to 209 deaths - details here

[Chihuahuacat]

Hi all,

I just wanted to share this Facebook group:

www.facebook.com/groups/806871953557080/?ref=share

I had my darling cat pass away a few weeks ago completely out of the blue due to low blood count.

The vet mentioned there had been an upsurge in cases and this group suggests it is linked to grain free / hypoallergenic food.

Please please share so now one else has to go through this x

[QuestionableMouse]

God that's terrifying.

I feed royal canin/purenia so hopefully okay.

[Chihuahuacat]

They seem to be ok! The main brands seem to be: applaws, Ava and Sainsbury’s hypoallergenic.

We coincidentally switched food to IAMS after our cat passed away and our other cat seems fine.

The brands haven’t yet been recalled so wanted to get the message out there

[Mumdiva99]

Thanks for sharing. There seems to be some households where one cat gets ill and another doesn't which is odd. I will follow this now. My cats don't eat the foods listed but it raises a question about the standards in the country of manufacture. I think our dry food is made in Spain based on my guess of the code....

[AvoidingPandaEyes]

Thank you for sharing and for your loss

[Chihuahuacat]

Thanks all - I’m hoping by raising awareness no one else has to go through what we have.

The Royal Veterinary College are aware of the issue and I’m speaking to them this week to share insights.

[NoseOfJericho]

Encore is also an MPN product (Applaws).

Some years ago there was a court case in the USA regarding melamine in dry food and cats had died, it was investigated but the result were not made public. I followed it until all mention of it vanished so no idea how many brands it affected but it did get mentioned in the UK too.

I stopped buying dry food in 2006.

[NoseOfJericho]

mpmproducts.co.uk/brands/

[Chihuahuacat]

That’s interesting @NoseOfJericho and so terrifying about what goes into the food.

The factory number in question seems to be GB218E5009.

Please check your food as it covers a number of brands and if you think your cat has had it, take them to the vets urgently. Treatment is multiple blood transfusions and steroids

[WoofDavid]

I'm a long-time lurker and have created an account specifically to post on this thread.

I lost my two 7 month old kittens at the end of May, within a week of each other. Reading the OP and messages on the FB group, it sounds horribly familiar.

My kittens suddenly became anaemic, with low white blood cell count and v low white platelets. I noticed sudden loss of appetite, refusing to eat or drink, lethargy, temperature and, in the case of my first kitten, some diarrhea.They were referred to a specialist for treatment (my second kitten in particular was referred v early because I was obsessively monitoring for any sign of her becoming unwell), but they were unable to save them. My second kitten became ill 5-6 days after losing her brother and it followed a very similar pattern.

The specialist vet has said they don't have a confirmed cause but they are investigating what appears to be "a new development of disease in the cat population" and I understand they are working with the Royal Veterinary College etc.

I was feeding them on Applaws Dry Kitten as well as Felix AGAIL Kitten wet. I still have the bag of Applaws, have just checked and it's the same batch number listed by Chihuahuacat. I'd be absolutely heartbroken regardless, but the idea that I may have inadvertently fed my beautiful little kittens poisoned food just makes me feel sick to my stomach.

[missymoomoomoomoomoo]

Is Arden Grange on that list? Tried to Google but couldn't figure it out

[Chihuahuacat]

@WoofDavid I’m so so sorry for your loss, it’s heartbreaking isn’t it. We thought we were giving them ‘premium’ high quality food. Her brother seems to be ok (it’s been 3 weeks after taking him off the food) but I’m watching him like a hawk.


@missymoomoomoomoomoo I’ve not come across that one being an issue, but have a look on the packet for the factory code and see if it matches the one I’ve posted. It will start with the country pre-fix, so GB if made in the U.K., FR for France etc.

[SirVixofVixHall]

It may not be food related, it could be a new disease. There is someone on that facebook page whose cat has had none of the suspected food.
I don’t have cats any more but this is very worrying and I hope there are answers soon.

[mygee]

My cats are on applaws dry food! Just checked the two bags we have and they both have that factory code. Hoping I can return the huge bag that we've just had delivered 🤦‍♀️ Off to buy them something else and hope the change doesn't upset their tummies. How worrying!

[Chihuahuacat]

@SirVixofVixHall definitely. When I spoke to the RVC I gave them details of everything including food, litter, flea treatment, worming treatment, changes in the house (washing detergent, new food bowls).

They also asked if anyone had tested Covid positive (we hadn’t).

Hopefully once they analyse everything we get a definitive answer. The food does seem to be a theme in the majority of cases though, so if using it I would switch to be safe.

[Chihuahuacat]

@mygee I’d really really recommend taking them to the vets and asking for a blood test. The outcomes are not good so the earlier you can catch it the better.

Check their gums for any sign of paleness

[thanksforallthewhales]

PAH seriously good bistro dry is made in the same factory

Wonder if it would be worth starting a thread in chat as it has more traffic?

[IsThisNameTaken]

Thank you so much for posting this! I have 2 bags of Applaws with this code - opened one today but haven't fed them any of it yet so definitely won't be doing.

[mygee]

@Chihuahuacat thank you I will check their gums.

[slavetothekittens]

Long time lurker....

Just joined properly to say thank you so much for starting this thread...I had a packet of Applaws dry with that number on, you may have just saved my kitties an awful lot of trauma.

[Chihuahuacat]

It’s now been officially recalled which is great news. Affected foods listed:

www.foldhill.co.uk/fold-hill-foods-ltd-is-recalling-a-number-of-products-it-manufactures-on-behalf-of-partner-brands/?fbclid=IwAR0OX97_LUCpVFEYulD3oKQOHvIQzJXDYhFripHcLfhM0Sac_Hq2pT8YAWY

[mygee]

Glad it's been recalled. We buy ours from Amazon but I've just checked and I t can't be returned. I've emailed applaws to ask what to do. The cats safety is priority of course but I can't really afford to lose that £35!

[Moggymoggymogmogs]

Ffs. Does anyone have any ideas what I can do with a 7.5kg sack of cat food that's been recalled???

[mygee]

@Moggymoggymogmogs

If you got it from a shop you can just take it back for a refund. We get ours from Amazon and can't return it. I've emailed applaws so when they reply I'll update on here.

[Moggymoggymogmogs]

It came from Amazon.
I've ordered a new sack from bitiba as the other sack I ordered from there before came from a different factory.

Could really do without this tbh

[SappysCurry]

Thank you for this information.
You are a possible life saver