Cat food warning

[Pebbles82]

I'm aware some hamster owners give them cat food on occasion - usually for disguising the taste of meds. Just a warning not to - because of the cat food problem that is killing a lot of cats right now. I was surprised to see that Applaws was one of the brands as it's always been one of the better brands. And I know people on here have used it. Take care x

[sushi_78]

I believe it's the dry Applaws food rather than the wet food that is dangerous, because they are manufactured in different factories. Though right now I might be wary of feeding any kind of cat food.

[RolyRocks]

It is only dry foods, I have been informed all wet foods, including Applaws are safe.
I feel so desperately sorry for all these poor cats and their owners, my heart breaks for them all.

[Imogen]

Wait, there's cat foods killing cats? Where can I find this info and what brands of food? I own two cats so therefore this has got me worried.

Thanks in regards x

[Pebbles82]

Yes you need to be careful. I didn't know about it till an acquaintance with a cat told me. It's particularly nasty. A lot of cat food has been recalled from various different brands and places (I think all the same manufacturer) and owners are warned to be very careful what food to use at the moment. It seems to be mainly the hypoallergenic ones but I think I'd be ordering raw food or giving them human food if I had a cat!

Details here. But as they don't seem to know what is causing it I'd be cautious what you use. Whatever it is that's in the food is causing pancytopenia. A blood disease apparently.

The recalled pet food linked to hundreds of cat deaths | This Morning

A bit more about the possible cause here from a vet source

Pancytopenia outbreak kills 175 cats | Vet Times

Advice from a cat doctor here Wet foods are ok (as mentioned above) - but check any packets of dried food as per the article.

Severe feline pancytopenia in cats fed certain types of dry cat foods – The Cat Doctor

[Imogen]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

Yes you need to be careful. I didn't know about it till an acquaintance with a cat told me. It's particularly nasty. A lot of cat food has been recalled from various different brands and places (I think all the same manufacturer) and owners are warned to be very careful what food to use at the moment. It seems to be mainly the hypoallergenic ones but I think I'd be ordering raw food or giving them human food if I had a cat!

Details here. But as they don't seem to know what is causing it I'd be cautious what you use. Whatever it is that's in the food is causing pancytopenia. A blood disease apparently.

The recalled pet food linked to hundreds of cat deaths | This Morning

A bit more about the possible cause here from a vet source

Pancytopenia outbreak kills 175 cats | Vet Times

Advice from a cat doctor here Wet foods are ok (as mentioned above) - but check any packets of dried food as per the article.

Severe feline pancytopenia in cats fed certain types of dry cat foods – The Cat Doctor

Thank you so much for this! My cat has been off his food for the last few months actually and we've been trying to find different brands to get him to want to eat. We assumed he's getting bored of the same brand (we usually feed our cats the fish or meat type felix packs or the sheba brands) so it's good that I spotted this forum as soon as I did as we was planning to try another brand!!

[Pebbles82]

The Applaws wet food seemed to be popular with cat owners on here (I was asking about it to disguise hamster meds a couple of years ago). But you might be put off the brand after the above info! Even though the wet food is supposed to be ok. We were looking into getting a cat last year (but held off due to lockdown and don’t think we will now) and the breeder said they give theirs a raw food diet. They had it delivered. It might gave been purima, I can’t remember. It’s supposed to be really healthy for them.

This might have been it:

Raw Cat Food - BARF Diet For Cats | Nutriment Raw

Actually might have been this one - rings a bell. She said it was the best option for cats with allergies as well

Raw Cat Food | Healthy BARF Diet | Natural Instinct (R)