Cats are the Coolest

Purina recall

Don — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 01:32:34 +0000

Purina recalls some Cat Chow Naturals and Friskies Grillers Blend dry cat food bags due to potential Salmonella contamination

June 27, 2011

Purina has issued a recall for Cat Chow Naturals and Friskies Grillers Blend dry cat food shipped to Colorado, Idaho and Oregon. The recall has been issued due to potential Salmonella contamination. According to the FDA press release, no illnesses have been reported. Consumers who have purchased the recalled products should discard the product and contact Nestle Purina for a refund.

The products affected by this recall are:

Cat Chow Naturals Dry Cat Food in 6.3 lb bags with "Best By" date of Aug 2012; Production code 10331083 13; UPC 17800 11320
Friskies Grillers Blend Dry Cat Food in 3.15 lb bags; "Best By" date of Aug 2012; Production code 10381083 06; UPC code 50000 08450
Friskies Grillers Blend Dry Cat Food in 16 lb bags; "Best By" date of Aug 2012; Production Code 10381083 06; UPC 50000 57578

Primal Pet Foods Recalls Feline Chicken & Salmon Formula

Don — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:38:27 +0000

On May 28, Primal Pet Foods issued a voluntary recall of their Feline Chicken and Salmon Formula with a "Best By" date code of 043112-17 because this product may be contaminated with Salmonella. According to the statement, no other Primal Pet Foods products are involved in this recall and no illnesses have been reported.

The affected product is:

4 lb chicken & salmon nuggets (UPC# 8 95135 00025 0) with a "Best By" date code of 043112-17 (code is located on right side of product label on front of package).

Consumers who have purchased this product should contact Primal Pet Foods at 866-566-4652 (M-F 8AM-4PM Pacific) for information on refund or replacement of the product. If the package has been opened, dispose of the contents in a safe manner in a secure, covered trash receptacle. Save the empty package in a sealed bag if you do not have your purchase receipt.

Food of the Month for May

admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 22:20:58 +0000

Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit Formula

Are you familiar with Nature’s Variety Instinct brand cat food? If not, I suggest you check it out. I gave my four taste testers (Wilson, Barney, Daisy & Dolly) the Rabbit Formula the other night as their evening wet food treat. In our case, it was unanimously accepted.

As you open the tin, you will notice a cake that appears to be a bit granular. The cake is packed with what appears to be an “au jus,” but it is flavorful water. Water is the third ingredient in the recipe behind rabbit and pork liver. Down the ingredients list is another interesting ingredient, considered to be a holistic health item, montmorillonite clay. Montmorillonite clay is a natural de-tox agent and can be used to clean out the intestinal tract of any nasty agents such Ethoxyquin, BHT and BHA, which are known preservatives in other “un”-natural commercial brand foods. It’s an interesting ingredient and you may wish to research this a little more on your own to see how beneficial this ingredient can be to your cat, especially if your cat suffers from diarrhea. Other interesting ingredients in the recipe include artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, kale, cranberries, pumpkin, tomato, blueberries, and parsley.After observing the granular texture in the can, the cake had a firm consistency that offered a little resistance as I pushed in the spoon. However, the food easily scooped out and did not stick to the spoon as I put it on the little cat plates. Though it is a firm cake, it really did not take much effort to break it up into smaller bits. As I spooned it out, I noticed some peas and bits of carrot and noticed that it smelled like a lean cooked meat. My cats really seem to enjoy both the flavor and the texture of this Rabbit Formula.Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit Formula is 95% rabbit and pork liver and it is grain and gluten free. This product meets the AAFCO nutritional requirements for all life stages. Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit Formula is made in the United States.

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Blackman Industries recalls PrimeTime Brand and KC Beefhide Brand pig ear treats due to possible Salmonella contamination

Don — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:09:13 +0000

May 17, 2011

Blackman Industries, Inc. has voluntarily recalled all PrimeTime Premium Pig Ears and all KC Beefhide brand Premium Pig Ears pet treats because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Earlier this month, Keys Manufacturing Company issued a voluntary recall for certain pig ear treats because of Salmonella contamination. This recall was issued because the Blackman products were from the same production lot as the lot that caused illness in a dog in Missouri.

The following products are affected by this recall:
PrimeTime pig ear treats, 2-count package, UPC 7-48976-18316-6
PrimeTime pig ear treats, 5-count package with $5.99 retail price, UPC 7-48976-09040-2
PrimeTime pig ear treats, 5- count package with $6.99 retail price, UPC 7-48976-19040-9
KC Beefhide pig ear treats in a red mesh nylon bag, UPC 7-48976-09065-5

The products were distributed between January 4, 2011 and April 29, 2011 in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. They were sold in the following stores: Alps Food Stores, Apple Markets, Bag N Save Stores, Baldwin City Market, Big V Food Stores, Brookside Market, County Fair Food Stores, Country Mart Food Stores, Dahl’s Food Stores, Feldman’s Farm and Home Stores, Franklin Food Stores, Hen House Markets, Hy-Vee Stores, No Frills Food Stores, Price Chopper Stores, Russ’s Food Stores, SunFresh Food Stores, Super Saver Food Stores and Thriftway Food Stores.

Consumers who have purchased these products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. If you believe your pet is ill from these treats, consult your veterinarian. If you believe you are ill from handling these treats, consult your physician. If you have questions about this recall, please contact Blackman Industries at 1-913-342-5010 Monday through Thursday (9 AM – 4PM Central).

Boss Pet Products recalls Diggers Natural Pig Ear pet treats due to possible Salmonella contamination

Don — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:07:14 +0000

May 17, 2011

Boss Pet Products, Inc. has voluntarily recalled Diggers Natural Treat Pig Ear pet treats because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.Earlier this month, Keys Manufacturing Company issued a voluntary recall for certain pig ear treats because of Salmonella contamination that caused illness in a dog in Missouri. Keys Manufacturing is a supplier for Boss Pet Products, and several shipments of pig ear treats shipped under the Boss Pet Products Diggers brand were identified as potentially contaminated. These products were shipped by Boss Pet between November 2010 and April 2011 and were distributed to the following states: Alabama, California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah and Washington. The following products are affected by this recall: Bulk Pig Ears in boxes of 100 (UPC #0-72929-00038-6)
Bulk Pig Ears Shrink Wrapped in boxes of 50 (UPC #0-72929-99120-2)
2-Pack Bags shipped in cases of 12 bags (UPC #0-72929-99504-0)
4-Pack Bags shipped in cases of 12 bags (UPC #0-72929-00227-4)
8-Pack Bags shipped in cases of 12 bags (UPC #0-72929-99584-2)Consumers who have purchased these products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. If you believe your pet is ill from these treats, consult your veterinarian. If you believe you are ill from handling these treats, consult your physician. If you have questions about this recall, please contact Boss Pet at 1-800-445-6347 (9 AM – 5PM Eastern) or via their website at www.bosspet.com.

Pig ears for pet treats recalled due to Salmonella contamination

Don — Wed, 04 May 2011 18:27:58 +0000

May 4, 2011

Keys’ Manufacturing Co., Inc. of Paris, Illinois has recalled Pig Ears for Pet Treats due to Salmonella contamination. According to the Associated Press report, one dog’s illness has been linked to the treats to date. Also according to the media report, the treats were distributed to Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Consumers are instructed to return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund.If you believe your pet is ill from consuming these treats, consult your veterinarian for evaluation and treatment of your pet. If you believe you are ill from handling these treats, consult your physician.

Alpha, Grain Free Formula

admin — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:12:05 +0000

Dick Van Patten and his crew at Natural Balance are releasing Alpha, a new grain free formula. New Alpha is being introduced on the heels of other recently introduced grain free formulas that I wrote about in January 2011: Green Pea & Chicken and Green Pea & Salmon Limited Ingredient Diets. Mr. Van Patten is coming out strong in the field of grain free foods with the hopes to capture more of the grain free market segment of cat foods. If you suspect that grains have or can contribute to a cat’s poor health, then Alpha is a product you may wish to try or put into your food rotation.

Alpha is being marketed as a formula based on the diets “when cats roamed the earth” hunting for their meals in the wild. However, this formula utilizes the garbonzo bean as a unique source of proteins. Hardly an item a cat would hunt for. However, notwithstanding, Natural Balance uses chicken, turkey meal and duck in one formula and trout, salmon meal and white fish in another formula. They put in prebiotics for a healthy digestive tract, too! Both Alpha blends provide a nice base of proteins supplemented with a grain free carbohydrate source. Mr. Van Patten has come up with a unique blend of ingredients that might very well be a favorite in your cat’s daily line up of nutritious foods. Check out Alpha from Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance at Only Natural Pet Store.

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Wysong Epigen

admin — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:17:54 +0000

This is NOT an April Fool’s day surprise. Wysong pet food corporation has created a starch free cat food formula they call Epigen. Wysong is taking on the “grain free” products currently in the market that claim “grain free” is better. Wysong isn’t just going toe-to-toe with “grain free” pet foods, they are coming out swinging and slamming “grain free” foods. Wysong must be quite confident in their science behind this new food formula. As of now, Epigen is the first of its kind on the market so I’m sure other pet food companies will be scrambling to see what they can do. Isn’t competition in the free enterprise market wonderful?! My interpretation after reading Wysong’s Epigen literature, starch is the 800 pound gorilla in the room full of cat foods that no one has addressed until now. Wysong contends that starch is an UN-natural surgar source given that starch is a “polysugar” in the biochemistry world. Further, Wysong contends that though pet foods are “grain free,” the replacement ingredients are starches such as potatoes, peas and tapioca. If I may borrow Wysong’s theory “starch is starch” no matter if it comes from potatoes, peas, tapioca, wheat or corn. Wysong claims that a true starch free diet will address a number of health issues including, but not limited to, obesity, cancer and diabetes just to name a few, whereas, “grain free” foods don’t address or “cure” any health issues since they contain starch. How can this be when cat owners who have switched their cats to “grain free” diets have claimed they see a change in their pet’s health? The proof will be in the kibble! Wysong’s new Epigen is a large step forward in cat food innovation and I, for one, am anxious to give it to my cats. Oh, yeah, though we don’t talk about the “other” pet, Wysong Epigen is made for dogs, too.

March Madness

Don — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:46:08 +0000

It’s March madness. As cat owners, we are always mad for our cats and if you are like us, you want to feed your cat the best food available. Every time I hear someone say that a certain diet is the only way to feed cats, I get skeptical and concerned about absolutes. I’m always cautious about absolute diet solutions whether it’s for humans or for cats.

Some say putting their cat on a raw diet solely is the best way to go but who has the time to prepare every meal to maintain such a regimen? Some people say a diet of wet cat food is the only way to go. Cats would then get most of their required water through their diet. Others say you need to provide a kibble to help clean your cat’s teeth. Plus, kibble can sit out without getting old like wet food does. What I think is sufficiently appropriate, and seemingly more practical, is a combination diet of wet and dry foods where all items are the best quality you can get. This means that dry food component and the wet food component introduce its own variety of nutrients and advantages.

Perhaps March madness can be that you are willing to give up poor quality cat foods for Lent and get mad at those that use substandard ingredients. For example, stay away from “animal fat,” since it has a dubious origin. Some say it’s from an unidentifiable source of rendered animals. Make sure you know that it’s species specific like chicken fat.

We feed a primary dry food component of Innova supplemented with Pinnacle, Wysong and Orijen. We always give a high quality wet food at night including but not limited to Innova, Pinnacle, Natural Balance or Felidae. So, if you’re mad about your cats like we are, you will love giving your cats a variety of natural foods. It’s amazing how much pleasure one can get out of watching cats eat their wholesome foods.

Pig Ear Recall

Don — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:42:21 +0000

In case you have a mixed family, i.e. dogs and cats, please take note of the pig ear recall.

Jones Natural Chews Co. recalls pig ear dog chews because of possible Salmonella health risk

March 8, 2011

Jones Natural Chews Co of Rockford, IL is recalling 2705 boxes of Pig Ears because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Routine testing by the Washington State Department of Agriculture revealed that Jones Natural Chews Pig Ears contained the bacteria. The company has no product left in inventory from this batch of pig ears.

Jones Natural Chews Pig Ears were distributed in CT, IA, IL, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NY, PA,VA, WA, and WI. They were shipped to distributors and retailers between September 15, 2010, and November 2, 2010, where they were available for purchase. No illnesses have been reported to date.

The following products have been recalled:

Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears 2pk bag with header card–item upc 741956001047 lot 2420

Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears bulk 100ct box-box upc 741956001139 lot 2490, 2560, 2630, 2700, 2840, 2910, 2980

Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears bulk 50 ct box-box upc 741956001504 lot 2490, 2840

Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears bulk 25ct box-box upc 741956001467 lot 2700

Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears 1pk shrinkwrapped-item upc 741956001146 lot 2700, 2840, 2420

Jones Natural Chews Co Pig Ears 10pk printed bag-item upc 741956001405 lot 2420, 2560, 2630, 2840

Blain’s Farm & Fleet Pig Ears 10 pieces bag-item upc 741956001405 lot 2560

Country Butcher Dog Chews Pig Ears 1pk shrinkwrapped-item upc 741956001511 lot 2630

Country Butcher Dog Chews Pig Ears 1pk shrinkwrapped-item upc 741956001146 lot 2420

Country Butcher Dog Chews Pig Ears 12pk bag-item upc 741956001245 lot 2910