Posts Tagged ‘cat’

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
 

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.

 10% Off your first order at Only Natural Pet Store exclusively from Ebates with Coupon Code!

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.

Only Natural Pet Store is making a 5% Donation to Japan Pet Relief – 5% OFF Site Wide plus 5% Donation When You Click This Link and Buy

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.

Natural Balance has new cat foods!  Dick Van Patten and his crew at Natural Balance have come up with some new cat food formulas.  These new formulas were specifically developed for those kittens and adult cats who suffer from food allergies.  The new Natural Balance limited ingredient blends are strictly grain free.  The new blends are Green Pea & Salmon and Green Pea & Chicken and are available in both dry and canned.  Natural Balance boasts a unique blend of carbohydrates and proteins to help with rebuilding a cat’s immune system.   Why green peas?  According to Natural Balance, green peas are a quality carbohydrate, rich in potassium and a highly digestible energy source.  These new blends extend the product line of prepared limited ingredient grain free blends, which includes Green Pea & Duck and Venison & Green Pea.

Please use the vendor links on this website to find Dick Van Patten’s Natural Balance new L.I.D. grain free blends in either dry or canned variations.

Cats ARE the coolest…and if you thought you’d get some life lessons here – forget it. Cats aren’t philosophical, they’re practical. They do what benefits them and their survival. Cat behavioral instincts are still strong after hundreds of thousands of years. When felines aligned themselves with the human race, they didn’t give up control in the process. Cats made sure we are still at their beck and call – merely downsizing a bit so they’ll fit in the house or a lap quite comfortably.

Cats teach us many things, but their strengths are in teaching us about power in relationships. They are expert manipulators, and don’t get emotionally involved unless it suits them. They are survivors and know to become too emotionally involved is weakness. Until there is total trust, you’ll never see vulnerability in a cat; only then will he let his guard down.

Cats always try to look good – maybe it’s because they know cats are the subject of cat art. Cats are vain and proud. There is no humility in a cat! A cat will not be your doormat.

While cats are playful, it’s on their own feline contrived terms. Their primitive strength lies in their ability to differentiate between the important and unimportant. We can learn from that because while catching a mouse may be important, a bath is not. It’s all about priorities and cats have strong priorities. Maybe we need them too.

Cuteness gets you what you want. While cats don’t think of themselves as cute (that would be just too demeaning) they do know they are handsome and know WE think they are cute…and this can best be used to obtain what one wants. Bowl of milk? Purr and use those big eyes. New cat toys? Destroy the couch with saber-edged claws…then use the kitten eyes. Cute can even save your life. Ask an abandoned kitten.

Cats know sex and good looks can sell anything. It was probably a cat that inspired the advertising for Levis jeans. Slow sensuous stretches, leisurely pawing at a dangling toy. You’ll never see them selling homemade cat food recipes! If there’s a way of manipulating you with unabashed sensuality, cats have it down pat.

While dog people can’t see it, cats are very loving. What seems like self-centered grooming is usually in the presence of their human friends. Grooming is a way of showing affection. I’m making myself “BEAUTIFUL” for you says volumes. This is something dogs don’t do. They figure you’ll love them no matter how stinky they are, but a cat shows its love for you by being clean, well groomed and looking good.

Cats compensate. I once knew a feral cat that had been shot through the head. He survived with perpetual sinus infections. He didn’t ask for sympathy, but managed to seek out someone that would make sure he had regular vet visits and moved in under her porch. The irony was that her husband was the one that had shot him. He didn’t hate, he didn’t give up – just made friends with his enemy’s wife. Kings have founded empires on this philosophy.

I knew a cat once that made friends with a very big dog. This cat was not afraid of anything because his “dog friend” would protect him – even from other male cats. It’s helpful to have powerful friends in high places and a smart cat capitalizes on convenient friendships. Big, strong minions bestow power on small weak dictators.

Cats are power hungry, but they know when to go hide in the cat carrier and wait for a more opportune moment to make their move. Strategy and cunning is how fiefdoms become empires. Felines one day will rule the world. You have my promise.