We are all – unfortunately – familiar with stories from pet owners who report the grief of a pet becoming ill or dying related to a pet food. Thousands of dollars in vet bills – desperately trying to save their lives. It is heartbreaking to read or hear these stories – each one breaks our hearts.
But most pet owners aren’t familiar with the stories from rescues that have faced the many illnesses and deaths of precious animals in their care associated with a pet food. Many rescues can’t/won’t reveal these nightmares publicly – for fear of criticism (‘why do you feed these animals cheap pet food?’), for fear of losing adopters (‘ animals there are sick, I don’t take from them’), for fear of losing donations (‘they don’t take good care of their animals’), for fear of being sued for defamation by a food manufacturer of a pet, or perhaps for fear of losing access to discounted pet food to feed the animals they care for. We rarely hear about these problems related to pet food, but when they do happen – they are just as painful and heartbreaking as the stories from individual pet owners.
Kastaway Kitties Rescue is a small cat rescue organization located in rural Tennessee (McMinnville, TN). As with most rescues, they struggle to raise money to feed and care for their residents. Some are lucky enough to have a local veterinarian discount medical treatments and spay/neuter the animals in their care, some are not so lucky. The nearest vet is an hour’s drive from Kastaway Kitties.
Most rescues have no choice but to feed their special guests cheap feed grade pet food…they do the best they can with the budget they have. Kastaway Kitties is no exception, they have spent years trying to select the best cat food they can afford. They educated themselves on pet food, and again – they did the best they could with the donations they had.
But…
In early March 2024, Kastaway Kitties Rescue had 15 cats become seriously ill; formerly healthy cats. The illnesses started after opening a new bag of cat food – all of these cats ate from the same bag. These cats have experienced the same symptoms that so many pet owners have reported over the past five months. They tried to save them all – giving meds and sub-q fluids, making homemade pet food. But, four cats – Hazel, Sassypants, Elizabeth and Breanna – died.
This is not the first time this rescue has dealt with pet food poisoning. In 2018 they had 50 cats in their care that died believed to be related to a pet food.
In both cases – this cat rescue reported the illnesses and deaths to the FDA, the illnesses and deaths were reported to the pet food manufacturer. In both instances the FDA said nothing to them, the manufacturers denied responsibility.
There are thousands of animal rescues/shelters across the US who may have faced similar pet food poisoning but felt unable to share their story/heartbreak publicly for fear of…
What can we (pet owners) do to help?
So many of these pet illnesses and deaths – both in rescues and pets in homes – could be prevented if the FDA kept pet owners updated on current investigations. If the public had access to the information that pet owners provide to the FDA, everyone could avoid products that have been reported as a potential problem. We have filed an official request with the FDA for this information on the current pet food issue. Please post a comment in support of our request to the FDA, it only takes a minute or two of your time.
To read the full Citizen Petition we submitted to the FDA, Press here.
To post a comment, Press here. Click on the blue ‘Comment’ button. Example comment: ‘I support this petition, pet owners should be immediately notified of adverse event reports received by the FDA, brand names involved, and symptoms reported’.
And…
Adopt a rescue or shelter (not necessarily a pet from a rescue – the rescue itself). Show them support by donating or volunteering. Saving lives is no easy task – these amazing organizations need our help. Gather a group of pet-loving friends/family and commit to a small monthly donation from each of you to a local rescue/shelter of your choice. Imagine what changes could be made in the care of rescued animals if a group of ten pet owners ‘adopted’ a local rescue. Just $10.00 a month from each of you will result in $1,000.00 a month for this special rescue organization.
Rescue a rescue…adopt a shelter.
We thank Kastaway Kitties for sharing their stories with us, your bravery shines a light on a serious problem we all need to be aware of. For anyone interested in adopting Kastaway Kitties, they have a Facebook donation page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/484438728293348. They also have an Amazon Wish List page: Press here.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Buyer Beware of Author, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
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What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Does your dog or cat eat dangerous substances? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ in more than 5,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview the Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com
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The 2024 List
List of Susan’s trusted pet foods. Click here to learn more.
The 2023 Treat List
Susan’s List of trusted pet treat manufacturers. Click here to learn more.
