2007-2017: 10 Years Later - Where are we now?

[shadowmice]

I was travelling for business when the first news of the recall was released. I only heard of it a few days later when I got home and the enormity of the issue was just starting to take hold. At first I felt relief; my pets' food wasn't involved ..... until the list grew .. and grew .. and grew. I felt the panic when I saw a definitive match to one food I was feeding and I suspected strongly one I had served as a "treat" over the Christmas holidays prior. Bloodwork showed my pets had escaped any obvious renal damage. From there began the quest for "safe" food. My poor kits and the changes I put them through for the next few months - didn't help my one fellow's diabetes control I'm sure.

Now ten years later, I feel no safer about our food sources. Less so actually - now I am more aware of the risks whereas before I was blissfully ignorant. Now I make it standard practice to regularly rotate my pets' food - not just different flavours but different brands too - to hopefully avoid the accumulative effects if a formulation is over or under supplemented or to mitigate the damage if there is a serious adulterant in the food. I know it's not a fool proof method but over time it's the best option I've been able to achieve for my particular pets.

Thinking of all those who lost their beloved pets to the recall and the following aftermath. We have not forgotten.

[billyD]

Well put, Shadowmice.
Since the 2007 recall, I also rotate my pet food with four different brands giving me six different flavours

[ranger]

I agree shadowmice and billyD with the recent recalls just this year already I do not feel comfortable with the pet food supply. Well really not any food being safe these days. Years ago I would put down food and expect my cat to eat it, now if neither of the cats wants to eat a particular brand or flavor I always think maybe the food is bad and toss it.

I wish I could say I can't believe it's been 10 years but I lost two of my kids that February and March so I remember all too well. It is sad to reflect back to that time but this is what brought us all here to Itchmo and I miss a lot of the people who no longer post. I hope everyone is doing well and that some day we can be more confident that the food we purchase is safe.

[Meowli]

My Purry and Clarissa both became ill during December 2006...Purry died in January, Clarissa in February. I knew something had happened but had no clue until the news broke in March about the bad pet food. Purry was very old and weakened. Clarissa was a little runt of a cat and was never very strong, so the food hit those two the worst. The other three - Oscar, Amir, and Casey drank noticeably more water than usual and survived but I think they were never quite the same afterwards. I still feel trepidation sometimes when I feed the girls and think about how horrible that whole experience was - and wonder if pet food companies have learned anything at all from it...
 

[August]

The Larges were born and then I adopted them in 2007 and I remember researching online to find good foods, confused about the information I'd find about pet food recalls.  I'd been on Catster and was introduced by someone there to Itchmo, and I was so happy to have found a place with "hardcore" cat parents writing about their experiences with various brands of foods.

I also rotate several brands and flavors.

[lesliek]

I do the same. Different brands & flavors, canned , dry , frozen & freeze dried raw as well as home prepped raw & cooked. I am paranoid about their food and ours & don't think anything has changed other than my being more scared and informed. You would think 10 years would have shown some improvement !
 I also hope some of the old regulars will come back with this sad anniversary.

[lesliek]

1 thing has stayed the same , Evanger's quality control & customer service 

[catbird]

It is hard to imagine that it's been 10 years! It seems much more recent.

I had 4 cats that March (Cameo, Isis, Kalahari, and Phantom.) Although my girls only seemed to have had mild effects compared to some others, and Phantom is, amazingly, still with me at age 21+, I often wonder if that "hit" from Nutro food contaminated with melamine shortened the lives of both Isis (died at age 16) and Kalahari (died at age 17.) (Cameo, the Hurricane Katrina survivor, as you all know, died of spinal cord cancer in 2011.) Kalahari in particular was found to have calcifications of both kidneys shortly before she died in 2015.

I remember the terrible panic I felt when I realized exact lot numbers of their food were on the recall list. I remember taking them all to the vet in one day.

I have always rotated foods, brands, and flavors, based on advice from a wise old vet many years ago when I got my first cats, and I think that is what saved my girls from a worse fate.

What changed the most for me over the long term was how I felt about feeding my cats. Prior to March 2007, I used to enjoy giving them food and making them happy with it. Since then, I am always worried, in the back of my mind, that I may somehow be harming them.

I don't think much has changed for the better in the pet food industry. There are still some recalls, but I think that plenty of bad things go unreported or covered up. We all need to stay vigilant.

[caylee]

I remember those recalls very well. At the time I didn't have any cats of my own, but I was very concerned about my Mom's cats. She was not one to think/worry about things like that, so I had to worry for her. I didn't post much back then, but I did read everything that was posted. When Mom died, her cats became 'my cats'. I have always loved them, but now I worry about the food I give them. I wish things were different.

[NedF]

I found Itchmo when I was searching for a safe food for Thunder. It turned out the food she was eating (Trader Joe's) was safe but when they took it off the shelves as a precaution, I had to find another food. Unfortunately, upon feeding the new food (Triumph) she became ill and I stopped it right away and switched to baby food. It might have been coincidence since she was already elderly but I have never felt safe feeding commercial food since then. I wish I could rotate foods for safety reasons, but Stormy gets terrible diarrhea when I do and I am always worried about Smoggy's pancreatitis.

There are times when I wish I could just feed cat chow and not worry about it like in the old days.

I'm glad I met you guys though. 

[Mandycat]

As with many other here, I found Itchmo while doing research on the recall.  Fortunately, I did not have a problem with the food I was feeding, but I know that that terrible incident has lingering effects on everyone as you wonder about the unknown.  I no longer have a kitty since losing Mandy, but I still enjoy reading this forum every day and keeping up with everyone and their kitties.   

[catmom5]

Hello to Everyone,
It has been a very long time since I've been on, but wanted to update you on my family.
The pet food debacle has never been far from my mind. As many of you know, CJ was affected by the toxic pet food, but managed to survive for 7 more years, although she had no end of health issues during those years.
Since then CJ earned her wings and I adopted 3 kittens ~ foster fail ~ who are almost 14. Rascal died last May from FIP. Cassie is in hospice now for lymphoma and Gracie is doing well. I also adopted Buffy and Chantilly. Buffy died a year ago January of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, but has some remarkable bonus time. Chantilly went to an amazing forever home where she is one spoiled cat ~ as she should be. I also brought inside my "neighbor throw away" who will be 18 in June. Cody has her zone of the house while Cassie and Gracie have theirs. Since Cody is VERY territorial, we make it work.
One of the best things that has happened as a result of Itchmo is that Sassy and her kittens all went to wonderful homes. Spartycats still has the boys, and we stay in close touch. I haven't heard from Sassy's mom in a very long time so I don't know anything about her now.
Thanks to all of you for being there through all of those happenings life offers. So many times I have been here to ask for support, hopefully to give support or just see what's going on with you and your furries.
Take good care, everyone.
catmom5