When it comes to furry pals, their owners want to choose everything best. What about the food that they are feeding them? While a cat is not a human, you cannot provide what you eat. Their bodies have special requirements that need to be taken care of. Once you have decided that you will spend some amount on cat food, it’s time to ensure that you get healthy and tasty food. Many pet owners are still not aware of the cat food recall and feed their pets with contaminated food.
Recalled batches of particular pet products are unfit for your pet’s consumption and could be harmful to a great extent. Hence being aware and up to date with the list of recalled food is crucial. This text will further inform you about recalls in 2022 and what pet food to consider.
What Does it Mean by Food Recall?
The Food and Drug Association is known to regulate an eye on pet food supplies. Also, manufacturers who supply pet food need to constantly undertake batch testing to ensure the safety of the food. But the pet food recall occurs in the following cases:
- Suppose the food gets detected with contamination in the batch test conducted by the manufacturer itself. This contamination includes bacteria or any other foreign objects. Hence, the company itself recalls a lot of products to ensure your pet’s health.
- F.D.A. too undertakes spot tests to ensure the safety of pet foods. Suppose during this test, they sense any contamination or in case there are repeated complaints regarding the safety of pet foods from the customers. In that case, the pet food has to be recalled voluntarily.
- When the F.D.A. has found out the real problem with the proof, they will themselves give an order to the company to recall their pet food.
What are the cat foods that were recalled in 2021 – 2022?
| Sr.No | Date | Brand | Product Name |
| 1 | 01/04/22 | Pure Being | Pure Being Cat AdventCalendar |
| 2 | 12/01/2021 | LivaOne and BioLifePet | BioLifePet Probiotics for Cats |
| 3 | 08/13/2021 | Simply Nourish | Simply Nourish Frozen Chicken & Veggies |
| 4 | 05/20/2021 | Natural Balance | 5 LB Bag, Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Chicken Formula Dry Cat Food |
| 5 | 04/12/2021 | Meow Mix® | Meow Mix® Original Choice Dry Cat Food30 LB Bag |
| 6 | 01/11/2021 | Sportmix, Nunn Better, ProPac, and Others | Sportmix Original Cat 15Sportmix Original Cat 31 |
Reference: This table is in context with the data from FDA
List of Cat Foods Recalled in 2019 & 2020
| Sr No | Date | Brand | Product |
| 1 | 01/23/19 | Hare Today | Hare Today Gone Tomorrow Ground Chicken With Bones and Organs |
| 2 | 03/29/19 | Purina Muse | Natural Chicken Recipe in Gravy |
| 3 | 04/04/19 | Thogersen Family Farm | Ground pet food |
| 4 | 08/19/19 | Texas Tripe | Various raw pet food products |
| 5 | 12/05/19 | Special Kitty | Mixed Grill Dinner Paté |
| 6 | 03/11/20 | J.M Smuckers Company | 9Lives |
| 7 | 03/23/20 | Icelandic+ | Capelin Whole Fish Pet Treats |
| 8 | 04/08/20 | Radagast Pet Food, Inc. | Free-Range Chicken and Turkey Recipes (Raw Diet) for Cats |
| 9 | 07/03/20 | Natural Balance | Ultra Premium Chicken & Liver Paté Formula |
| 10 | 12/31/20 | Midwestern Pet Foods Inc. | Sportmix |
Which Cat Food Has the Least Recalls?
| Sr.No | Brand | Description |
| 1 | Taste of the Wild | Taste of the Wild was reviewed in 2012 in many units of canine and feline food on account of positive tests for salmonella. |
| 2 | Fancy Feast | Joyously, Fancy Feast has never concurred to any examination which means it is among the top 10 pet food brands that have never been recalled in its set of experiences. |
| 3 | Blue Buffalo | Although Blue Buffalo has had many reviews throughout the long term and reasons for the reviews range from significant degrees of meat thyroid chemical to conceivable metal tainting to dampness issues and sequencing mistakes. |
| 4 | Friskies | A Friskies product was reviewed in 2011 willfully by the organization due to conceivable salmonella pollution. |
| 5 | Purina | Purina in late March 2019 gave a restricted review of one of its Muse feline food assortments. By March 2016, the 5 assortments of Pro Plan wet canine food that were sold in tubs were reviewed given lacking nutrient/mineral levels. Additionally, in summer 2013, Purina willfully reviewed a bunch of Purina ONE canine nourishment for suspected salmonella defilement. A year sooner, a solitary parcel of Purina Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management Feline Formula was reviewed due to levels of thiamine that were considered to be excessively low. Likewise, two times in 2011, certain Purina dry feline food varieties were reviewed for suspected salmonella tainting. |
| 6 | Ziwi Peak Mackerel & Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food | Accepting the best position as the best generally feline food that has never been reviewed, we have the ZiwiPeak Mackerel and Lamb Recipe Canned Cat Food. This feline food is explicitly intended to copy an entire prey style diet, so this wet food contains bones and organs, just as meat. Around 92% of each can is comprised of meat, New Zealand green mussels, and organs, so you realize this is overflowing with normal goodness for your feline. |
| 7 | Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medley Canned Cat Food | As per the decision of exceptional feline food that has never been reviewed, it is suggested to use the Earthborn Holistic Monterey Medley Canned Cat Food. This mix is intended to fulfil your feline’s hankering for meat. This mix involves skipjack and fish as the initial two fixings, however, there are numerous different flavours accessible on the off chance that your feline likes |
| 8 | Hill’s Science Diet | In late January 2019, Hill’s was given a review for a wide assortment of canned canine food varieties on account of possibly raised degrees of Vitamin D. That review included both the Science Diet and Prescription Diet lines. In November 2015, the organization unobtrusively started a market withdrawal of specific Science Diet canned canine food varieties on account of naming issues. Slope’s kept up with the fact that the actual food was fine. |
| 9 | Cesar | In fall 2016, the organization reviewed bundles of Cesar Classics Filet Mignon wet canine food as a result of reports of bits of plastic in the food. That was the main review our examination turned up for Cesar |
| 10 | Diamond | In 2013, a review of Diamond feline food was started as a result of possibly too-low degrees of thiamine. In 2012, a huge review including Diamond and a few pet food organizations that Diamond Pet Foods made for was started after individuals who worked at the plant were found to have been polluted with salmonella. Precious stone’s pet food marks arbitrarily chosen tried positive for the microorganisms, provoking other pet food organizations that co-fabricate at the South Carolina plant to start willful reviews of their own. |
How to Decide a Healthy Cat Food?
According to a medical institution, a pet fold, be it wet, dry, frozen, raw, boutique or grain-free, is nutritious and healthy when designed to provide your cat with everything it needs to remain healthier. There are many let’s that have their specific nutritional needs according to their medical conditions, and hence they must be fed with the particular diet plan only for them. These diets must be planned by veterans or under their supervision. A PFMA person says that complete pet food must contain all needs of a pet that ensures healthy body functioning. Remember that any cat food you choose from grain-free cat food, raw cat food, hypoallergenic cat food, or just a simple kibble or commercial grade cat food must meet the guidelines of PFMA. And after all this, you can go as per your cat’s choice. You can also check what flavour your cat prefers and go for it.
What if You Feed a Recalled Pet Food?
It’s certainly a clever idea to continuously have an eye on pet food that you feed to your cat. Monitor the changing rules and regulations to ensure the food isn’t recalled every day. You can check the safety of pet food on the legitimate website of the F.D.A. This site lists all the recalled pet foods, and an updated list of cat food identifies 2022. Also, you can have a look at the American Veterinary Medical Association’s recall list. Once you get to know that your cat food is recalled, you can follow steps below.
Check if that specific cat food from the particular brand is recalled?
There are chances that another product from that brand might be recalled, and you didn’t read it entirely. Hence go through the details to ensure. Remember that just because any other pet food from your brand is recalled, it does not mean your cat food is not good. Different products are manufactured in lots and batches; hence it’s ok for some other products to be recalled. This is because the contamination might have occurred during the processing of that batch. You need not worry as in recall, there is clear mention of U.P.C. codes, “best by” dates, lot numbers, and package sizes. Continuously check websites for recall as not all of them will reach the news.
Halt usage of that food:
Once you know that your pet is consuming a recalled food pack, stop immediately. But changing your pet’s diet instantly is not advisable as it could lead to gastrointestinal issues. Also, you cannot feed that recalled food because it could lead to other illnesses. Hence, when changing your pet’s diet, you will have to be smart enough. You can try to lessen the effect of the shift in the diet by adding canned pumpkin. This is when you will get time to manage your cat’s diet.
Don’t throw that recalled food:
When you get to know that your cat food is recalled, it might be too late, and you have fed your cat with half a packet. Yes! So when you get to know it was contaminated, you might want to throw it away. That’s the biggest mistake you could ever make. Don’t throw it away; store some of it in your refrigerator. This is because if your cat has an issue due to the pet food, it can be sent for testing purposes. You have to give to your veteran for the right treatment. Also, click a picture of the food bag or box, including the U.P.C., lot number, and best by date.
Know if your pet is suffering:
While you get to see your cat food in the recall list, find out details mentioned about it. These details will help you identify the body parts that will be majorly affected. Check all the information regarding the symptoms that could arise and how they would look. After that, analyze your cat closely and identify the signs of illnesses. Once you find it out, get in touch with a veteran, and tell her whatever your cat is going through after eating that food.
Get in touch with customer care:
If you have already bought the recalled food before recognizing it, inform customer care. They will help you for better. If you cannot call them, drop a message or email so that they can contact you. The companies might be busy, so you will have to be patient. On informing, you might get a reimbursement and get your cat’s report done to avoid illness.
Never consider a homemade diet:
After hearing about pet food recalls, many pet owners think that they must feed healthy homemade diets to their little pets. But this isn’t great. Feeding your cat is a complex process that involves providing proper nutrition with the right food. It would help if you delicately handled it, leading to serious health issues. Even if you aren’t convinced and want to feed a homemade diet, get a recipe from your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist. Be known to all the basics of cat food recalls to handle it cautiously.
What are the ingredients to avoid for remaining safe from the recall?
Butylated Hydroxyanisole:
This ingredient is utilized as a counterfeit additive in food and is sensibly expected to be a human cancer-causing agent. And if you are worried about what cat food ingredients should avoid? Then BHA is the topmost to avoid. While it’s named protected in low dosages, it has been displayed to cause lab creatures’ growth. A small amount of it sometimes is probably not going to damage your feline. However, BHA adds more dangers to your cat’s prosperity than needed. This is particularly the situation assuming your cat is eating BHA consistently. There are better, regular options compared to saving your felines’ food.
Caramel
This ingredient is added to certain food sources to give it a more extravagant shading. Your cat doesn’t mind what shading their food is; all that matters is quality, and it is nothing but the best and cheapest way to market food products. Many shading choices, including caramel, are expected cancer-causing agents, or in any case, possibly harmful for your feline.
Carrageenan
This ingredient is utilized as a thickening specialist and is a dubious fixing since one of its structures is a likely cancer-causing agent, called debased carrageenan. While the corrupted structure isn’t utilized in food applications, some have worries that it could become debased once ingested by felines because of their stomach corrosive; subsequently, possibly expanding felines’ disease hazard.
Carrageenan might be fine because a few questionable fixings are just dubious because they’re not surely known. Yet, with countless choices available, many individuals decide not to face the challenge.
Cellulose
This is nothing but a filler high in insoluble fiber. Excess insoluble fiber can impede processing and hinder protein and supplement take-up. The most noticeably awful part is that it’s normally wood mashed from pine trees. Cellulose is normally characteristic of lower-quality feline food.
Glucose or Dextrose
Everyone knows that glucose is sugar, and it’s anything but a proper element for cats. Glucose could cause corpulence and possibly even diabetes. Dextrose is a solidified type of glucose. It is regularly utilized in pet food as sugar and as a specialist to assist with creating caramelizing to cause meat or sauce fixings more appealing. Dextrose, as most sugars, can be viewed as a healthfully pointless expansion to feline food and is probably destructive after some time.
Garlic
Garlic can be profoundly harmful to felines. While we are certain feline food organizations who add this for the alleged low-portion medical advantages have found ways to guarantee a small measure of garlic enters the food, it is superfluous. Besides: why face the challenge?
Glyceryl Monostearate
An emulsifier utilized in lower-grade pet food varieties. Glyceryl monostearate may encompass BHA and BHT among numerous glycerols and synthetics. Since its cosmetics normally comprise hidden synthetic substances, glyceryl monostearate should be kept away.
Iron Oxide
This ingredient is used in shading food and gives it a more red, substantial shading. This ingredient is a 100 percent advertising widget; iron oxide is pointless and generally indicates a modest feline food. This fixing can even be developed from rust, and normal rust is a type of iron oxide. Iron oxides are usually considered reasonable, strong paints, coatings, and hued cement shades.
While iron oxide in business feline food is logically protected, not promptly retained into the body, and reasonably non-harmful, most agree that adding shading substances is problematic. Besides, iron oxide has not been completely considered as a food added substance, so the general, incidental effects positive or negative of ingesting it stays obscure.
Meat and Bone Meal
Portrayed by AAFCO, it is a delivered item from vertebrate tissues, including bone, restrictive of any additional blood, hair, foot, horn, conceal decorations, excrement, stomach, and rumen substance. Meat and bone dinner is one of those delivered items that could contain anything, from euthanized pets to zoo creatures, to roadkill, to lapsed meat, and surprisingly the styrofoam covering it comes in. Realizing this might sound frightening, yet some disturbing data about the meat goes into these meat and bone dinner fixings at the delivering plants.
Assuming you’re not nauseous and need some more perusing on this subject, the following are a couple of assets.
Meat By-Products
As per AAFCO, meat results are non-delivered, clean parts, other than meat, obtained from butchered warm-blooded animals. Incorporates, however not restricted to lungs, spleen, kidneys, mind, livers, blood, bone, to some extent defatted low-temperature greasy tissue, and stomachs and digestive organs liberated of their substance. It does exclude hair, horns, teeth, and feet.
This implies that anything left over on the cadaver after the upside-down, human-grade cuts of meat are eliminated, gets tossed into a tank, and handled. Since it simply says “meat” and not chicken or hamburger, you have no clue about what’s really in it.
What does healthy cat food contain?
Protein
Protein is certainly the fundamental ingredient in cat food, and you must always purchase a diet with somewhere around 25% protein content. Search for food varieties that name a particular protein source other than “meat” or “meat side-effects” and “meat subsidiaries.” Search for chicken, sheep, turkey, salmon, and fish just as organs like chicken liver and heart, both rich wellsprings of taurine. Taurine is an amino corrosive that people can promptly deliver. Notwithstanding, cats need a dietary abundance of taurine to keep up with great wellbeing. Taurine lack can prompt visual deficiency and coronary illness.
Fat
Generally, a cat’s body needs 20 to 24 percent fat in its food. Cats will be drawn in by food with high fascination there. For instance, the nutritional profile of a mouse is 55.8 percent protein and 23.6 percent fat, making them the perfect feast for your catlike companion. A few proprietors tragically purchase low-fat food, figuring it will forestall weight. Be that as it may, cats need more fat substance and will generally indulge without it to attempt to meet their wholesome necessities.
Carbs
You already know that cats are committed carnivores, which means they need to eat meat to meet the requirement for sugars like grains. Felines can experience issues processing a few sugars, and the starch content of food sources sets off numerous sensitivities. Many cat proprietors make it a practice to abstain from purchasing feline food containing grains as felines essentially needn’t bother with them in their eating regimen.
Treats and Snacks
Keep away from the temptation of taking care of your cat chunks from the supper table. Human food sources are high in calories and need numerous fundamental supplements for felines, and a portion of these food sources can be poisonous to cats. Fabricated treats are, by and large, more secure and far better than other options.
Conclusion
As a pet owner, you must be aware of pet food recalls and their meaning—survey for the list of pet foods that are unsafe for your pet and then consider buying any. Check for the guidelines provided by the F.D.A. so that you don’t miss out on any new recalls. Once you find out that the food you are on is recalled, discontinue it and visit a veteran. Don’t be impulsive about the cat food and discontinue it. Act smartly and shift your cat slowly from that pet food to another. Remember, sudden decisions could be harmful.