Cat food recall, what should I look for?

Question

My cat suddenly has very bad breath and when he eats, his food gets all over his face and he leaves it there to get crusty. He never used to be like this. Its only been in the past 2 days that he has been so messy and smelly. I switched food when I heard of the recall, but do you think this could be a result of tainted cat food? I heard the food caused kidney failure. Is bad breath a symptom of that? What symptoms should I look for?

I want to tell you that last night I learned that bad breath is most certainly a symptom of kidney failure for 2 reasons. It causes a buildup of ammonia in the cats system that causes sudden bad breath, and it causes mouth ulcerations which also cause the bad breath. Maybe this is not the case in traditional kidney failure, but in the case of sudden failure due to the recalled cat food, it is very much a warning sign.
While I very much appreciate your answering my question, I want to make sure you know about this before telling others that bad breath is not a symptom of kidney disease. Last night I had to put my beloved cat to sleep because his sudden renal failure had progressed so quickly there was nothing they could do for him.
In the morning he had sudden bad breath, and by last night he was gone. It is the worst thing I have ever seen or endured. I pray to god nobody else has to go through this.

Answer 1

My cat died of kidney failure years ago. You'd definitely know that your cat is sick, but it only takes a day or two for the cat to get really sick before it has to be put to sleep. My cat was panting, bleeding from its mouth, was very sick.

Answer 2

Bad breath is NOT a symptom of kidney failure.

Your cat most likely has a dental issue - Cats and dogs both develop bad breath as a result of the tartar and dental calculus on the teeth. Think about the breath you'd have if you didn't brush your teeth for a year, or 10 years if the cat is 10 years old.

Switching food on an animal with no transition period can be very rough for an animal's digestive system. They aren't designed to eat varieties of foods like we are, and can often get vomiting, diarrhea, and gas because of sudden food changes.

The recall only pertains to wet varieties listed on the menu foods website. It does NOT pertain to any dry formulas.

Animals that refuse to eat, have bad breath, chew on one side of their mouths, or have a putrid smell to their breath may have dental issues, such as an absessed tooth.

Have your cat be seen by a vet, and let them know that your concerns are his eating habits and bad breath. They will do a thorough dental and physical exam and may recommend a dental cleaning. It's amazing the difference a dental cleaning makes in animals - their teeth can go from yellow and caked with tartar to bright white.

Kidney failure is a common condition of cats in general. As a body ages, kidneys begin to work less effectively - just like in humans. Some of the common symptoms of kidney disease are increased thirst and urination, general lethargy, and vomiting. The thing to remember is that these are symptoms of numerous conditions, not just kidney disease.

Have your cat examined and trust the professionals with the education and degrees to know what they are talking about.

Answer 3

Your cat's behavior could be because of the sudden food switch. With my cats I had to switch food over a couple of weeks before they would accept it. Bad breath is not a symptom of kidney failure. Slow moving, and excessive thirst are. I lost two of my cats to the tainted food, but I was on vacation and my sitter couldn't identify the symptoms fast enough.

Answer 4

Go to www.menufoods.com/recall for info.

Not all brands, even from menu foods, are being recalled.

By all means, investigate the issue, but don't panic. Only in a very small minority of products are recalls being done.

Whiskas.com has a great statement about its products on its web page.

Answer 5

Go to Petsmart and get some Pit'r Pat, They're mints and they work great and also gets some treats that has tartar control on it like Pounce Tartar and Plaque Control any flavor ur cat likes and that should help!
Also get some cat toothpaste and a toothbrush and brush his/her's teeth!
Good Luck!

Answer 6

hi my pitbull got a hold of some contaminated food due to the recall take your friend to the vet and get a blood test.It is not very exspensive i paid $70 for the visit. Go to menu foods.com and look at all the recall brand names and sku numbers

Answer 7

This is the information I got about the recall

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/