both were male, one two years old, the other five. The first had renal failure and bleeding both ends and had to be put down. The second had terrible internal distress and had to be put down also as there is no real cure. My female cat about the same age was not affected. Only Special Kitty (Wal Mart) was fed to them. Time-frame was two years ago up to Nov '06 when the second male finally had to be put down also. I have since switched brands. The surviving female has no problems to date, and the male replacement is fine. Considering recent problems, I am wondering about Special Kitty and has anyone had similar experience.
2007-03-24 08:50:25 · 9 answers · asked by Ed L 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Most likely you cats had bad reactions to the amount of magnisium in the cat food. Bargain catfoods have higher abounts of magnisium than the more expencive brands, but no more than the animal equivilent of our RDA. This does not mean that some cats can't motabilize this as well as others. Just like the food that we eat, the RDA and what we need can very far away from each other. The human RDA of sodium is twice what we need to eat. Ask your vet to recommend a good brand or if you are short on money head to your local SPCA and ask them, they not only can let you know the best, cheapest brand but they might even be able to give you some.
2007-03-24 09:41:35 · answer #1 · answered by ladyk5dragon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only way to know for sure is to have a Vet or Vet school preform a Autopsy. I personally would NEVER feed my pets a Wal-Mart brand of food. Ole Roy brand has contributed to more deaths in dogs than you can imagine. There is simply no nutritional value in this food except for protein. Too much protein can cause renal failure. Please purchase a better quality pet food. I know they are more expensive, but in the long run your pet will eat less because more of the food will be absorbed into the body. The food will last longer and they will also defecate less. I'm very sorry for your loss.
2007-03-24 16:02:24 · answer #2 · answered by tjb 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Male cats tend to have more urinary tract problems than females for whatever reason and feeding cheap food can aggravate that propensity. I don't know the ingredients of Special Kitty but I would bet it is chock full of cheap carbohydrates which is not what nature intended for cats.
I don't think you can blame the recent recall for your cats' health issues as there aren't really any laws against making cheap, crappy pet food. I'm not trying to be mean, I just think you should do some research on cat nutrition. I've really only recently become aware of how much difference what you feed your animals can make and I'm a full convert :)
2007-03-24 16:06:32 · answer #3 · answered by th3dogmomma 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I have often seen it recommended that male cats diet be supplemented with wet food, not just exclusively dry food since male kitties seem to be more prone to stones which can cause renal failure. Dry foods may have higher ash and magnesium content than wet foods, and these are possible contributing factors to urinary problems.
Male cats seem to be more vulnerable to urinary problems than female cats. It is especially important that cats who eat dry food be given plenty of water. Dehydration can be a contributing factor in renal failure.
2007-03-24 16:58:18 · answer #4 · answered by userafw 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This happened to my sister's cat! He was only two. Her vet told her to never feed the cat such a low quality food. Special Kitty was not very good food for cats. I guess it is hard on their kidneys. I'm sorry that you lost your cats. I think you should feed a different brand. I only feed meow mix to my kitties.
2007-03-24 18:13:01 · answer #5 · answered by Kellie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The tainted food was only the wet varieties and was only produced from December 06 thru March 07, so it is not possible that it was related to the food. There are many causes of kidney failure, from toxicity to urinary blockages.
2007-03-24 15:57:05 · answer #6 · answered by cs 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hey there,
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Bye
2014-09-18 20:25:53 · answer #7 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have used the same brand on my 14 year old cat and she is showing no signs of aging or any other health problems. (knock on wood).
I also use Ole Roy dog food and my dogs are doing quite well on it. They are 9 and coming up on 10. Healthy teeth, healthy coat, no health issues, they are really doing well.
2007-03-24 16:00:12 · answer #8 · answered by bluebonnetgranny 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
no i don't feed my cat special kitty and it is not a wal-mart brand of cat food. i feed my cats meow mix indoor formula...
...know anything about that?
ps: so sorry about the cats you had to put down:(
2007-03-24 16:46:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
this link may help, thre has been some problems with pet food which is killing pets
http://www.manassasjm.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=MJM/MGArticle/WPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173350384406&path=!news
also please dont feed your pet with cheap home brand store food, it does a hell of alot more harm then good
2007-03-24 16:07:09 · answer #10 · answered by honeybell87 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋