Now that corn gluten was mentioned, do I change food?

Question

I heard on the news this morning that corn gluten is now affecting animals, and it is in the Purina Complete that I feed my cat, it is a big bag, which I've had for about a month now, should I worry about that bag?

Answer 1

It's a shame that we have to worry about every thing we feed our pets these days! My cat Mia will not eat people food! She wants her cat food! I've tried cooked chicken meat, tuna, steak , hamburger. She just will not eat people food! I do worry and I keep up on the list of foods on a daily basis, because it keeps changing. They said on the news today that they are back to thinking this is on purpose!

Answer 2

Yes, unfortunately wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate and corn gluten (at least in South Africa) have been tainted with melamine. I think it is a wake-up call for all of us with cats. For years now, many cat nutritionsist and veterinarians have been saying that as strict carnivores, cats do not need the grain carbohydrates in many cat foods - especially dry cat food which usually has so much corn, wheat and other grains in it. I absolutely beleive it now. If I were you, I'd gradually switch the cat to a primarily wet food diet - at least 1 small can a day. I am switching my cats to home made cat food - lightly cooked and raw.

Answer 3

Go read howl 911.com corn gluten is not in the US it is only in Africa and it never came into the USA. Go read the article and it is in Pet connection.com I have been giving my cat Purina cat chow during this recall and nothing has happened to my cat and she is still eating the food. Have you been feeding you cat that food during the recall and have you seen any changes in your cat. I have been feeding my cat this DURING the recall. No you should not worry. I feel better because I got a phone call and they made me feel better because I got my answer and I will keep feeding my cat Purina cat chow complete because they told that they are ok
They told me that their dry food has nothing to do with the menufoods it was only Alpo and Mighty max dog food because it was made in Nebraska and they only had 1 bag of wheat gluten. MENUFOODS DOES NOT MAKE PURINA CAT CHOW.

Answer 4

Corn and Wheat gluten are ingredients in a lot of pet foods. They are recalling specific brands that have been contaminated with melamine and sold to companies by Menu Foods. So while your Purina has corn gluten in it, it was not distributed by Menu Foods to Purina, so you don't have anything to worry about

Here is a link to the FDA website to get a list of brands that have been recalled.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html

Answer 5

Personally, I wouldn't fed it anymore. Who knows how long this food recall will go on. It seems like eventually, all grain glutens will become suspect. And really, a cat shouldn't be eating grains, or grain glutens anyway. They are not biologically built to metabolize grains.

And unlike some other people said, it is possible to find grain free cat food. I feed my cats Innova Evo, and have for months. It contains no grain products.

Answer 6

I looked online for cat foods without grains and found several. I have begun feeding my cat Merrick since there's a pet store in my area that sells it. Some, or at least one of the varieties contains rice, but I bought the ones that don't have any grains at all. If you do a search you'll come up with plenty of brands that are far superior than any national brand.

Answer 7

I would suggest discontinuing this bag. It's really hard to find a food that doesn't have wheat gluten, rice protien and corn gluten... so i would suggest cooking for your pet... it isnt as good as well balanced food but it is better than renal failure... chicken breast and long grain rice is great... no salt onions or garlic for kitty. you should also pick up some kitty multivitamins for what they will b missing. This is what i am doing until they are sure this isn't a problem any more... you can find other recipes on the net.. just be careful for no garlic onions, salt, grapes, or obviously chocolate... good luck!

Answer 8

i started cooking my dog hamburger and chicken but then i read an article on msn about pigs on a farm in california that were tested positive for melamine after eating rice protein, so im worried that our food isnt safe for them either. i feed my dog cesar which is put out by mars pet food and they also make cat food. sheba is one of them and neither of them have corn or wheat gluten listed in the ingredients. i check their website and i also call them regularly to check to be sure that nothing has changed and they told me that none of their foods are effected by the recall and that they test their foods regularly and that i shouldnt worry. hope this helps

Answer 9

Excellent Question. YES, you should get rid of that bag!!! PLEASE go to the top of this page and search for the question "Why is kidney failure so prevalent in cats?" I list a thorough answer, with scholarly references, on the DANGERS of DRY FOOD for cats - dangers that were noted LONG before any cat food recalls of 2007. I will list 1of the websites I listed on that answer below here as well. Please note that the site advocates, as you can imagine, a change of diet once dry food is eliminated. The site listed below is written by a Veterinarian/feline Nutritionist, who makes her own food (as do I) - However, she also lists some very good canned food choices. Just read the info and follow the links on that site. Good Luck, and bless you for being concerned!

Answer 10

it was a plastic product that they were concerned about check with your local SPCA they will be happy to give you the address of the correct product, Purina is a fine product but not all are bad. to bad we have to be so careful. i have gone to making my cat food, just go to
how to make cat food at home ,
type that in your search box it really is like and safe for the cats. and kind of fun and really inexpensive.