Plea to Daventry cat owners to check potentially fatal food now recalled by stores

A Daventry cat owner is warning people to be vigilent after his two pets fell sick after eating food that has now been recalled by stores.
Warning to cat owners.Warning to cat owners.
Warning to cat owners.

Daniel Catchpole, of Middlemore, said his cats Jazzy and Minx were left sick and confused after eating the products.

Fold Hill Foods are affected by the precautionary recall, but there is no definitive evidence to confirm a link between the cat food and a potentially fatal bone marrow condition called feline pancytopenia at this stage.

Daniel said: "My cats got sick and were unable to move.

"They will have to go to the vets if they get worse."

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Recalls have been issued voluntarily as a precaution while an investigation takes place. The initial recall covered certain Applaws, Pets at Home, and Sainsbury's brands but it has since been extended to cover all best before dates on affected Applaws products, while certain Wilko dried cat food has also now been recalled.

According to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), there have been over 130 cases of feline pancytopenia - a disease that causes the number of blood cells to rapidly decrease, which can lead to death - since April 2021. The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is also investigating. It typically sees one pancytopenia case per year but it's now seen 10 cats with severe pancytopenia in the past four weeks, including some from the same household.

Daniel said Pets at Home in Daventry have been supportive with his concerns.

Dee Nash, who also lives in Daventry, said: "Cats are getting incredibly ill and dying as we speak and people need to know.

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"This isn't scaremongering, it's being investigated by the appropriate bodies. It's believed to be related to food, sold (now been subject to recall) in retailers such as Pets at Home.

"The retailers are not to blame. The cause is yet unknown but a common link has been found with food, produced by a factory for these brands."

The products being recalled are:

Sainsbury’s:

Sainsburys Hypoallergenic Recipe complete dry cat food with salmon 1+years 800g

Sainsburys Hypoallergenic Recipe complete dry cat food with chicken 1+years 800g

Pets at Home:

Ava Kitten Chicken 300g and 2kg

Ava Adult Chicken 300g, 2kg and 4kg

Ava Adult Fish 2kg

Ava Mature Chicken 7+ 2kg and 4kg

Ava Senior Chicken 12+ 2kg

Ava Sensitive Skin & Stomach 1.5kg

Ava Weight Management 1.5kg

Ava Hairball 1.5kg

Ava Oral Care 1.5kg

Ava British Shorthair 1.5kg

Ava Persian 1.5kg

Ava Maine Coon 1.5kg

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Applaws products (best before date between December 2022 to June 2023 with a site reference code of GB218E5009):

Applaws Cat Dry Chicken 400g, 2kg and 7.5kg

Applaws Cat Dry Senior Chicken 400g, 2kg and 7.5kg

Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Salmon 400g, 2kg and 7.5kg

Applaws Kitten Dry Chicken 400g, 2kg and 7.5kg

Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Lamb 400g, 2kg and 7.5kg

Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Duck 400g, 2kg and 7.5kg

Applaws Cat Dry Ocean Fish 350g, 1.8kg and 6kg