cat news

Salmonella, salmonella, salmonella.  Will you ever get out of the news and stay out?!

Procter & Gamble is voluntarily recalling a limited number of bags of its Iams Proactive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care dry cat food, which may have been sold in a couple of stores in Loveland, Colo.

The recalled product comes in blue 6.8-pound bags and features a code date of 02304173 (B1-B6) and the UPC number 1901403921.

No other Iams pet food products are affected.

P&G reported that it has worked with retailers to remove the product from stores in Loveland. The company said it believes three bags may have been purchased recently by consumers in the area. No illnesses have been reported.

Pets with salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans, according to the company. Cat owners are urged to contact their veterinarian if their pet has consumed the recalled product and is exhibiting these symptoms.

Humans can also become infected, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the cat food or surfaces exposed to the recalled product, according to the company. Symptoms in humans may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and headache. Children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are particularly susceptible to infection, according to the company.

Consumers who have purchased Iams Proactive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care dry cat food are urged to discard the product and call P&G toll-free at 1-800-862-3332 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST for a product replacement.

I was reading an interesting article on cat health recently – mostly about their reproductive habits. Within the article included a letter from a cat owner who wondered why the kittens in her cat’s litter all looked so different. Two were long-haired and black, one was a long-haired white kitten, and still another was a short-haired, orange-ish kitten.

The thought of the babies made me weak in the knees, but the experts response made them buckle. Below was the answer:

“Believe it or not, they probably all had different fathers! One of the more bizarre biological attributes of a female cat is that she can go into heat while she’s already pregnant. So a single litter of kittens can have more than one father.”

That explains why I’ve seen so many litters with babies that looked nothing alike. Carly’s own babies, apparently had two different fathers. Alexa and Adam are both long-haired beauties while Bo has a short beautiful coat. I actually wish he had more hair with the weather being as cold as it is. If I weren’t afraid it’d get hung on a tree, I’d get him a sweater – he’s all about fashion, you know, and would embrace the chance to be big pimpin’.

But…alas, as clumsy as he is, he’d end up hanging himself or facing some sort of catastrophe – so I’ll just keep giving him plenty of straw to bury himself in.

Joi