A paisley woman urges cat owners to check what food they are giving their pets after some brands have been linked to a fatal cat disease.
Emma Cordingley, 31, hopes to raise awareness of pancytopenia in cats after having her beloved Moggy Bonnie screened for the potentially fatal disease.
Last month it emerged that veterinarians were investigating alleged links between some brands of cat food sold by large retailers like Pets at Home and Sainsbury’s and the disease.
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And Emma, who fed these brands to six-year-old Bonnie, wants to get the word out so more people know they are not avoiding foods that could harm their pets.
She said, “I didn’t know anything about this disease and now that I’ve joined some online awareness groups, it’s clear that there are many people who are also unaware.
“I had to get Bonnie checked because I knew she’d eaten the food. Fortunately, their tests are clear, but we need to keep monitoring them just in case.
“It has a 64 percent death rate, and if at risk cats must undergo stress tests to make sure they haven’t contracted it.
“If it goes undetected and symptoms start, it may be too late, so I wanted to get the word out so people would know not to feed these foods to their cats.”
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More than 400 cats are believed to have been diagnosed with the disease – which causes depletion of both white and red blood cells, leading to bleeding, anemia, and clotting problems, making them prone to serious infections.
Symptoms are fatigue and fever.
It can be caused by toxins or it can be caused by infectious diseases, sepsis, bone cancer, and a number of other diseases.
But veterinarians who investigated the outbreak after more than 250 cats died are believed to have identified a common nutritional link.
The Food Standards Agency warned owners of a suspected link between some food products and the rare disease when manufacturer Fold Hill Foods began recalling products in June.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
In a statement, the Food Standards Agency warned, “If you have bought any of the above products, stop feeding your cat.
“If you have purchased an AVA product, go to www.petsathome.com and fill out the contact form on the help page or in live chat.
“Brands like Applaws, AVA and some of the Sainsbury’s range are affected.
“If you have purchased an Applaws product, go to www.applaws.com/uk/contact-us. If you have purchased a Sainsbury’s product please visit www.sainsburys.co.uk/help or their customer care team on 0800 636262. If cat owners are concerned about their pet’s health they should seek advice from their veterinarian immediately. ”
For more information on recalled products, please visit the Food Standards Agency website at: https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-prin-36-2021-update-1
