Procter & Gamble Recalls Iams Cat Food

Los Angeles Times, Lindsay Barnett

6/11/2010 – The Procter & Gamble Co., which owns the Iams pet food brand, announced a voluntary recall of canned Iams ProActive Health cat and kitten foods Wednesday.

The affected cat and kitten foods contain dates between September 2011 and June 2012 printed on the bottom of the cans.

“Diagnostic testing indicated that the product may contain insufficient levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1), which is essential for cats,” Procter & Gamble said in a news release Wednesday. “Cats that were fed these canned products as their only food are at greater risk for developing signs of thiamine deficiency.”

Procter & Gamble, in its news release, advised cat owners who have purchased the affected food to throw it out, although Petco, a major Iams distributor, said in its own release that it expects to have details soon about a refund process for affected cat food cans.

Following the announcement of the recall, “we have directed our store teams to remove all Iams wet cat food from our shelves. In addition, our registers have been programmed to prevent the sale of these products at checkout,” Petco’s statement continued. PetSmart, another large Iams distributor, has not made an announcement about what actions it will take in regard to the recall.

Following is more detailed information about the affected Iams food:

Early symptoms of thiamine deficiency in cats can include decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss, the Associated Press reported after a similar recall by Diamond Pet Foods last year. Another pet food company, Nutro, also issued a cat-food recall in 2009.

If you’d like to keep tabs on pet product recalls and FDA warnings, the Food and Drug Administration’s animal-related recalls and withdrawals page is a good one to bookmark.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2010/06/procter-gamble-announces-voluntary-recall-of-some-iams-canned-cat-food-over-thiamine-concerns.html