Chemnutra pleads guilty to melamine in pet food

Chemnutra was identified as the source of melamine for the 2007 pet food recalls. The recalls occurred because all the major multinational food companies were using the same supplier. The Millers, a married couple who are the CEOs of ChemNutra, are getting fined and may be going to prison. So that lets the big multinationals off the hook -- the ones who were clamouring for a cheaper price on gluten. Never mind that glutens are not an advisable source of protein for cat.... or that many people have developed gluten sensitivities.

So now the CEOs of the multinationals can say, well see, it wasn't us. Just like Royal Canin is claiming that they were "victims" of fraud themselves. I don't think this argument will stand up well as a legal defense.

Here's the PDF of their guilty plea:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/06/miller_plea.pdf

What's even more troubling is how pervasive melamine is in our food supply system -- not only wheat and corn gluten in pet food, but biscuits, infant formula, chocolate bars, Canadian cocoa, coffee...the list goes on. And when the FDA thought people weren't looking (yes it was true everyone was watching the US presidential race at the time) they quietly APPROVED melamine for the food supply system? Hello? Poison in our food and our kitties' food is okay?

I'm not joking. You can read the FDA report here.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2008/ucm116960.htm

Makena in June

Okay cat gallery fans....you keep asking me for more pictures. Yes this kitty is something special. Makena's diet serves as a positive counterpoint to the globalized multinational pet food industry menu. Many people say they don't have the time to invest in feeding their cats a more natural diet but do you have the time to deal with a sick kitty and thousands of dollars in vet bills when your cat becomes ill from species-inappropriate commercial pet food formulations?

I find I'm spending the same amount feeding a raw diet as I did feeding species inappropriate multinational veterinarian kibble. The price points are not the same as the 69 cents a tin people are used too, but once you do the math, you'll see you are getting better value for money feeding your obligate carnivore correctly.

And as you can see, feeding a raw diet gets you a beautiful kitty like this. Who could argue with this picture of feline health and happiness and contentment?

Cat treats with a difference -- another alternative menu recipe for cats

Makena and Manu get homemade cat treats every day...in fact, they've come to expect these. Makena pokes her head into the fridge every night and points to the container I keep these jerky treats in. Her favorite is chicken hearts, which are loaded with nutrients that every kitty needs.

Dried meat treats are easy to make for your cats. All you need is a dehydrator. Here, I've tossed organic chicken hearts on one of the trays. You can load up multiple trays at once with different things if you wish or just dehydrate a single tray. I plug in the dehydrator, let it dehydrate for about 7 hours and then store in a container in the fridge.

It's best to do small amounts since there are no preservatives or added to these treats and they will only last a few days. Watch out for any potential mould that may develop and if that happens, just toss them.

You can experiment to see what your cat likes. Fish skins are popular here (and those will keep outside the fridge for more than a few days) as are chicken thighs, salmon, bits of lamb or goat pieces. Of course I get pieces of meat without the bone for dehydrating purposes.

FDA suspends temporary emergency permit of pet food company

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm166265.htm

Interesting. Maybe in the age of Obama the FDA's two staffers in the Centre for Veterinary Medicine (yes there are only two people working in that department) feel emboldened enough to start holding pet food companies to account.

That's doesn't change the fact that there are many regulatory changes and legal changes needed to reign the industry in. Governments in Canada and the US need the power to issue product recalls. Shockingly there is nothing in the law in either country that allows either government to do this.

Tainted pet food supplier to plead guilty

Two stories I got in my google alerts this morning. Note that the importers were an American firm doing business with China, a critical fact often unreported or under-reported in the many stories about this case.

Tainted pet food suppliers to plead guilty/

Suppliers knowlingly imported tainted pet food/

The Feline Nutrition Society

Here's a new site created by bloggers who have been reading and sharing information about correct nutrition for our beloved feline companions. Many of the links are ones that I have on this blog so it's good to see that the truth about feline nutrition is being distributed widely.

The Feline Nutrition Society/ stated mission is to advocate for raw feeding for cats.