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June 11, 2010

Pet Health Alert: Iams Announces Voluntary Recall of Cat and Kitten Food

Cat eating

On June 9, Procter & Gamble announced that it is recalling specific lots of Iams canned cat food as a precautionary measure. The affected products include all varieties of Iams ProActive Health canned cat and kitten food in 3- and 5.5-ounce cans and with expiration dates—printed on the bottom of the can—from 09/2011 to 06/2012.

Tests indicate the recalled cat food contained insufficient levels of thiamine, also known as vitamin B1. Thiamine is an essential vitamin for cats—it supports the central nervous system—and an ongoing dietary deficiency can lead to neurological problems from mild loss of balance to life-threatening seizures. Other symptoms of thiamine deficiency include lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, mental dullness, dilated pupils, increased respiratory rate and low body temperature.

The ASPCA urges all pet parents to make sure they are not feeding the recalled products to their cats, and to discard any cans with the aforementioned characteristics. If you suspect your pet may have ingested a recalled product, please contact your local veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. For information about a product refund, please call Proctor & Gamble at (877) 340-8826.

To learn the latest news about pet food recalls, please visit the FDA online.

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  • Submitted by Jen at:November 14, 2011 07:54 PM

    My kitty was constantly throwing up for years. She was originally eating purina. I switched to Iams and she hasnt thrown up since and that was 8 months ago. I give her the dry cat food and I feed her tiny bites of tuna through out the day.

  • Submitted by Casandra at:August 28, 2011 10:45 AM

    I'm just writing to say I'm glad I've never fed any of my cats IAMS. But, I've unfortunately fed my cat that passed away July 2010, Science Diet cat food for cats with digestive problems and my vet said she got her kidney stone from the food and there was a law suit going on involving a ot of cat foods and I think including IAMS. I can't believe another corp is now gone to killing animals to make a buck. This country has turned into a greedy, over sexed, dysfunctional place. I'm sad to say I'll be glad when it's all over and maybe another better world will come along.

  • Submitted by janiceK at:July 1, 2011 04:34 AM

    Monday Nestle Purina PetCare recalled a few 870 sacks of kitty food because of a possible contamination of salmonella. The kitty food was sold in three various states but may were distributed further. Salmonella could be contracted by humans handling the food or through touching contaminated animals. The proof is here: Purina recalls cat food for possible salmonella contamination.

  • Submitted by selena at:May 2, 2011 11:45 PM

    I have used Iams since 1990. I have had 3 cats that died. I could not figure it out. They had diarrhea & vomiting. My recent cat became diabetic. I had no ideas I was poisoning my cat. Is there any way to stop this product from being on the market? My cats have had so many health issues due to this food. I will NEVER feed my animals any Procter & Gamble Product. I will also NEVER use a Procter & Gamble Product in my household. My cats have stopped throwing up and having diarrhea since I stopped feeding them this food. I must now live with my cat being diabetic, due to this poisonous food.

  • Submitted by Lena at:September 23, 2010 12:00 AM

    I was feeding my two older cats the Iams probiotics canned food. One cat was diabetic and seemed to really like this food. Even though he was diabetic he was doing very well. He started not eating, having loss of balance which we thought may be a result of the diabetes. He stopped eating and died within a few days. At that time we did not think that it would be the food that we had been feeding him that caused his total loss of appetite. My other cat who is 12 started acting weird, had loss of balance. I took him to the vet. The vet said that he had neurological problems. He was very sick and spent time in the vet hospital. At this time I could not find the iams probiotics food any where. I had gone to several stores. My husband asked if I thought that there was some kind of recall so I did a google and found this site. I was shocked that there had been a recall. I had not heard about any recalls. I called my vet and she also had not heard of any recalls. He had every symptom listed above on this site. He is still very thin. He even had trouble urinating. He now does not have that problem but does show signs of having permanent neurological problems. I would never feed any of my animals Iams products again. For years I used Iams products for my dogs and cats. Most pet foods are all about the money and profits. I really don't think that they even consider how important our pets are to us. I use Innova, Evo, Wellness and Merrick foods. I would never use Iams products again. I feel guilty that I trusted this company, fed it to my cats, and now one is dead and the other is not well. Please research products before you feed them to your beloved pets.

  • Submitted by Seth Bermont at:September 1, 2010 12:00 AM

    I lost my cat in 2007 to the melamine poisoning that occured at the time.My heart goes out to all the people,cats and dogs that suffered in any way at that time and at this time.I would also like to recommend Wellness dry and wet food for cats and dogs.The dry food contains no animal by-products,wheat,soy,dairy,corn or corn gluten,artificial preservatives,colors,flavors or grain.Just a lot of high quality natural protein sources and other high quality, all-natural ingredients.I also highly recommend the wet food.Once again,no meat by-products or artificial flavors,colors or preservatives.The costs for any of the Wellness food is just slightly higher than many of the grocery store brands.But much,much,much healthier(they also need and crave less of it)and tastier,thusly more cost effective as well.This is an Old Mother Hubbard company,from Massachusetts.Been around since 1926.All products are made in the U.S.A.Cheers to all the animals and the people who truly love them.

  • Submitted by Jeri Goodfellow at:August 29, 2010 12:00 AM

    As hopefully everyone knows all of Iams dry foods have been recalled due to the bacteria, Salmonella, that somehow made its way into the dry food. I lost my cat early May and my pets were sickened. They were all on Iams low residue. My dog may be having Kidney failure. All of this is very sad and inexcusable. I will never by Iams again!!! But I have a hard time switching to what my Vet has suggested which is ID Science Diet. This is so familiar to the Melamine poisoning. In fact the symtoms of my pets are exactly like the Melamine poisoning symptoms. Is Iams covering up something, again. WHY doesn't Iams manufacture pet foods in the USA, obviously they could afford to because their food is around 200% higher in cost than Americam made pet foods. China is sloppy and unregulated. Please change your manufacturers IAM'S before you kill another several millon innocent Pets.

  • Submitted by JessicaD at:August 4, 2010 12:00 AM

    Wow, I cant believe I just heard about this recall now (august 4). Ive been feeding my cat Iams since she was a kitten. She is now 21 years old and yes she has some problems but....she's 21 years old. Since they came out with the digestive health formula in the pink bag that's what she's always had. I actually started her on a different type of food earlier this year. She has a habit of vomiting occationally and I thought if I started her on a new, more expensive, "healthier" food, her final years wouldn't be spend throwing up but what happened was she very quickly started having balance problems, couldnt walk in a straight line and seems to have had a stroke. The vet wanted to do all these tests and stuff but she's so old, I didn't want to put her through so much stress. I stopped her new food right away. I gave her baby food, chicken and beef and basically spoon fed her since she was so weak. She seemed to get a bit stronger so I went to an all tuna diet. Of course she loved it and kept on eating and drinking. When I was ready to get her back on dry food, I was happy to buy the Iams again, after all, it got her to 21. She's about 90% of her normal self and going strong.

  • Submitted by Nicole at:August 2, 2010 12:00 AM

    Been feeding my cats Iams for years. My first cat died 4 yrs ago at the age of 12. They found unusual fluid around the abdomen and it was cancerous. My precious 2nd kitty just died July 8, 2010 at the age of 14. Still trying to find out if it was poisonous gas from terminex treatment the landlord has because my other cat age 4 is having similar same symptoms now which is only weeks later. He won't eat. I just moved her in June and the terminex guy came and sprayed outside toward the end of June and then my cats got sick thereafter. My cat who recently passed also had fluid in her abdomen which vet thought might be cancer, but they didn't test it. She was anemic from not eating and her xrays showed things in her kidney and liver. I thought she ahd same thing as my first cat and I blamed the water, but I also thought it could be the catfood. I always fed them IAMS dry food. I have been feeding my cats recently the new dry Iams Natural Salmon catfood. I dont know if something is wrong with it, but I just switched to the smaller 7lb bags because they didnt have the bigger ones at Target in Levittown, NY. I am thinkging now after reading this that maybe that batch is responsible for my cat dying and now this one getting sick. Taking this one to vet tomorrow. Maybe its the plant/bush that the 2nd one would eat sometimes, but then throw up. Thought she did this to get rid of hairballs but vet says she was having kidney failure and ate it cause she didnt feel well. Ok so maybe she was aging, if the poison didnt make her kidneys fail, and that due to her age and low weaker health, she got sicker more quickly than the younger cat. He didnt show any signs until recently. He didn't really eat the bush until I noticed recently, but he never throws up. I dont know maybe its the water here.

  • Submitted by Paul and Tam C at:June 18, 2010 12:00 AM

    we adopted a cat from the ASPCA a two weeks ago. It recommended IAMS wet and dry food the the cat.and provided some Iams So, consequently I have been feeding my cat only IAMS Probiotics products. we have discontinued the canned Iams but are continueing the dry Iams so far so good we are mixing the dry with nature's variety canned Is she getting enouugh thiamine in the IAMS dry food? sHe has been eating 1 3 oz can of IAMS (wet food) and 1 cup of IAMS dry food since I took him home until today. we will gradually switch her to natures variety dry, so far she is showing no problems and Really seems to like the Natures Variety with no grains

  • Submitted by LeslieJ at:June 13, 2010 12:00 AM

    I adopted a cat from the ASPCA a few months ago. It recommended IAMS wet and dry food the the cat. So, consequently I have been feeding my cat only IAMS Probiotics products. Is he getting enouugh thiamine in the IAMS dry food? He has been eating 1 3 oz can of IAMS (wet food) and 1 cup of IAMS dry food since I took him home until today. Can I just stick with crunchies or does he need to have some kind of we food. Thanks for a fast answer.

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