Cat food recalled over fears of potentially fatal condition

Fold Hill Foods has issued a recall for a number of its hypoallergenic cat food products, from brands including Sainsbury’s, AVA and Applaws, over a possible link to an outbreak of a potentially fatal cat condition, feline pancytopenia.

The manufacturer has taken the ‘precautionary measure’ after the Royal Veterinary College reported a sudden increase in cases of severe feline pancytopenia.

Since April 2021 there have been over 130 cases of feline pancytopenia, an illness that can often be fatal in cats.

Pancytopenia is a very rare condition where the number of blood cells (red, white and platelets) rapidly decrease, causing serious illness.

This current outbreak of pancytopenia is potentially linked to specific cat food products.

A UK government spokesperson said:

“Working with the Royal Veterinary College, the Animal Plant and Health Agency and other government departments across all four nations of the UK, local authorities and the pet food supply chain, we are investigating a possible link between specific cat food products and feline pancytopenia. There is no definitive evidence to confirm a link at this stage.”

“No unsafe cat food has been identified but the manufacturer and brand owners affected, based on investigations so far, are taking the precautionary action of recalling and withdrawing cat food products that have been linked to affected cats.”

“There is no evidence to suggest this outbreak of feline pancytopenia presents any risk to human health.”

Ben Mankertz, General Manager for Fold Hill Foods Ltd: “We are alarmed and deeply saddened to learn of reports from the Food & Veterinary Authorities of some health issues in cats. ”

“As cat owners ourselves, we fully understand how upsetting and stressful this situation is for families and although diet has not been confirmed as the cause, we would prefer to act now to ensure the absolute safety of cats.”

“As one of the leading pet food manufacturers in the UK, ensuring your pet’s safety is our priority and therefore we have chosen to recall the ranges of cat food that we manufacture for the brands who have been identified. We feel this is the safest course of action until an exact cause of the issue has been found.”

The Food Standards Agency and Defra are advising cat owners not to feed their cats these specific cat food products:

Applaws cat food recall

• Applaws Cat Dry Chicken 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: December 2022 to June 2023
• Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Salmon 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: December 2022 to June 2023
• Applaws Kitten Dry Chicken 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: December 2022 to June 2023
• Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Lamb 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: December 2022 to June 2023
• Applaws Cat Dry Chicken & Duck 400g, 2.5kg and 7.5kg. Best before: December 2022 to June 2023
• Applaws Cat Dry Ocean Fish 350g, 1.8kg and 6kg. Best before: December 2022 to June 2023
• Applaws Cat Dry Senior Chicken 400g, 2kg and 7.5kg. Best before: December 2022 to June 2023

by Sainsbury’s cat food recall

• by Sainsbury’s Hypoallergenic Recipe complete dry cat food with Salmon 1+ Years 800g. All batches and best before dates
• by Sainsbury’s Hypoallergenic Recipe complete dry cat food with Chicken 1+ Years 800g. All batches and best before dates

Pets at Home AVA cat food recall

• AVA Adult Fish 2kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Adult Mature Chicken 7+ 2kg and 4kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Senior Chicken 12+ 2kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Sensitive Skin & Stomach 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Weight Management 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Hairball 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Oral Care 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA British Shorthair 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Persian 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Maine Coon 1.5kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Kitten Chicken 300g and 2kg. All batches and best before dates
• AVA Adult Chicken 300g, 2kg and 4kg. All batches and best before dates

Advice to cat owners:

Pancytopenia is a serious, but usually very rare disease. If your cat is unwell and has been fed any of the cat food listed in the product recall, you should seek immediate advice from your vet.

If your cat’s usual food is a product affected by the recall, use an alternative cat food brand.

If your cat was being fed a product affected by the recall for a medical reason, discuss with your vet what alternative food would be best to switch to. This will help to avoid your cat becoming ill as a result of ceasing to feed the listed food.