Shaun,
Sounds like you are doing a good job providing for your cats. Also, in my earlier comment I didn’t mean to imply that you did endorse vegetarianism for cats, I just thought that people should be aware that it is actually quite an unnatural diet for them.

Dave Schuler:
I just got a chance to check out your blog articles on this; excellent reporting on some of the aspects that haven’t been widely circulated (the Menu foods pet deaths during palatability testing, for example, and the Banfield reporting on increased incidence of renal failure cases during this time period). Keep up the good work on getting some of the lesser known facts out there.

Again, how do you think this will change the industry once the dust settles?

I don’t think it will change the behavior of the industry but I think it has the potential to shake up market shares.

We too sometimes give our kitties tuna water. There do not seem to be water dish issues. They drink from a 14-inch wide bowl that is 2 1/2 inches at the deepest. The water is filtered and changed frequently. Kimba also drinks from the toilet and tub.

Dave:

Your reporting does make the case that this is a huge recall, but again it is an exception.

Again, how do you think this will change the industry once the dust settles?

1. Menu Foods is an important vendor to a number of top retailers.
2. Menu Foods was on somewhat shaky ground before this recall.
3. This recall and the subsequent lawsuits will be costly for MF and its customers.
4. The reactions I’m hearing from people are that they’re generalizing from the recall of one product class to more product classes from the affected vendors (I don’t happen to think that’s fair but there it is).
5. At the margins people thinking about going to a BARF diet will and some people will also change from the affected retailers to those who weren’t Menu Foods customers.
6. The stock market is already reflecting some of those expectations.

I’ve interviewed a number of vets all over the country on this story and several of them have made remarks along this line. YMMV

For cats that do experience problems or owners who are determined to prevent FLUTD (basically a recurrent inflammatory bladder condition, cause not really known but it is often associated with crystal formation in urine and strongly concentrated urine, which irritate the bladder lining), canned foods are preferable. Short of that, I’ve also had owners experiment with ways to increase water intake by trying different water dishes (some cats like shallow saucers, others like a deep dish filled to the brim, most do not like deep dishes that aren’t filled because they don’t like to put their faces into a deep dish). Some cats like water with a bit of broth or water from tuna added (must change frequently and should also provide separate fresh plain water) while others are tempted by running water. I’ve had a few owners who find they can entice their cats by running the bathroom tap each time they’re in the bathroom, and there are also some commercially available water fountains to recirculate and keep the water flowing for cats with this preference.

So, you’re right about flushing the plumbing, but there’s really only so much you can do. BTW, do I need a legal disclaimer for offering professional advice?

The stories are indeed heart rending, but that does not translate into changing a multi-billion dollar industry.

Insofar as I know, the Menu Foods recall is an exception, not the rule.

How do you think an industry beholden to shareholders and Wall Street more than the owners of the consumers of its products would or should change?

I’m glad that it looks like this poisoning will be intensely investigated. However the toxin got into pet food supply, I’m wondering if it could just as easily have gotten into the human one.

My sympathies to anyone who has lost a cat or dog in this manner. We are extremely close to our cats Scooter and Lucky, and would be bereft if something like this were to occur to either, having previously lost other cats to illness.

I hoped that you would weigh in on this.

Please note that I did not endorse a vegetarian diet for dogs and cats. The DF&C and I would never do such a thing. I did note, as do you, that protein is the key to any diet, and you are quite correct that taurine-deficient diets can cause grave problems in felines.

A question from the DF&C and myself:

One concern that we have always had about our cats (but not about dogs) is that they drink enough water. Is this concern misplaced? I ask because cats seem unusually susceptible to urinary tract problems and I am a great believer in flushing out the plumbing.

Shaun, as a vet who considers myself pretty savvy about nutrition, I have to take issue with your statement about vegetarianism being a healthy alternative for pets. Cats and dogs (esp. cats) have a much higher protein need than humans, and it’s hard enough for people to get enough protein without ingesting meat or animal products. Cats are actually obligate carnivores, while dogs can be fed an omniverous diet or a carefully supplemented vegetarian one.

For cats, a crucial nutrient is taurine (often called an amino acid though technically it’s not). The source in nature is animal protein, and if cats don’t get a relatively high amount of this in their food it will lead to blindness (retinal degeneration) and/or heart failure (cardiomyopathy) which can be fatal. So, if anyone tried to feed a cat a vegetarian diet, it would have to be done through the use of lab derived nutraceutical supplements, which is not going to fit your definition of “keeping it simple”.

Why try to mess with nature in terms of what these animals eat? If anything, the only reason to do that in my mind is for our convenience as pet owners (much easier to buy kibbles than to hunt a carcass for Fido to munch on) or in some cases, to improve on nature (I’m not a proponent of feeding raw foods as some holistics are, because I think we improve on nature when we call on our knowledge and ability to kill microbial contaminents of food through heating it.)

Thank you for the update and link. I can attest from reading your blog that you are a great animal lover.

I think that this story is an important one on a number of counts and will continue to unfold. I’ve been covering it over at my place for the last ten days. My most recent post is here.