Potential Purina One Cat Food Problem

by Elisa Black-Taylor
(USA)

This article concerns a potential Purina ONE® cat food problem.

Purina ONE® cat food had its most voluntary recall back in the summer. Here’s an article with an overview of this recall. Please read over it if at all possible before reading more of my article.

The list of symptoms to watch out for were taken from the above link for those of you who don’t have the time to read the entire article. It’s critical that all cat owners know these.

“Salmonella can affect animals eating the product, and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated products. People handling contaminated dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may exhibit decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.”

From the information I’ve learned in the last 24 hours, I’m afraid another recall is imminent. I’m not doing this article to bash Purina. Nestle Purina is taking this issue seriously, but not enough information has been gathered to demand another voluntary recall.

What troubles me is the same symptoms are appearing in cats from Ohio to California and several have died. I even received word from a cat in Australia dying with the same symptoms.

The first thing I’d like for everyone to do is memorize the symptoms of salmonella poisoning. What disturbs me most about the most recent deaths is the failure of blood work to detect any problems. When the blood work comes back as normal, this gives the cat owner a false sense of security. It’s only in the later stage when it’s too late to save the cat that liver and kidney damage is showing up.

“We don’t know that the food is the cause, but everyone needs to be aware of a strange coincidence regarding Purina One Dry Food that is going on between our house in California, and my sister’s house in Ohio. My sister in Ohio had one cat that started vomiting about 2 months ago. She thought it might be hairballs, but he lost the use of his back legs. His blood work came back ok, so the vet chalked it up to a blood clot, and he started feeling better. He came home, and was fed the same food. Then, her cat Franklin had the same problem; vomiting and losing the use of his back legs. The same with him; blood work was good, and vet chalked it up to a strange coincidence. (BTW both cats indoors, previously healthy as a horse, and being fed Purina ONE® Indoor).

A few weeks ago, her first cat, Ernie, declined again, and passed away after having another bout of the same symptoms; this time the vomit had blood in it. This morning Franklin, the second cat passed away. Since his first hospitalization, his blood work got bad; kidneys and liver. He was also vomiting with blood in it. Both cats were drinking water excessively. Her vets still don’t see what would have caused this to happen in both indoor pets. She has filed a claim with Purina One, and has spoken to the attorneys. She is also taking Franklin to the Vet School for a post mortem.

Now my California story….mine is only a week’s worth of illness story. I have been feeding my cats Purina One SmartBlend Chicken & Rice for at least a year. My cats have been drinking a lot of water-noticed the increase a few weeks ago, and chalked it up to the heater being on. Bebe, my indoor 1 1/2 year old healthy as a horse male cat started vomiting liquid green….then yellow bile, and lost his appetite completely. He also had diarrhea. On the second day I took him into the vet. They took x-rays, and thought they saw a bowel obstruction. The vet did exploratory surgery, and found nothing but highly irritated bowels, not even a hairball. He stayed in for a couple of nights. She did take biopsies of his intestines, which we have not gotten back. Then our 22 pound cat Lenny (also no history of illness, and healthy as a horse) started the same barfing Thursday….after he barfed bile again on Friday morning, I pulled the Purina One, went out and got 5 different kinds of food without the Purina Label; Wellness Core, Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Max Cat, and Innova to see which one they like best…Lenny barfed the last time Friday morning, but as of last night, the barfing has stopped, no diarrhea, appetite is back, water consumption has decreased, and BeBe, staples and all, is running around.

I have called Purina on this, as I still have the bag and the remainder of the food. I pressed them to take my information, even though they said there has been no recalls, which they did. I am also considering filing a claim with them, depending on what the biopsy of BeBes intestines say, and what my vet thinks. I will keep you posted. What I have seen is a few people on blogs that have mentioned that their cats have also been getting sick. If anyone thinks that their cat might be getting ill from their food, it is important to call the manufacturer right away to let them know, and press them to take the information so they have a record. Right now, I don’t plan on feeding my cats, or Chihuahua, Purina until my sister and I get the results from BeBes biopsy, and Frank’s post mortem.

A lot of my friends have questioned whether other Purina products are involved, including those for dogs. To my knowledge, it’s only the Purina ONE® Cat Food.

As responsible cat owners, we need to monitor our cats for any health changes regardless of what we feed them. In this day with all kinds of questionable ingredients being put into cat food we must remain vigilant.

If any of you have a problem with any pet food, here’s the link furnished by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to report the problem.

Here’s a link to report to Nestle Purina.

Please, please, if you have had any health issues with your cats on this food, let all of us know under the comment section. Include the flavor and the identification numbers the company would want you to give them. Maybe we can nip this in the bud and save some lives.

In closing I’d like to say I have nothing against Nestle Purina. They’ve done voluntary recalls in the past when a problem is reported on one of their products. I consider myself as doing them a favor by making the consumer aware there may be a problem BEFORE the death of a beloved cat.

Elisa

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Potential Purina One Cat Food Problem

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Mar 06, 2012
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Purina Smart One NEW
by: Anonymous

I noticed my cat drinking a lot of water lately. He as on Purina Smart One cat food. He suddendly got sick, vommitting, and being very lethargic.

By the second day I finally called the vet however it was too late. He died suddendly. The vet said he was a healthy looking cat with a good coat. Could the toxins in Purina Smart One have killed him?


Jan 24, 2012
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There is a Problem with Purina NEW
by: Anonymous

I run a small rescue. Back in Oct I started having problems with Purina Chix and Rice and Pro Plan Chix and rice. Projectile vomiting and diaherra. This was reported to Purina who told me they dont test samples we send in – only visual inspections.
Again blood work negative – stool negative for known issues and or toxins. Some have abdomens as hard as rocks – bile in stool

Bottom line 4 in renal failure- one died- one with unknown toxicity affecting hair and skin. One with pancreatic issues. 3 lethargic for unknown reasons.

Prior to this all cats were very healthy. It affected across the board age and health status.

I strongly recommend you keep the bag and a sample of the product and call the FDA- they will then call you back with your State FDA contact person. Report this to the FDA.

I have also started having problems with Friskies canned. All has been reported to both Pirina and the FDA.

There is a bad ingredient that has gotten into all their food since last fall – my opinion- so this time I am switching to raw and not going back.


Jan 22, 2012
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@Cathy NEW
by: Elisa

I don’t know what to tell you. I watch for vomiting in my cats. Mine can’t eat Meow Mix, Cat Chow or Whiskas without throwing up. Just keep an eye on them


Jan 22, 2012
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purina cat food NEW
by: cathy w

I have four cats and have always ate purina one chicken/rice and felix as good as it looks wet food they are seven years old and have been ok upto now they wont eat any other food what should i do?


Jan 18, 2012
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Keep her hydrated NEW
by: Elisa

And report this to Purina. You can make pedialyte at home with a little lite salt (has potassium), water, sugar and baking soda. Also might want to give KMC kitten formula. Most of the cats get better after stopping to food as long as blood work is still normal. Please let us know.


Jan 18, 2012
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My cat is sick now too NEW
by: AliensRPeople2

Hello…

I live in Maine and have 2 cats… Dax is the older of the two cats and is a spayed female I had since she was 6 months old. Obi Wan is my neutered male cat about 7 years old. Both cats have been very healthy with no medical issues ever.

Recently I put them both on Purina One Smart Blend Chicken and Rice dry food, expiration date of February 2013. Obi Wan began to vomit almost immediately, then several days later Dax began to vomit. I chalked it up to them getting used to a new food and kept them on it for just a bit longer to see if they adjusted. Obi Wan kept vomiting and then one night, Dax was sitting on my lap purring and playing, then she ate some of the food and we went to bed. A few hours later I heard Dax vomiting, or trying to vomit. I couldn’t find the spots where she vomited. But then I noticed she didn’t want to come out of the bedroom. She began to hide. No drinking water, no eating. That was this past Sunday. Its Wednesday and she still wont eat or drink water. I took her to vets and vet said bloodwork was fine. No kidney or liver problems at all… (yet). She needed subcutaneous
fluid injections for dehydration. Vet is considering exploratory surgery.

This all started very shortly after feeding Purina One Smart Blend Chicken and Rice with both cats vomiting. Since I stopped the food there has been no further vomiting. Obi Wan is okay but Dax is not better yet. I wonder if she will recover… I’m so worried!

I’d like to feed this food to the executives at Purina and see what happens to them… I’m very upset.

Lottie in Maine


Jan 02, 2012
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Sick Cats fed Fancy Feast NEW
by: Ruth

My indoor cats eat Fancy Feast. December 26 one of my 17 yo cats started vomiting, wouldn’t eat and had loose stool. Blood work was normal. Two days later, after still not eating, they found a small bowel blockage and a concerning area of inflammation on her stomach during ultrasound. She is home now, but on tons of meds and barely eating. She has to start eating regularly before we can do further tests.

On December 30, her biological brother stopped eating and began vomiting. Off to the vet he went. Blood work is normal. On ultrasound, he has inflammation of the pancreas, but the changes look to be long term, so may not be active pancreatitis. He is back at home but barely eating even with meds.

Yesterday, their 10 yo housemate started vomiting and wouln’t eat. I told their internist I thought the food was the common theme but he is very skeptical. I stopped all purina products when I started reading about all the sick cats. Has anyone gotten any lab results pointing to salmonella or some other adulterant? I would like to ask my vet to test/treat for something specific. Thanks.


Dec 27, 2011
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Potential Problem with Purina Fancy Feast Cat Food NEW
by: Kelly

Background: I have a 16 year old cat who is a survivor of the melamine recall of 2007. He is given 200 cc subcutaneous fluids 3x/week and has his kidney values checked every 6 months. He just had a complete blood panel work up on 12/15/11 and his BUN and creatinine values had improved from 6 months prior.
He was considered stable.

Incident:
I fed my cat 1/4 can of Fancy Feast Grilled Beef Feast in Gravy canned cat food UPC code 5000004070 Best by Oct. 2013 12921160L41922251 on Dec. 17, 2011. Within 15 minutes of consuming this, he was very weak and there was a strong odor coming from his breath. Later, the odor smelled more like bile. He vomited overnight and refused to eat or drink the next morning.
He vomited in the early afternoon a large amount of clear to pale yellow liquid. His appetite returned later in the afternoon and he resumed eating and drinking in light amounts.
He was extremely dehydrated and was given 150 cc subcutaneous fluids that evening. He seemed to improve but lethargy continued.
He was given 200 cc subQ fluids on 12/20/11 and 12/22/11 at the vet’s office per his usual routine.
He has since been eating other canned foods with no vomiting or issues.
I have reported the incident to the FDA and would encourage others to do the same if they are experiencing any problems.
There are reports on other sites,(please see http://www.consumeraffairs.com and type in Purina) of pets experiencing similar problems with other lines of Purina food.


Dec 25, 2011
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Yes there is something wrong NEW
by: Anonymous

As a cat rescue we have a shelter and foster homes. All reporting problems. I am required to use Purina products at the pet adoption center in PetSmart so rather than cause problems with a change in diet we use Purina exclusively.

I called Purina a month ago because I started to introduce ProPlan chix and rice into their Purina one diet. When the amount got up to 1/3 ProPlan I had projectile vomiting and diaherra in 80% of the shelter population. Of course there was increased thirst from the vomiting. Purina staff was non pluse and blamed it on too quick a change. Rada Yada they didn’t want any samples -they do not test their products. Only visual inspection.
So I went back to solely Purina one chix and rice and pulled the ProPlan took back the 20 bags to Petsmart and bought more Purina one.

1/3 of my cats are now sick or dying. Kidney failure, sudden onset of lumps/tumors, extreme allergic symptoms, vomiting immediately upon eating the Purina if they eat it at all.

The vet bills are staggering with no difinitive in blood work -I can hardly wait for the necropsy costs.

Thank you Purina for creating a Merry Christmas NOT-

I am awaiting the delivery of food for them at tremendous cost to our rescue org- in the meantime it is boiled chix and rice I cook up for 40+animals daily. And force feeding baby food to those in kidney failure.

And sorry, Purina seems to care less and so does their protector the FDA.


Dec 20, 2011
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Scary what might be in our pets food! NEW
by: keenpetite

Truly disgusted & terrified after reading what has happened to several dear pets after eating Purina One food, we were adopted by a gorgeous Tortie
10/04 when she was about 6 months old, we’ve feeding her Purina One Beyond, few weeks ago she ran out but local stores din’t carry Beyond, so I bought Purina One Indoor, she would barely touch it.About 1 week later I went to WalMart(30 miles) got her Beyond (3.5 lb)we had placed all non perishables foyer (always shop every 2 weeks)soon after son went to bring rest in, package of Beyond had been torn open by our Tortie, she wanted that bad. Still have package of Purina One Indoor, she only ate about 1/4 c, scary to ponder that we might have lost our girl in such a sad way. A class lawsuit is in order & the media should be alerted so this atrocity is stopped.
Here our cats/dogs are family.
keenpetite


Dec 20, 2011
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Don’t panic yet – not enough information NEW
by: Anonymous

Without the results of any necropsies on the cats mentioned in the story, I think this information is very nebulous at best. These symptoms fit many feline medical problems, and the cats could have died from almost anything. You’d be amazed at what necropsies come up with sometimes that you didn’t know was going on with your cat and wouldn’t have known about without a necropsy. With these very few instances and different types of Purina food involved, there is in my opinion absolutely nothing to indicate the cats’ problems can be blamed on the food until and unless we get necropsy results. Nevertheless, as Elisa says, one should always watch for unusual symptoms, whatever you feed your cats – it might be something to do with a particular food, or some other medical problem, but prompt treatment is always the key whatever the case is.


Dec 20, 2011
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scary NEW
by: Kathy W

This is really scary for me because i feed my cats Purina One kitten formula. My son also uses this brand and it was what the breeder was using when I bought my Savannah. I also give my cats Wellness core on the side because I limit their intake of the Purina. The wellness I feed free choice all the time. Ill be watching my cats for any sign of illness but now it makes me want to seitch from the Purina. The problem is they love that stuff. Thats why I have to limit their intake of it. Thanks for the info.


Dec 19, 2011
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Australia NEW
by: Elisa

One person from Australia contacted me but I don’t know which formula of Purina One. I think we should just watch for the salmonella symptoms regardless of the food we feed.


Dec 19, 2011
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Worrying NEW
by: Ruth

Elisa do you know if it’s just in your country or worldwide and are Purina One sachets of wet food affected at all ?

Kattaddorra signature Ruth


Dec 18, 2011
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only Purina One NEW
by: Elisa

I don’t know which products so be careful with any of them.


Dec 18, 2011
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About purina one NEW
by: Dorothy Parker

Is it only Purina One or all Purina crunchies? I feed my cats the Purina cat chow…Also, thanks for the info…


Dec 18, 2011
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Please share this NEW
by: Elisa

I’m dealing with a very irritating computer and don’t have the ease of sharing I need. Please comment here if you can add info to this story.


57 thoughts on “Potential Purina One Cat Food Problem”

  1. Michael, Thank you . You already made me feel better, because there are compassionate people like you. I will start to make my research on a quality wet food.

    Reply
  2. I decided to specify what he ate:
    Dry: Purina One- Indoor Advantage premium cat food for adult 1+
    Soft:1. Purina Beyond- Turkey, sweet potato and spinach
    2. Pate (sorry, I threw a can and I’m afraid to make a mistake.
    Which of these 3 is the problem I cannot say right now.
    Actually it started with a dry food: weight loss and constipation.
    But diarrhea with a little blood and hair loss on front legs with soft food.
    I am very stressed. I trusted this company. It’s Premium cat food and ingredients seemed to be good on dry and soft : grain free and no by-product, no corn or soy, no added colors or preservatives. And it’s manufactured on U.S. Facilities.
    Can somebody advice on a reliable dry or soft food with reasonable price? I need to change his food right away, within days. Something from PetSmart or Petco.
    I know there are expensive brands on web, but it will take time to order. I need something new , something that I can buy tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Hi! I just discovered this site. It is so sad to read all these stories. I have a male cat-August. He got constipated and we took him to a vet. After that I decided to add soft food .Before that he ate only dry food and food that I cooked for him. We bought him Purina Beyond pate and in Gravy. He started to vomit almost every day, lost weight, has bloody diarrhea. He is loosing some hair on his legs as well. I started to

      Reply
  3. Hi! I just discovered this site. It is so sad to read all these stories. I have a male cat-August. He got constipated and we took him to a vet. After that I decided to add soft food .Before that he ate only dry food and food that I cooked for him. We bought him Purina Beyond pate and in Gravy. He started to vomit almost every day, lost weight, has bloody diarrhea. He is loosing some hair on his legs as well. I started to think the food is the reason. I went on web to see if there were any recalls on Purina and found this site. Now I am not sure what to think as I didn’t find any recalls on Purina this year and here the last comment was dated 2016.Today is November 9, 2017.But may be again Purina is the reason. May be somebody else has the same problem. Personally I had no idea before I found this site. So my big, big thanks to Michael.

    Reply
    • Sorry Natalia that there are so many sad stories. There are a lot of happy or neutral stories too 😉

      Don’t feed him Purina. I hope you have stopped and changed the food. Purina has a poor reputation in my view concerning animal welfare. Try and buy high quality wet food only. Many dodgy pet foods are not recalled and sold for years even though there are indications that it causes health issues.

      Reply

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