Cats Herd You

Stella and Chewy’s Cat and Dog Food Recall

After being notified by the Maryland Department of Agriculture that it had issued a stop sale order on a single lot of Stella and Chewy’s Chicken Freeze-Dried Dinner Patties for Dogs, 15 oz. bags (Lot # 111-15) due to Listeria monocytogenes being detected in the product, Stella and Chewy’s is recalling all products from the lot number in question and other lots which may have come into contact with products in that lot, including both dog and cat foods.

Recalled products include (Product Description/Size/UPC/Lot #/Use By Date):

Freeze-Dried Chewy’s Chicken Dinner for Dogs /15oz/UPC: 186011000045/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 4/23/2016
Freeze-Dried Chewy’s Chicken Dinner for Dogs /15oz/UPC: 186011000045/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 4/26/2016
Freeze-Dried Chick, Chick, Chicken Dinner for Cats/12oz/UPC: 186011000434/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 4/29/2016
Freeze-Dried Chick, Chick, Chicken Dinner for Cats/12oz/UPC: 186011000434/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 5/3/2016
Carnivore Crunch – Turkey Recipe/3.25oz/UPC: 186011001103/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 5/3/2016 and 5/4/2016
Frozen Duck Duck Goose Dinner Morsels for Dogs/4lb/UPC: 186011001394/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 4/21/2016
Frozen Chewy’s Chicken Dinner Morsels for Dogs/4lb/UPC: 186011001387/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 4/21/2016
Frozen Surf ‘N Turf Dinner Patties for Dogs/6lb/UPC: 186011000533/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 4/21/2016
Frozen Chewy’s Chicken Dinner Patties for Dogs/6lb/UPC: 186011000120/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 4/21/2016
Frozen Chewy’s Chicken Dinner Patties for Dogs/3lb/UPC: 186011000038/Lot: 111-15 and Use By Date: 4/21/2016
Freeze-Dried Chick, Chick, Chicken Dinner for Cats/12oz/UPC: 186011000434/Lot: 104-15 and Use By Date: 4/23/2016
Freeze-Dried Chick, Chick, Chicken Dinner for Cats/12oz/UPC: 186011000434/Lot: 109-15 and Use By Date: 4/29/2016
Freeze-Dried Tantalizing Turkey Meal Mixers/18oz/UPC: 186011000229/Lot: 105-15 and Use By Date: 5/3/2016
Freeze-Dried Tantalizing Turkey Meal Mixers/18oz/UPC: 186011000229/Lot: 113-15 and Use By Date: 5/3/2016
Freeze-Dried Tantalizing Turkey Meal Mixers/9oz/UPC: 186011000205/Lot: 105-15 and Use By Date: 5/3/2016
Carnivore Crunch – Chicken Recipe/3.25oz/UPC: 186011001080/Lot: 110-15 and Use By Date: 5/3/2016
Freeze-Dried Chewy’s Chicken Dinners for Dogs/15oz/UPC: 186011000045/Lot: 114-15 and Use By Date: 4/26/2016
Freeze-Dried Tummy Ticklin’ Turkey Dinner for Cats/12oz/UPC: 186011000663/Lot: 114-15 and Use By Date: 5/4/2016
Freeze-Dried Tummy Ticklin’ Turkey Dinner for Cats/12oz/UPC: 186011000663/Lot: 115-15 and Use By Date: 5/4/2016
Freeze-Dried Salmon & Chicken Dinner for Cats/12 oz/UPC: 186011000403/Lot: 107-15 and Use By Date: 4/23/2016

For additional information, refer to the recall notice on Stella and Chewy’s Site.

About Listeria Monocytogenes

The Listeria monocytogenes organism can cause serious infections in newborns, the elderly, and people with weakened immune symptoms. Listeriosis symptoms in humans include fevers, muscle aches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. Listeriosis can also lead to stillbirth or miscarriage.

Listeriosis rarely causes symptoms in healthy cats and dogs. Animals of any species who do become ill with listeriosis show symptoms similar to the ones listed for humans.

For more ways to keep up with pet food recalls, including having them sent to your phone by SMS, see How to Keep Track of Pet Food Recalls.

References and Further Reading

FDA, Foodborne Illness: Especially Dangerous for the Vulnerable
Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, Listeriosis – FAQs for Veterinary Use

My Ball

Ashton: What do you mean, I have to share this thing with those boycats?

Go find your own nip ball, boys. This one is occupied.

Preparing Your Cat for Fireworks

While you’re making potato salad and counting to be sure that you have enough hot dogs for that Independence Day cookout, animal shelters around the country are preparing for the busiest day of the year for lost animals. Cats and dogs, afraid of the noise of fireworks, panic and flee. Remember, cat hearing is much better than the human sense of hearing. That’s why you can never open a treat jar without heir hearing it. But it also means that fireworks several miles away that don’t sound so loud to you can be really loud and scary to your cat.

Most cats will try to hide at home from the noise, but some cats can become so afraid that they do things out of character, like breaking through screens on windows or running through open doors in their panic to try to get away from the terrifying noises. That’s dangerous for everyone.

What can you to do be ready for this weekend’s fireworks?

Use calming scents in your house like the Comfort Zone Feliway Diffuser to help your cat feel like it’s a safe space. The scent of these can take hours to distribute through the room, so be sure to plug them in ahead of time for best effect.
Make sure your cat is indoors before dusk to be sure he isn’t caught outside when the fireworks begin.
At nightfall, close the windows and curtains to help muffle the sounds from outdoors.
Turn on soothing music inside to help drown out the sound of the fireworks.
Make sure exterior doors are completely shut both to minimize noise and to prevent your cat from slipping out. Be sure that anyone who has to enter or exit after dark is aware that they should shouldn’t let four-legged friends follow them outside during the fireworks display.
Know where your cat likes to hide, and don’t try to block your cat from her favorite spot under the bed or in the closet. If she doesn’t want to come out during the fireworks, let her stay in her hiding spot where she feels more secure.

Make sure that your cat has on identification in case your cat bolts out of the house and becomes disoriented. It’s best to have a microchip as well as a breakaway collar with name and phone number.

With just a little bit of care and planning, the fourth of July can be a less scary experience for everyone!

References and Further Reading

RSPCA, Fireworks
ASPCA, Why Fireworks and Pets Don’t Mix