An urgent pet food recall was announced today that could mean the difference between life or death for your cat.
According to an FDA report dated July 3, 2020, Natural Balance Ultra Premium Chicken & Liver Paté Formula canned cat food, 5.5 oz. cans, UPC #2363353227, Lot Code #9217803, best by Aug. 4, 2021A single lot (#9217803) of this Natural Balance canned cat food may contain elevated levels of choline chloride, which can be dangerous or even fatal if fed to cats.
“Dogs and cats, like many other species, require choline,” notes Greg Aldrich, Ph.D., of Pet Food Industry. “Almost all commercial pet foods contain supplemental choline, predominantly from choline chloride.”
“However, putting choline chloride into the formula can have profound effects on the way the ingredients are combined and processed during production,” Dr. Aldrich said. Unfortunately, this particular lot of Natural Balance cat food may contain too much choline chloride — which can cause a range of serious health concerns.
“Ingesting impacted product may cause nausea with excessive salivation, constricted pupils and poor vision, diarrhea or vomiting to more severe symptoms including difficulty walking, muscle shaking, tremors, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, possible cardiac or respiratory failure and, in extreme situations, death,” according to the recall announcement. Which, of course, is pretty scary. So do not feed the affected product to your cats.
The manufacturer, J.M. Smucker, said it has already “received reports of adverse reactions” in pets. Return the product to the place of purchase for a refund, or call Natural Balance at 888-569-6828 if you have questions. If your pet is experiencing any of the symptoms above, call your veterinarian right away. This Natural Balance cat food recall involved a single lot of cans that were distributed to pet stores across the United States and Canada.