I have three cats and all three are on the Nutro “Complete Care” dry cat food diet.
About two months ago we switched to Nutro because there was a salesman from Nutro in the Petsmart and we had mentioned to him that my older cat, Mario had some kind of rash around one of his nipples on his abdomen. The salesmen mentioned that it could be a food allergy, so we switched all three cats to Nutro Complete Care Indoor food. We had also picked up some of the Nutro cat treats.
Since we switched, Mario has had diarrhea – which I had initially attributed to his system not being used to new food and him being older (he’s 12 years old). About a month ago we noticed that his abdomen was looking bloated and he still had the diarrhea. I felt his abdomen and it feels kind of “solid”, not so much fat, but like it’s stretched and he’s been stuffed with sand or something. Our other cats seem ok with the exception of our female who is 5 years old and her fur seems to have lost some of it’s shine not to mention the fact that she does not like this new cat food at all.
The food we have (according to the Nutro site) is not on the “affected” list, but this is too coincidental for me. I’m very worried that the cats may have suffered some type of permanent damage. Especially Mario.
We want to take him into the vet, but our budget is almost nil right now.
Any advice for us? Do you think Mario is sick due to the food?
Thank you so much for any help you can give us.

-Darren from Raleigh, NC

I’m sorry to hear about your kitties. Will you please take a minute to call FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, and speak with Dr. Marcia Larkins.

From personal experience, I know that FDA only considers complaints which are submitted to them directly.

FDA really needs to know how Nutro is dealing with pet owners, and that they continue to deny any problem with the food.

Dr. Larkins’ number is 240/276-9015.

One of my outdoor cats was sick, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, no appetite and looked jaundice. I took him into the vet and left him for treatment. I didn’t know about the recall of Nutro food at this time. As I was sadly talking about how sick my kitty was, someone asked me what food I was feeding them. She told me about the Nutro recall but it was too late for my big boy. Unfortunately, Chewy lost the fight the next day. I told the vet about the food but at the time he felt, the condition, which was liver disease, could have been a result of the cat’s age (as uncommon as it is). I didn’t agree but let it go. I began to notice one of my 7 year old twins not eating. Then the vomiting started, weight loss and the cycle was repeating it self. I took her into the vet yesterday and was diagnosed with the same condition as Chewy. The only humane thing to do was to say goodbye to my little bundle of love.

I called Nutro but they take the stance “no responsibility without proof”. They want lab work that shows the Zinc level. Since I stopped feeding them this poison about three weeks ago, the only way to get this information is to autopsy or take a liver sample. Very expensive procedures to prove they killed my pets!!

I’ve lost two loving family cats 12 and 7 years, so far. My Vet bills are over one thousand dollars thus far and I’m praying I don’t lose the remaining two.

I’m so sorry you lost your kitty to bad food.

You need to contact your FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator and report your experience with Nutro. Complaints go back to FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine and Compliance in D.C.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/ConsumerComplaintCoordinators/default.htm

Also, submit complaint to Consumer Affairs. See red complaint button, upper right of screen.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.html