Phil,

I am sorry to hear about the death of your beloved cat. My cat is my best friend. I had a scare with her a week ago, but it turned out that she was just sick from a cat cold, not tainted food.

Your family and your cat are in my prayers.

First, I am so pissed. I am so sorry your parents lost their cat to that tainted food. This post is necessary. The FDA is worthless.
I volunteer at the Humane Society Pet Food bank. Monthly bagging canned and dry food for Senior Citizen centers[I do 25 clients]. Another section of the PFB bags pet food for AIDS patients. All of these pets are extremely important for these clients not to lose due to something as horrific as this. When the alert came out; many volunteers sorted the canned food. My daughter in MT called me in a panic that it didn't affect dry kibbles; per her therapy kitty. I assured her no.
Until last night, when I read that it now crossed over into the dry kibble area. This is devastating, and I feel the same anger.

So sorry to hear about your parent's cat. This makes it even harder for them, I am sure.

Another point, that some people may not realize; regarding donated pet food to Humane Society's and Food Banks for people[ volunteering at people food banks, as well, we mix kibbles and re-bag so more clients have access to pet food]: these are of all types, brands, some expensive, and all are mixed into large barrels. Most of the high quality pet food, whether can or dry; is saved for hospice client pets. The mixed barrel kibbles go out to cat and dogs; and there would be no possible way to know what kibble was in the bag we pack.Ever since this came out, I have been worried sick that one of my client's pet would die as a result of this tainted pet food.

I find it so upsetting; that there is any information being withheld, right down to disclosing how many pets are involved, it makes me livid.

This seriously is a wake up call for scrutiny of the FDA and much more in this country. Damn.This is too high of a price to pay for lack of accountability and unconscious company officials wanting to make a cheap buck.

I'm so sorry for your loss. My cat is 12 years old, and I can't imagine the day when he's no longer with me.

Condolences from the heart, I know it's like losing a kid.

Condolences on your cat.

The FDA can only make internal rules, beuracratic regulations are made by Congress.

Get big-pharma out of Congress (ha!) and lobby your reps to change the rules at the FDA.

And people say representative democracy doesn't work?

Mark McClellan, former commissioner of the FDA now works at the Conservative think-thank the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), who craft policy for the GOP. He's not the only FDA or HHS member at the AEI.

It's more of the old turnstile politics in the Beltway. Just like Tauzin and the PhRMA (I posted on Tauzin previously).

just to be clearer: it wasn't my cat. it was one of my parents' cats.

I'm so sorry for your family's loss.

Ya know, we think we're doing the best for our animals; making as informed choices as we can...and then we find out we're getting tainted, (needlessly-imported) garbage and shoddy(sp?) products packaged as top of the line food for innocent animals.

It's bad enough what the drug companies are doing to humans these days...and now this? Thanks FDA.

My grown son brought by some bacon treats last week for the dogs(he bought them at wal-mart)he figured junk food is junk food; and we read today that they were recalled.(They finished off the treats 2 days ago)
Now we get to worry if we are going to re-live the death of our Golden from acute liver failure 5 years ago.(we still have no clue what caused that) The dogs are 5 & 2 years old.
This stinks.
I'm right there with you on the more than livid-angry train.