Has anyone been able to find out which two European products Menu Foods has recalled?  I can only find lists for US and Canada, yet Menu says two European products have also been recalled.

I know that what I'm feeding my cat is safe, because the food isn't produced by Menu Foods, but if products in Europe are now being affected, I do want to get the word out.  The Pet Food recalls haven't been big news over here, so many people may not even be aware that this is such a huge issue in North America.

Thanks.

My Sphynx urinates about 3-4 times a day, and defecates about twice a day.  Sphynx do have faster metabolisms than other cats (it helps to keep them warm since they have no fur) so I'm not surprised he goes more often than other cats.  He seems to be pretty typical of other Sphynx.

The one downside of the fast Sphynx metabolism is that they stink when they defecate.  Uggh. 

However, like some of your cats, he digs and digs and digs in the litterbox!  Quite comical really, how much he digs!

I feed Almo canned, along with Schesir, which is very similar, and a good quality dry due to the calcium/phosphorous question with Almo and other all meat/all fish brands.

As a result of the gluten issue in North America, I've decided to try and switch to dry foods containing no grains. I've been feeding Serengeti for well over a year, but that's often unavailable in Germany for long periods. Prairie's Raw Instinct was a huge hit for about three weeks, and then our cat started to eat it rather reluctantly. It may just be a coincidence, but he lost his taste for it at the same time as I tried Orijen.

I've tried feeding my Sphynx the Schesir wet, but something in it doesn't agree with him, because he throws it back up.  He does that with several wet foods that we've tried, but the Almo Nature agrees with him.

I'm also looking at switching to foods with no grains, and I'll probably buy some Orijen the next time I need dry food.  At least the Almo Nature dry contains organic rice and corn, and not glutens or protein concentrates.

There is nothing wrong with "chemicals" per se.

Everything on Earth is composed of chemicals.  Natural flavours are chemicals.  Artificial flavours are chemicals.  Our bodies are composed of chemicals.

The foods that we (and our pets) ingest are composed of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat, all of which are organic chemical compounds.  Water is an inorganic chemical compound that we (and our pets) require for health.

Natural chemical compounds are those found in nature.  They are not produced in a lab.  Artificial chemical compounds are created in a lab.

But they are all chemicals.  We and our pets are living creatures composed of a variety of chemical compounds.

Ditto what Garypen said.  Back to Basics could be losing customers because they don't want to feed their pets anything that has been shown to be toxic.

If the garlic is present in concentrations low enough that it doesn't harm the cats, then it is also likely to be present in concentrations too low to have any beneficial effect.

This would be one of the products I would be looking at to feed my cat when we move back to Canada, if it wasn't for the garlic.  For now, it's looking like Orijen will be my food of choice.

I've always heard that garlic is toxic to cats.

Some people also claim that yucca is toxic, although the food I feed my cat contains it, so I have no problems with it in a cat food.

However, the presence of garlic concerns me, since everything I've read suggests that garlic and cats don't mix.

In addition to the brands Sylvia mentioned, I also think that Orijen is a very high-quality food.  Orijen cat food is grain-free and low in carbohydrates.  They make their own foods out of locally-sourced ingredients, and say that they do not use a co-packer. 

Orijen looks good.

BTW, I also use a fantastic, easy to clean litter box from Omega Paw. (Get the large size. Regular size is useless.) You just roll it to one side, roll it back, and all of the clumps and turds are in a pull out drawer. I then dump the draw into a Litter Locker by Petmate. I recommend both.

Gary, I use both of those products too!  (Large sized litter box as well.)  The litter box is SO easy to clean and the Litter Locker is so convenient.    I highly recommend both of these products as well.

   Everybody's pets are so precious-  love all the pics, what a great idea!  Caylynn, your Sphynx is very cool- did you find this breed because of your husband's allergies?  Or was him not being allergic to Sphynx just a bonus??

Yes, we have a Sphynx because of my husband's allergies.  Since not everyone with allergies can tolerate Sphynx, we visited a couple of breeders in the area (Sphynx and Devon Rex breeders), and spent time with the cats to see if they triggered his allergies.  Fortunately, the Sphynx didn't bother him at all!   So, Dragonheart joined our family last November, and when his breeder has another litter this spring, when the kittens are old enough to leave, we'll have another one joining us.

Not everyone with allergies can tolerate Sphynx, but I'm very glad my husband can.   Dragonheart rubs his head all over hubby's to wake him for his morning breakfast, and has slept on his pillow, his clothes and other belongings, and hubby hasn't been bothered at all!   On the other hand, just being in the same house as a "regular" cat with fur will trigger his allergies - his nose will run and his eyes will water.

Sphynx are certainly high maintenance (need to be bathed regularly, need to have their ears and eyes cleaned regularly, and need frequent nail trimmings because they have a fast metabolism and so their nails grow faster) but they are well worth it.   Although I know a lot of people think Sphynx look weird or ugly, anyone who meets Dragonheart in person is quickly charmed by him.

It's wonderful to see everyone's pets!

Here's a picture of my first cat (the Siamese I grew up with) Whiskers:
http://dragonheartsdomain.blogspot.com/2006/12/meezer-monday.html

He lived to be 19.  Went to the Rainbow Bridge just two months short of his 20th birthday.

Karen, from what I understand, based on conversations with my cat's breeder and our veterinarian, Almo Nature wet food shouldn't be fed exclusively - it is designed to be fed in conjunction with a high-quality dry food, whether from Almo Nature or another company.  The calcium:phosphorus ratio in the Almo Nature dry food is right where it should be.

My Sphynx is thriving on two cans of Almo Nature a day, and free feed dry food from Sanabelle and Almo Nature.  My cat's breeder also feeds her cats this way, and they are thriving as well (and include a couple of champions).  Sphynx have very high metabolisms, so need a high-quality food.  Some breeders in North America feed all their Sphynx kitten food their entire lives, but with the high-quality foods we can buy in the EU, most breeders here don't find it necessary (except for kittens and pregnant and lactating queens.) 

I like that the Almo Nature is made from 100% organic, hormone-free meat, 100% organic rice, and cooking water, and that's it.  (Which is why it needs to be fed with a dry food - it is not a balanced food in and of itself.)  It also looks like food that I would eat myself, and is made from human-quality ingredients.

I am in Germany, but will be moving back to Canada (my husband is a Canadian army officer) which is why I'm looking at other foods to feed (since I won't be able to buy Almo Nature or Sanabelle in Canada.)  Orijen and Katz-N-Flocken are the two that look most promising to me at the moment.  Orijen appeals to me based on its ingredients and the fact that it is a Canadian company.

Excellent point Therese.  Even in human nutrition (which is where my knowledge lies) although the "experts" can agree on the basics of good nutrition, anything beyond that is still open to much debate (ie. is milk good for you - there is no doubt that calcium is necessary for human health, but in adults, is cow milk the best way to obtain that calcium, just to mention one topic that is often debated among registered dietitians.)

I'm going to have to do a journal search, and see what articles I can find on cat nutrition in peer-reviewed journals.  Even then, two studies will often have contradictory results due to a variety of confounding factors (the same thing often occurs in human studies - often it is difficult to eliminate all the confounding variables.)  Non-scientists tend to get frustrated with these contradictions, but that's just the way science works!

Dragonheart is an adorable black and white Sphynx kitten, 9 months old.  My husband is allergic to cats, but fortunately isn't allergic to Sphynx.  Growing up I had a wonderful Siamese called Whiskers (because he was missing the whiskers on one side of his face from placing with his brother when we got him.)

Dragonheart, like most Sphynx, is incredibly friendly and active.  He keeps us on our toes!  He loves following us around like a little puppy dog and has tons of energy.  He loves to play. 

Being a Sphynx, he is an indoor-only cat, although he likes to go outside on his harness, or in his stroller.  He loves watching birds.

Like all Sphynx, he has to have regular baths, which he doesn't enjoy, but which he does tolerate.  He just sits there in the sink and let's us bathe him.

Everyone who meets him falls in love with him, and is totally charmed by his friendliness.  He loves being around people, curling up in a lap, and snuggling.  He purrs easily and loves being pet.  He is a real sweetie

Dragonheart has his own blog at: http://dragonheartsdomain.blogspot.com/

I guess I'm lucky - the pet store where I buy food and litter online doesn't charge for shipping if you spend over 20 Euro.   And they carry Orijen!   Yay, I'll be able to try the food out before moving back to Canada, to see if my Sphynx likes it.