Although salmonella contamination of any food be it either pet food or human food should not be taken lightly, I thought it important to start this thread in hopes of alleviating some of the fears associated with the concerns of possible salmonella contamination in pet foods.

In all actuality it seems that the chance of a cat or dog getting ill from salmonella is not as great as humans becoming ill due to unsafe handling of any poultry product or poultry based pet food.

This article is a good starting point and I hope others will post any other information on this subject  they might have here.
 


"Overall, though, cat deaths from salmonella are uncommon - especially without infection from some outside source. For many cats, especially indoor cats, food would be the most likely source of infection. And it is possible for commercial cat food to become infected. In February of 2007, the FDA warned consumers that it had discovered salmonella in Wild Kitty cat food. Wild Kitty is a premium brand of raw meat cat food, delivered frozen and organically sterilized. Salmonella infection is also possible in more processed types of cat food, but seems to be rare.

Any infection in cat food is cause for alarm though, not just because of the danger to cats but because of the risk to humans. Handling infected food during feeding could potentially infect both you and your cat. This risk is actually much greater than the risk of salmonella being transferred to you via the cat.

It is theoretically possible for a cat to infect a person with salmonella. A lot of cats are infected with the virus even though they aren't harmed by it. They remain "subclinical" or not displaying any symptoms, but still carry the virus. And research has shown that infected cats do shed types of the virus that are communicable to humans. Still, actual cases of people getting salmonella from cats are practically unheard of. (A 2004 study, published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, determined that healthy cats are "generally safe," though there may a greater chance of transmission from sick cats or those whose immune systems are being suppressed by medication.)

But handling infected food is another story. Food handling is one of the main ways people get salmonella, and it doesn't have to be food you're preparing to eat yourself. That suggests it's just as possible to get salmonella from handling infected cat food as it is from handling any other kind of infected food.

So the short answer is that you probably don't need to worry too much about salmonella infected cat food harming your cat. The current outbreaks in particular are unlikely to affect pet food

A more detailed answer is that it's always a good idea to keep an eye on the web or other news sources for word of FDA recalls. Other salmonella oubreaks have affected pet food. And if there should be another such outbreak, you'll want to know about it.

In the long run, you probably face a greater risk of salmonella poisoning than your cat does, although it's a small risk when you look at the big picture. The best way to make these risks even smaller is by taking very basic precautions. Always wash your hands after handling your cat's food, and especially after cleaning the litter box. With basic common sense precautions, both you and your cat should be fine."


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/879849/salmonella_infected_foods_and_your_pg2.html?cat=53

Since most of us here were unable to read your posts from Itchmo, I have no idea what your "information" was concerning your sources from Nature's Variety.

We had hoped that you would retrurn and expound on that information along with how you obtained it, but you never bothered to do so.

Just because they expanded the recall does not necessarily cause me to conclude that any information you had was correct.

Ahhh, what a nice story. Thanks for sharing!

Maybe you would like to post some pics of him, as we would love to see him!

What a gorgeous little girl.

I have no doubt that you must miss her very much. 

Hi sherrylynne

That is great that he is doing so well. I guess he just wasn't ready last year and is one kitty that likes to do things his own way and in his own time Lol.

 Are you still using the prozyme?

 I am shocked to learn of Tequila's passing. How comforting it must have been for  her that you were there holding and loving her.

 I am at a loss for words. I am so sorry. 

Addiction has recently added some new raw dehydrated foods to their line of pet foods. Although the dehydrated food is made for dogs, they state that it may also be fed to kitties if mixed with wet cat food

They have also added quite a few new canned dog and cat foods to their line, many of which contain novel protein sources.

Consumer Affairs complaints regarding Nutro foods up to 149 pages and still counting....

There have been other raw pet foods who have had isolated instances regarding the possiblility of salmonella contamination. I think Wild Kitty and Bravo both issued recalls a few years ago. In both instances the companies were quick to react.

I know that this is something that those who are skeptical or completely against feeding raw are probably quick to point out, but salmonella contamination has occurred in numerous other pet and human foods. There is always a chance of contamination or error when dealing with any type of meat or processed food.

I am happy to read that Nature's Variety is now implementing a "test and hold" procedure prior to releasing any future raw food for sale to the public.

 To keep this forum fair and balanced I hope that tomp will return and answer the questions that have been presented here.

 We at the Pet Food List Forums always encourage fair and open discussions amongst our members.

 Thanks for posting the links.

I am sorry you were terminated at Itchmo Robert. I do not think you  have to worry about something like that ever happening here. Have not had a chance to read thru all the posts yet.

I will definitely finish reading them tomorrow.

 

 This food is not available anywhere in my area and after reading coontuffy's post it sounds like I am not missing out on anything.

On rare occassions I will purchase either Weruva or BFF cat food for my two that are not allergic to fish. Other than that I too prefer to avoid fishy cat foods.

 Thanks

 I knew that   

Thanks Rob

But did you look at that page? LoL no way I could read that tiny print.

Unless it is just me.........

dodi

I would contact the company as to where it may be purchased.

There is a thread on the PFLF regarding Tiki cat food.

 It may be found here:

http://thepetfoodlist.com/forums/index.php?topic=85.0