Ainsworth Pet Nutrition recently announced the recall of its Rachael Ray Nutrish cat food. The wet cat food comes in a variety of flavors, and some of those flavors were deemed to contain toxically high levels of vitamin D that could make cats severely ill.
According to the company, the overly high amounts of vitamin D are caused by fish-derived ingredients, which they included in the wet cat food products. Cat owners should avoid purchasing and dispose of any containers of Rachael Ray Nutrish wet cat food that are labeled as follows: Paw Lickin’ Chicken & Liver, Tuna Purrfection, Ocean Fish-a-licious, Ocean Fish & Chicken Catch-iatore, and Lip Smackin’ Sardine & Mackerel.
Signs of vitamin D toxicity in cats may include increased thirst, muscle tremors, seizures, increased urination, vomiting and diarrhea. Cats who have these kinds of symptoms need to be taken to their veterinarian for treatment immediately. At this time, 11 cats have suffered vitamin D poisoning as a result of consuming Rachael Ray’s cat food. Therefore, the threat is real and owners need to be on alert.
Pet owners may be able to pursue civil defective products claims relating to their cats’ injuries caused by defective pet food. Although claims relating to an injured pet are not classified as personal injury claims, pets are often considered to be a kind of possession that is in between a piece of property and a person. Therefore, Texas courts may be sympathetic in some cases to the emotional bonds and special relationship humans share with their pets, and this might ultimately translate to property damage recoveries in claims relating to pet injuries.
Source: wate.com, “Recall: Rachael Ray Nutrish wet cat food,” June 16, 2015
