Arden Grange wins 'best dry cat food' award

Sussex, UK-based superpremium petfood company Arden Grange has received the "Best Dry Cat Food" award from the Your Dog and Your Cat Magazine awards 2014/2015, for the company's adult fresh chicken and potato recipe.
The awards are voted for by the readers of the magazine. Several other Arden Grange feline recipes were also "highly commended" in other award categories: sensitive ocean white fish and potato (in the "Best Specialist Cat Food" category) and tasty liver treat for cats (in both the "Best Cat Treat" and "Product I Can’t Live Without" categories). The company also received accolades on the canine side: adult sensitive was highly commended in the "Best Specialist Dog Food" category, adult chicken and rice is highly commended in the "Best Dry Dog Food" category and Arden Grange crunchy bites was highly commended in the "Best Dog Treat" category.
“With so many brands for pet owners to choose from, this is praise indeed," said Wendy Stephens, Arden Grange co-founder. "I would like to thank our faithful customers and readers of the magazines for voting for Arden Grange—we are so grateful.” 

Cats fed dry diets may be less willing to eat other food types, study shows

Research published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior suggests that feedings cats exclusively a dry petfood diet may make them less willing to eat other types of foods. 
The study involving 18 cats examined how cats develop dietary preferences. Researchers looked at whether kittens first fed moist diets, then switched to kibble, would make an easier transition back to moist foods than kittens that were fed dry food from the beginning.
From ages 9-20 weeks, 13 cats were fed either commercial canned food, commercial raw food or homemade raw diets. Another five cats were fed only dry diets during the same age period. At the end of the post-weaning period, all 18 cats were fed a commercial dry diet from 7-23 months. As adults, the 18 cats were offered one of three moist foods: commercial canned, commercial raw or homemade raw. 
According to the study:
• Kittens fed exclusively kibble for more than a 7-month period after weaning were not interested in the moist diets, including cats fed a moist diet during the post-weaning period.
• Cats fed one of the moist diets during the post-weaning period maintained their weight better when the moist food was reintroduced if they spent less time on the dry food diet. Four of five cats (80 percent) that were fed dry food for 7 months maintained their weight once reintroduced to the moist foods, compared with two of five cats (40 percent) that maintained their weight after 17 months of eating dry food.
• Kittens fed canned foods were more accepting of both raw and canned diets than kittens fed exclusively raw diets during the post-weaning period.
The study's authors point out that this is a preliminary study and that a larger sample of cats is required to verify these findings, but believe the research supports the benefit of offering dietary variety to cats throughout their life. 

RECALL: Diamond Pet Foods recalls select dry cat food brands due to low levels of thiamine

Diamond Pet Foods is recalling select production codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat, Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management, Premium Edge Kitten, Diamond Naturals Kitten and 4health All Life Stages Cat dry cat food formulas. Tests conducted by the company indicated the products might have a low level of thiamine (Vitamin B1).
Recalled products, including size, product name, production code, best-by date and USA states the products were distributed to, include:

• 18 lb. bags; Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula; NGF0703; 10-Jul-2013; Massachusetts
• 6 lb. bags; Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat Formula; NGF0802; 15-Aug-2013, 16-Aug-2013; Florida, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia
• 6 lb., 18 lb. bags; Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula; NGS0101; 03-Jan-2014, 04-Jan-2014; Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma
• 6 lb., 18 lb. bags; Premium Edge Senior Cat Hairball Management Formula; NGS0702; 10-Jul-2013; Florida, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia
• 6 oz. samples, 6 lb., 18 lb. bags; Premium Edge Kitten Formula; MKT0901; 10-Jul-2013;
• 6 oz. samples, 6 lb. bags; Diamond Naturals Kitten Formula; MKT0901; 26-Sept-2013, 29-Sept-2013, 30-Sept-2013, 02-Oct-2013; Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina
• 5 lb., 18 lb. bags; 4health All Life Stages Cat Formula; NGF0802; 14-Aug-2013, 18-Aug-2013; Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia

The company says no complaints regarding the recalled cat food products have been received to date.
Consumers with questions should contact Diamond Pet Foods +1.888.965.6131, Sunday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. 

Wet, dry cat food study links diet preference to nutrient intake

New research from an experiment with wet and dry cat foods may explain the reason some cats are so picky about their petfood.
The study, published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology B, offered different petfood options to cats. When given the choice, cats selected a mixture of wet and dry foods that provided them with a consistent intake of protein, fat and carbohydrates in their diet.
Cats in the experiment were offered a combination of wet and dry foods: one wet and three dry, one dry and three wet, and three wet and three dry. The food choices were offered first all at once, and then in a three-day cycle.
In all trials of the experiment, cats selected foods that provided close to 52 percent calorie intake from protein, 36 percent from fat and 12 percent from carbohydrates. The study's authors noted that the cats' choice of foods was similar to what has been observed about feral cats' diet choices in other studies, indicating that house cats may have retained an instinctual ideal diet from their wild ancestors. In fact, the only major difference observed in the study was that feral cats have been previously observed to consume about 2 percent of their calories from carbohydrates; however, the study's authors noted this may be due to the formulation of the petfoods used.
"This research has important implications for owners as it shows that cats are able to select and combine wet and dry foods to achieve their target intake of protein, fat and carbohydrate,” said lead author, Adrian Hewson-Hughes of the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition. “In terms of products currently on the market, wet foods typically have higher proportions of protein and fat, while dry foods have a higher carbohydrate content."

Royal Canin to host 'Week of the Cat' celebration

Royal Canin will host a national celebratory "Week of the Cat" campaign November 13-20, ending with the Supreme Cat Show in Birmingham, England.
Consumers will be able to sample pet products at Birmingham’s Martineau Place, and the Feline Advisory Bureau will be at Royal Canin's cat show stand, hosting seminars and answering questions. Photographic and display competitions will be held for retailers to compete for prizes, including a two-day trip to the South of France or a 32-inch flat screen TV for the national winner.

Petcurean given kudos from pet owner

A pet owner in Tabernacle, N.J., referred to in an article from Consumer Affairs as Leslie K., said she was pleased with how Petcurean handled her finding a metal object in her cats' food.
The pet owner found a quarter-inch piece of metal in a bag of Petcurean Go! Natural dry trout food.
“When I saw the piece of metal it scared me,” she said. “I saw it when I knocked the bag over ... I grabbed the piece of metal as my two cats were eating the food on the floor.”
The company immediately apologized, and wanted to ensure this type of incident did not occur again.
"They actually responded to me twice – on a Sunday. They said they wanted more details and the piece of metal,” she said.
Michele Dixon, Petcurean spokeswoman, called it an isolated incident. “This lot of cat food (Go! Natural Grain Free Trout Formula, with a best by date of Dec 16 10, 91016 2B42258, UPC 15260 00040) successfully passed our four critical control points ... We are now awaiting the metal sample to complete our full investigation.”

Wegmans selects new petfood supplier

Wegmans Food Markets chose Meadville, Penn., manufacturer Dad’s Pet Care to produce its line of dry petfoods, according to reports.
Wegmans’ brands, Bruiser dry dog food and Buju and Ziggie dry cat food, will be produced at the new location.
The retailer chose Dad’s Pet Care after an onsite inspection for high food safety standards. The Pennsylvania location complies with Safe Quality Foods 2000 level two standards. Wegmans says it holds its petfood to the same safety standards as its human foods.
The change in manufacturers comes after last year’s product recalls from a strain of Salmonella found at the previous supplier’s facility.

Royal Canin studies strategies for feline weight loss

Royal Canin has conducted a study to find diets and strategies to help obese cats lose weight, according to a news report.
Three dietary strategies were evaluated.
Strategy A used a novel dry, high fiber ration;
strategy B used ready-prepared portions of dry and moist food;
strategy C used an existing commercial dry, high fiber ration fed with a measuring cup.
Cats were assessed at 4, 12 and 20 weeks, and adjustments to the energy allocation made if required.
Mean weight loss at 20 weeks (A: 11+/-1.3%, B: 10.9+/-1.2%, C: 11.9+/-1.7%) was similar among strategies. Owners' subjective hunger score was significantly higher with strategy C while their satisfaction was lowest with the same strategy.
This research was published August 12, 2009 in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

Nutro introduces stricter checks, reintroduces recalled products

Nutro has reintroduced its dry cat food after the voluntary recall in May, according to a news report.
The company said its food-safety program now has stricter quality checks for suppliers and extensive testing of inbound raw materials and finished products. It has also reportedly enhanced the ingredient quality.
In May, the company discovered that two premixes from one of its US-based suppliers contained excessive levels of potassium and zinc.
Nutro announced August 7 that all its cat food brands were available at petfood retailers.