Category: Cats

Dog & Cat Food Recall

This was issued a little over two hours ago!

It concerns possible contamination of food with Salmonella so please read and share as widely as you can.

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Smallbatch Dog and Cat Food Recall of May 2017

May 5, 2017 — Smallbatch Pets Inc. of Portland, OR, is voluntarily recalling two lots of its Smallbatch frozen chicken blend for dogs and cats due to the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

About Salmonella

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

Symptoms of infection in people include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.

Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms.

Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.

Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.

Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans.

If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

No pet or consumer illnesses from this product have been reported to date. However, because of their commitment to safety and quality, Smallbatch Pets is conducting a voluntary recall of this product.

Consumers should also follow the Simple Handling Tips published on the Smallbatch Pets package when disposing of the affected product.

What’s Recalled?

The affected lots of 2 pound bags of Smallbatch Chicken Blend were distributed to retail pet food stores in the following states:

California
Colorado
Oregon
Washington

Two hundred eighty-two cases of this product were sold between the dates of 2/1/17 and 5/5/17.

The affected products are sold frozen in 2 pound bags.

The products affected by this recall are identified with the following manufacturing codes and “Best By” dates, located on the back of the package.

Lot: D032
UPC: 705105970974
Best By: 2/1/2018
Lot: E058
UPC: 705105970974
Best By: 2/27/2018

What Caused the Recall?

The recall was initiated after routine testing by the Food and Drug Administration of a 2 pound bag of Smallbatch Chicken Blend that was collected at a distributor revealed the presence of Salmonella.

This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

What to Do?

Consumers who have purchased the above lots of Smallbatch Chicken Blend are urged to stop feeding the product to their dogs or cats and to return product to place of purchase for a full refund.

Or dispose of them immediately.

Consumers with questions are asked to call the company at 888-507-2712, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM PST.

Or via email at info@smallbatchpets.com.

U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.

Get Dog Food Recall Alerts by Email

Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Dog Food Advisor’s emergency recall notification system.

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Once again, good people, read and share.

Picture Parade One Hundred and Ninety-Three

Janet Goodbrod just keeps giving and giving!

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More next Sunday and, thanks to Janet, for quite a few Sundays thereafter.

Five years in the blink of an eye!

“Events, dear boy, events!”

That quote was one uttered by Harold Macmillan, the British Conservative politician and publisher, who served six years as Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963. It was in response to a question regarding what sort of thing was most likely to blow a government off course.

Why did that quotation come to my mind? Simply because all my grand plans for writing a post for you good people were stymied by our internet connection being down for much of the weekend.

So rather than get cut off half-way through a new post, I decided to re-post what I published on this blog five years ago to the day: on April 24th. 2012. Here it is.

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How lady luck brought joy for a ‘down-and-out’ Londoner and a cat called Bob!

I was chatting with my son yesterday and he happened to mention that perhaps I should write about a cat for a change! Alex mentioned a book recently published in the UK called A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets.

This is how the book is described on Amazon (UK site),

When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet. Yet James couldn’t resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas. Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other’s troubled pasts. A Street Cat Named Bob is a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it.

A quick web search found volumes of material.

As in the local London newspaper the Islington Tribune wrote this back in 2010,

Two cool cats… the Big Issue seller and a stray called Bob

Inseparable: musician James Bowen with Bob

Down-on-his-luck musician teams up with ‘wonderful loyal friend’ he rescued from streets

Published: 24 September, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

NOT since the legendary Dick Whittington has a man and his cat become such unlikely celebrities on the streets of Islington.

Big Issue seller James Bowen and his docile ginger cat Bob, who go everywhere together, have been attracting comments since they first appeared outside Angel Tube station.

The story of how they met – widely reported in blogs on the internet – is one of such extraordinary pathos that it seems only a matter of time before we get a Hollywood film.

James, 31, who lives off Seven Sisters Road, Holloway, is a musician who has fallen on hard times.

He ekes out a basic living selling the homeless people’s magazine Big Issue at Angel and Covent Garden.

Bob was a stray discovered by James outside his accommodation one day.

The cat was limping after apparently being attacked by another animal, possibly a fox.

After failing to discover the cat’s owner, James took him to the RSPCA hospital at Finsbury Park, which prescribed a course of antibiotics.

“I kept him for two weeks until he was well enough to go on his way,” said James. “But when I opened the front door to let him out Bob wouldn’t move. He seemed to me to be saying: ‘I want to stay with you.’

“Now we go everywhere together. I even have a cat harness when we go out and Bob gets really excited when I show it to him.”

Read the rest of the article here and if you want more information, a web search on Bob the Cat will finds loads more.

It’s a fabulous story with a great message of hope for not just for James and Bob but for all of us that find ourselves ‘up a creek without a paddle’ at points in our lives.

Here’s how the newspaper The Daily Mail wrote about it on their website,

[last half of the story]

But then Bob started following him and it became increasingly difficult to shoo him away, especially as there were dangerous roads to be crossed. One day there was nothing for it but to put Bob on a makeshift lead and take him along. Bob travelled sitting on James’s shoulders.

The trouble was, so many cat-mad passers-by stopped him to stroke the animal that James arrived late at his pitch, secretly cursing Bob for thereby costing him some of his usual £25-a-day takings. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Within minutes, people who would normally have walked by without giving James a second glance were lingering to make a fuss of the cat sitting sedately in his guitar case, and most made a donation. By the end of the day, he’d racked up more than £60.

It was the beginning of a phenomenon as tourists and commuters befriended Bob and James, many bringing titbits for the cat. People were amazed at how placidly Bob would sit all day, quite happily watching the world go by while James earned a living. Not that it was always without a hitch; on a couple of occasions Bob bolted when startled, leading to a frantic chase through the crowded streets.

Bob’s popularity continued when James switched from busking to selling the Big Issue, the magazine produced and sold by homeless people. This change in direction was part of James’s growing sense of a need to get his life in order, which he puts down to the responsibility of looking after Bob, and the example the cat offered of the possibility of a second chance.

It enabled James to make the final push to end his drug dependency, going through the necessary cold turkey to get off heroin substitutes, and to mend broken contacts with his family. The final result of Bob’s influence came when a literary agent who passed the duo every day and had seen them on YouTube suggested James tell their story in a book. The result is this heart-warming tale with a message of hope that will appeal especially to the many cat obsessives out there.

Read the full story here.

Let me close with another video, this one from a recent UK This Morning TV show with James Bowen and his cat being interviewed by Eamonn and Ruth.

Thank you, Alex; great story!

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Hope you enjoyed that ‘blast from the past’.

Being a great pet owner

Again and again the connections are wonderful!

On the 21st March, I received an email. It read:

Hello!

According to the ASPCA, animal shelters take in 7.6 million dogs and cats each year. Unfortunately, only 2.7 million animals are adopted each year. I’d love to see that number increase.

I’ve been a pet owner for decades. I know the seemingly infinite joy and love that comes from having a pet. But I also remember how nervous I was when I adopted my first dog.

To ease first-time and potential pet owners’ anxiety about caring for a pet, I would love to offer advice on how to be a great pet parent. Tips will be culled from my own experience and the experience of my blog’s (OurBestFriends.pet) contributors.

Can I write a guest article for your readers? My hope is that the piece will encourage folks to adopt a loving animal. The content will be completely original and free of charge. Please let me know if you’d like to take part.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Jessica

Jessica Brody

Ourbestfriends.pet

What a wonderful email and, of course, I was only too pleased to receive Jessica’s article.

Here it is:

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Survival Guide for First-Time Pet Owners: How to Be a Great Pet Parent

By Jessica Brody, 6th April, 2017

If you’re considering adopting a four-legged friend for the first time, you’re about to embark on an amazing journey. From learning your new pet’s unique personality traits to navigating the demands of providing the best care for your new family member, adopting a pet is a learning experience, but an enriching one. Here are a few essential tips to help you transition your new furry friend seamlessly into your family.

Make Arrangements for Regular Exercise

Dogs, in particular, require regular exercise. They say that a tired dog is a well-behaved dog. If you work long hours, consider hiring a dog walker who can take your pup out for a mid-day potty break and walk. Make sure your new pet – dog or cat – has plenty of toys to keep them occupied while you’re working or otherwise unable to devote your full attention to them while you’re at home.

From bones and dental chews to balls, bells, and feathers, there’s no shortage of unique and intriguing toys on the market to keep your pet entertained and healthy.

If you own your own home, you might also consider installing a fence around a section of your yard. That way your new pet will have a place to run and play without having to be on a leash. You can also use the space for training.

Choose a Veterinarian You Trust

First and foremost, your new pet will need to see a veterinarian. If you’re adopting from a shelter or rescue organization, your pet may come with veterinary records and may already be spayed or neutered. If you’re adopting a new pet from a pet store or breeder, however, you’ll most likely need to take care of initial vetting on your own.

Ask friends and family members for vet recommendations and call around to inquire about office policies and prices to make an informed decision. It’s important that you find a veterinarian that you trust to provide top-notch care for your beloved pet.

Choose a Quality Pet Food

All pet food is not created equal. If you want your pet to live a long, healthy life, you should choose a top-quality pet food that contains healthy ingredients and has a solid track record. There have been many pet food recalls in recent years, with some causing serious illness and even death in pets.

Do your research to determine what foods are the best and safest for your dog’s stage of life and health history. Puppies require different food than older dogs, for instance, and dogs with certain health conditions have special dietary requirements. Talk to your vet if you’re uncertain.

Establish Rules and Routines

Adopting a new pet for the first time requires a bit of playing by ear, as you don’t know exactly what your pet’s quirks will be. However, it’s a good idea to establish some general ground rules from the start. For example, what will you do to keep your pet out of storage areas where dangerous substances, such as yard care chemicals, anti-freeze, or pool chemicals are kept? Will you allow your dog on the furniture? Will your dog or cat sleep in your bed with you? Will you crate your dog while you’re at work?

Your pet will surely have a mind of her own, but knowing what general boundaries you want to set before introducing her to your home will help you be consistent with training.

Give Your Pet Plenty of Affection

While all of these tips are essential steps for being the best pet parent you can be, perhaps the most important is to give your pet plenty of love and affection. Dogs thrive on attention, while cats tend to be quite varied in their preferences. Some are lap cats, hopping on the nearest warm lap they can find; others are loners and generally prefer to be left to their own devices. Get to know your pet’s personality and make sure to shower him with as much love and affection as he wants.

Being a great pet parent isn’t hard, but these important tips will help you integrate your new furry friend into your family with ease. Setting boundaries and rules from the beginning with consistent reinforcement, making sure your pet gets plenty of exercise and has enough toys and activities to keep her engaged, and choosing top-quality pet food and a veterinarian you can trust will ensure that you and your pet can enjoy many joyful years together.

Image via Pixabay by OrsiO

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Naturally, I asked Jessica to write a few words about herself. This is what she sent me.

Jessica is the creator of OurBestFriends.pet. Jessica lives in Dallas, Texas with her loving family (which includes 2 dachshunds and a black lab). She is a certified dog lover, and believes dogs are just about the greatest creatures on earth. She loves collecting and sharing photos of them.

I know many will agree with me when I say that it would be good to receive some more articles from Jessica.

Picture Parade One Hundred and Eighty-Nine

The final set of these wonderful pictures.

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Sometimes I think a particular Picture Parade series will be impossible to follow. So let’s see what I can find for next week. Dear Bob, thank you for these!

Meantime, you all take care out there.

Picture Parade One Hundred and Eighty-Eight

Stay Happy Good People!

Returning to the pictures sent in by ‘Captain Bob’.

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The final set of Bob’s Happy-Making pictures next Sunday.

Picture Parade One Hundred and Eighty-Six

Stay Happy Good People!

With enormous thanks to ‘Captain Bob’ who sent these to me.

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Another set of these wonderful antidotes to grumpiness in a week’s time.

Many thanks, Bob!

P.S. Don’t forget the clocks go forward in many US States in two hours time!

Greetings Anne Cooper

I will never, ever tire of the wonderful connections made by this blog!

Connections brought about by the almost universal love for dogs! But not to the exclusion of cats. For we still have three cats, all ex-rescues from our days in Mexico, and it is a cat story that Anne presents for you all today.

It went back to an email that came in to me earlier this February:

Hi Paul,

My name is Annie and I blog at catobsessed.com. Since I am a new-ish blogger (well, my cat site is new but I’ve been writing elsewhere for years), I’m hoping to make connections with more established pet bloggers to help get my name out there.

I love your site Learning From Dogs – although I’m obviously more of a cat person, our family has a mini schnauzer back in Canada. I miss her! Your website vision is very thought-provoking, I hadn’t really considered how much we learn from our pets before. I was wondering if you’d consider accepting a guest post from me?

I was trying to think of a topic that would bridge our two websites and I had an idea – something about pets and human relationships? I met my husband through his cat, to be honest! The fact that he was an animal lover was one of the main reasons I accepted a date with him. The schnauzer in Canada was a gift to his parents too, so I knew he was a keeper!

I haven’t got a strict post outline in mind but I’m excited to ponder more on the topic of cats, dogs and human relationships. Since my husband was a pet owner, I could explain the type of personality traits I inferred from that. We also have the fact that I’m a huuuuge cat person and he is a dog guy so we had to compromise (if having two cats is a compromise LOL)

What do you think? If this doesn’t suit, I could come up with something else 🙂

Looking forward to hearing from you,
Annie

Well, how could one resist such a charming request. Not me!

So it is with great pleasure that I present Anne’s guest post.

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Why Pet Owners Make Good Life Partners.

by Anne Cooper, February 22nd., 2017.
First of all, I want to thank Paul for inviting me to share my thoughts on his wonderful blog. Reading through his past posts got me thinking on the topic of pet ownership and human relationships. You see, I met my husband through his cat. It sounds funny I know but let me explain.

Back in 2013, I had just ended a serious long-term relationship. It ended for many reasons but one thing which made me particularly sad is that the guy didn’t want any pets. Animals are one of my top three passions in life. My former partner would get annoyed when I’d bring strays inside for a quick bite to eat and a bowl of water. It didn’t happen that often but what filled me with joy was just an annoyance for him.

So when I was back on the dating market, settling down with an animal lover was a top priority. Sure, I could live without pets, but I’d rather not. They really improve my quality of life, cheer me up when I’m feeling down, and allow me to be part of the lovely pet blogging community online.

Thus, when browsing through dating profiles, one really caught my attention. Not only did he sound like he had a lot in common with me – he actually owned a cat! She was a kitten at the time. A lovely white fluff-ball. I arranged to meet him immediately.

The rest is history. We were married in November 2015 and have now expanded our feline family to two. We’re hoping to add a dog to the mix soon. What I want to talk about here is why I was so eager to set up that first date, and the qualities I inferred from the fact that my future husband owned a cat.

Pet owners are responsible

Unless you own a pet yourself, it’s hard to understand the amount of commitment involved. You can’t just take a weekend away to visit friends anymore. You need to arrange a sitter for the cat, and if you can’t, you’re staying put. You also need to research practical things like pet insurance, safe toys and snacks … the list is almost endless.

They have a nurturing instinct

Taking in an animal – especially a helpless kitten – is an act of kindness. Cats don’t always give much affection back to their owners so I knew that my hubby was a generous and giving soul.

Don’t get me wrong, dogs are amazing too, but there are lots of great reasons to own a dog. They help you get fit by making you walk with them outdoors. They protect you and shower you with love on a daily basis. Cats on the other hand are happy to take your affection but some won’t even sit on your lap! I think it’s safe to say that most cat owners don’t mind giving without receiving.

They don’t mind cleaning up a mess

As much as I love our little Saus, she was a nightmare in her first year. She had a hard time using the litter tray and used to pee all over our house. Shedding fur is an ongoing issue too. Don’t even get me started on fleas and worms! Instead of letting it get out of control, my husband armed himself with a super-powered vacuum cleaner and a cupboard full of pet-friendly solutions and sprays to keep everything spotless. Pet owners aren’t scared of a little mess – I knew I could depend on him to help out around the house.

They don’t let other people’s opinions get to them

I don’t know about where you’re from, but in Ireland where my husband and I met, there’s a massive stigma against cat owners. As a cat lover myself, I was branded with the “crazy cat lady” stereotype. I was openly jeered in work. In the early days of dating my hubby, I turned on the car radio to hear a talk show saying that single men who own cats are basically weirdos. I couldn’t believe it! It makes me so angry, but sadly it’s the pervasive opinion in my home country.

The fact that my husband owned a cat and proudly shared her photos on social media showed me that he was confident and self-assured. Owning and loving a pet is nothing to be ashamed of, and anyone who thinks so can take a hike.

They’re patient

In her early days, Saus loved using her claws and teeth. I was her favorite victim! I don’t think she was being malicious – rather she didn’t know how to play safely. Instead of getting angry with her, my husband was patient. We needed to keep her claws short to prevent damage but using the clipper on her was a battle! We had to wrap her up in a towel to stop her attacking us.

So that’s my take on what makes pet owners so special. What do others think?

Annie Cooper blogs at catobsessed.com. She lives in Australia with her husband and two very fluffy felines. Apart from cats, Anne loves traveling, DIYing and all things cute.

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Wasn’t that a great guest post! Sincerely hope we will be hearing more from the “crazy cat lady”.

P.S. The following photograph was taken here at home last night.

Araña, one of our three cats, sleeping next to Pedy. (Araña is the Spanish word for spider.)

Araña is one of the remaining three cats from the original seven ex-Mexican rescue cats that came with us back in 2010 when we moved from San Carlos, Mx. to Payson in Arizona.