Pets at Home recall pet food after cats 'collapse'

Three cats became seriously unwell after switching to the food and showed symptoms of sudden collapse, fitting, widespread twitching and general unsteadiness - all classic symptom of thiamine deficiency, say Pets at Home.

The pet shop is now warning customers not to feed their cats the following four products after tests revealed that the level of thiamine was lower then expected:-

- AVA Mature Cat Chicken 2kg - CODE: 7120400

- AVA Mature Cat Chicken 4kg - CODE: 7120401

- AVA Senior Cat Chicken 2kg - CODE:7120402

- AVA Adult Cat Neutered Indoor 1.5kg - CODE:7120407

A statement to the Pets at Home website reads: "If you have any of these products at home please do not feed them to your cat. Instead please dispose of the contents and return the packaging to any Pets at Home store for a full refund.

"An investigation has revealed that, in the four affected products, the level of thiamine (vitamin B1) was much lower than we had specified. Testing confirmed only these four products are affected.

"We are aware of three cats which, sadly, became seriously unwell four to six weeks after switching to one of the affected products and required veterinary care. All three cats exhibited symptoms of sudden collapse, fitting, widespread twitching and general unsteadiness which are not the classic symptoms of thiamine deficiency.

"As pet lovers ourselves we recognise that you will be concerned about your own cat. If you have concerns that your cat may be showing any of these symptoms after switching to one of the four affected products then you should stop feeding and seek immediate veterinary advice. You can also contact one of our customer advisers on 0800 328 4204 for general advice. They will be pleased to help.

"For everyone at Pets at Home the safety and wellbeing of your pet is our top priority. This is why we have taken immediate action to safeguard your cat; we always put pets first. We deeply regret that this action was necessary and apologise for any distress it may have caused."

No other Pets at Home products are thought to have been affected.