AVA dry cat food recall by Pets at Home – how to check if your cat is in danger

Pets at Home have issued a recall on four AVA dry cat food products after several cats suddenly collapsed a month after after switching to them.

The nationwide pet chain produces a range of dog and cat foods under the AVA brand. Yesterday (27 February) they announced a voluntary recall on the following dry cat foods:

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

The firm say an investigation has found these products to contain insufficient levels of vitamin B1, or thiamine and that owners should stop using them to feed their pets with immediately.

If anyone's cat is showing signs of unsteadiness or twitching after recently switching to one of the affected products they are urged to take the animal to the vet immediately.

A Pets at Home statement said: "We always put pets first. We deeply regret that this action was necessary and apologise for any distress it may have caused."

It is understood that all of the cats who became unwell after eating the foods have survived.

The statement adds: "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.

"We have highly trained nutrition consultants in every store who will be pleased to advise you on an alternative diet for your cat while these issues are resolved with our suppliers.

"If you would like to speak to one of our team, please contact our customer advisers on 0800 328 4204 for advice."