Conference misery::feline

> Not yet, I'll post it as soon as I get anything... 

Latest update I have I received this morning after chasing... 

Subject: Re: TAR: Friskies danger 
In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
Message-Id: <Pine.SV4.3.91.970130210035.10649B-100000@iquest7>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII


	I haven't heard any more about the kits (hmm.. I think I'll msg 
Wee and see if SHE has).  
	My little ones have been eating mostly dried, and I usually feed 
them a different brand.

	I'll be sure to pass on anything else I hear.

Diana
 


......so hopefully we should have more info next week. 

> Latest update I have I received this morning after chasing... 
> 
> Subject: Re: TAR: Friskies danger 
> In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
> Message-Id: <Pine.SV4.3.91.970130210035.10649B-100000@iquest7>
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
> 
> [.....] 
> ......so hopefully we should have more info next week. 

	Hmm, what happened to the Date: header?  Ie. "next week" is
	relative to what date?

	I'm still skeptical of these "I heard this from a reliable friend,
	who heard it from a reliable friend, who heard from ...." things.

    I received a letter from Friskies saying they were investigating and
    that it was "an isolated incident."  But no further info.
    

>	Hmm, what happened to the Date: header?  Ie. "next week" is
>	relative to what date?

Well, like I said I received it from her that morning, at most 
she mailed me half a day before I'd say, so I think
I probably meant next week from now, today, when I posted her mail 
that I received that morning.  Like the week that is this week now. 
As in when I'm posting this note now. 

I don't post the headers of everything cause I don't see it to be 
my place to bandy around the email address of someone who's being 
friendly and helpful to me to a bunch of people they've never met.


>	I'm still skeptical of these "I heard this from a reliable friend,
>	who heard it from a reliable friend, who heard from ...." things.

Fine, Skepticism is well and good but so is information. 

For the did it happen at all skepticism:  How about the fact that I have 
the mail from Nestle UK saying yes they now know of the incident and 
the US Nestle are seriously investigating it with the owner.  
I mean how much proof that something happened here do we need!

As for what actually happened skepticism: Well that's exactly what
we're trying to find out and what Nestle, the breeder involved
and her lawyer and vets are looking into too. 

This isn't meant to be panic mongering or scare tactics or an 
attack on Nestle. Something happened. Their food was the common 
element, it may not have been the cause but is under investigation.
 
The only real bit open to question in skepticism is did the owner 
really take care wtih her cats or did she unintentionally poisin
them with detergent in their runs.    I'm one step away from the owner, 
in this mail link, from what I can gather she is a caring owner who's made 
the effort to find out what you keep clear of cats cause it can be harmful
and that's enough for me, I accept you might think otherwise and please feel 
free to take as large a pinch of salt as possible with the idea that this 
maine coon breeder cares about and trys to be careful with her cats. 

But, when it comes down to it it's like this:

There's a bunch of cats been hospitalised and potentially crippled 
(remember the sterility and temperature) by something. 

They were owned and looked after by someone who is as caring as us,

It's possible she made a mistake with a household item such as detergent, 
but if she did then it's worth us knowing about too so we don't kill our 
cats through ignorance. 

It's possible Nestle/Friskies made a mistake, be it in the food 
contents, which they're trying hard to eliminate, or the canning, 
or storage or something like that - that's being investigated and 
I think it's worth keeping updated on. 

The third possibility I can think of is one I think we'd all want to know
about - that the can was intentionally spiked, unlikely as a can provides 
reasonable protection,  but who knows who all the people working in a 
Friskies canning plant are, whether any of them consider Nestle a company
in need of reprisals for their behaviour towards developing world mothers
and their milk products, and didn't consider the victim of their protest..
or some such. 

Otherwise there aren't many explainations that fit the symptoms,
so many cats at once, so suddenly, it's not going to be an individual
food intolerance is it now - the vet didn't think so. 

One way or another unless you're questioning whether anything happened 
at all, in which case I give up entirely, I think I should have helped 
answer a few bits for you there.. 

    The symptoms sound like organophosphate poisoning.  Did your friend
    give any kind of parasite dips around the time of the problem?  Did she
    use any kind of pesticides in the cattery area or on plants that the
    kitties could have gotten into?  

I'm still waiting for an update... 


However after watching "watchdog" a consumer program, 
over here, there's a big fuss over some of the flea
treatments and this kind of reaction so I wouldn't 
be suprised, but


>and horribly burnt mouths,Her lower lip is also eaten away.

doesn't sound right for it.. especially when... 

>The only cats that got sick were those that ate that Friskies cat food.

and it seems more unlikely when... 

>we don't even have caustics like oven cleaner in our house. The
>disinfectant concentrate we use is an organic that in pure form causes
>"nausea and vomiting", it is considered to be non toxic to animals and
>humans.

especially since... 

>My vet rubbed some of the cat food leftovers on his arm and had to wash it
>off about 5 minutes later due to a "burning sensation". He's sent it to a lab
>to be analyzed.

Unless maybe the cans of food had been contaminated externally in a store or 
some such and the toxins got in when it was opened?




I don't know any more but will post when I do.. I think I might mail Nestle and 
ask for an update.....


jo. 

    Another potential culprit could be cleaning/disinfectant solutions. 
    Roccal, a common disinfectant used in animal hospitals/kennels/catteries, 
    can cause serious GI ulceration & burns if the animal ingests it (even
    off of the cages that have been cleaned - if enough was used).

None so far.