Recall alert: catswell vitakitty chicken treats

On Friday, July 27, Catswell announced a voluntary recall of two lots of its 2-ounce packages of VitaKitty Chicken Breast Treats with Flaxseed & Vitamins. During the company’s routine testing of the product, the treats tested positive for limited presence of propylene glycol. Although the ingredient is generally regarded as safe for humans and dogs, it is highly poisonous to cats, so the Food and Drug Administration does not allow it in cat foods, even at trace levels.

As of the date of Catswell’s announcement, there have been no reported cases of illness due to consuming the product.

How to find out if you have the affected product: Turn the package over. In the bottom right hand corner on the back is a code printed in black ink underneath "best before," The following two codes are affected:

• SEW12CH032701/03c best before 9/10/13
• SEW12CH032702/03c best before 9/11/13

If you’re having trouble determining if you have the VitaKitty treats being recalled, or if you want to speak to Catswell directly, call 888-559-8833 or e-mail [email protected].

If you have a product involved in the recall: Obviously, stop feeding the treats to your cat. You can return the product to the store where you bought it and get a full refund.

Catswell has recalled some of its other chicken treats because they may also contain trace amounts of propylene glycol. These are:

• UPC 884244000565, Catswell Happy Hips Chicken Breast Treats with Glucosamine and Chondroitin
• UPC 884244000589, Catswell Breathies Chicken Breast Treats with Mint and Parsley
• UPC 884244141817, Catswell Shape Up Chicken Breast Treats with L-Carnitine

Find the UPC number by reading the numbers below the bar code on the back of the package.

At this point, there have been no recalls of other Catswell products. If you have the company’s seafood-based treats, those should be safe. We will provide further recall updates, should that become necessary.

Sources: FDA press release, truthaboutpetfood.com, and Catswell recall information page