# Problem with cat food and mold



## Kibblelady

Hi guys, sorry I have been MIA, a lot has been going on. We lost Tobe in August to his cancer  Anyway...I have a serious problem but I do not want to go off half cocked and cause a panic because I know how people can be. Right now we have a very sick cat with very high liver values and long story short the cat food bag was full of mold and we did not realize it  Its a long story as to why this was not noticed but I am short for time right now. This is a highly rated, grain free, "holistic" cat food and the company is of course closed today. I called the place of purchase to put them on alert. Has anyone heard of any foods currently having any problems with mold? I am very worried for my daughter's cat as she is very ill and the other cat that was eating it looks fine for now. Sorry for leaving out the name of the product for the moment but I do not want a panic or "situation" started before I speak with the company. This was a small bag of food, 2 lb bag. If you are using something that sounds like this please check it thoroughly as we cannot be the only ones to have this in their bag  I will check back in on Monday with more information. Oh DaViking, yes I am okay, thank you for checking on me. I am sorry I just up and disappeared guys.


Cherri


----------



## Maxy24

I'm so sorry to hear about the sick kitty, I hope he pulls through with no lasting effects. 

How new was the food and how was it being stored?

It's the sort of thing that could have happened anywhere along the line, could have even happened in the store if the bags sat in water or something. Do they know what kind of mold it is?

I have not heard of anyone having problems. I did a search for "mold" on the cat forum I'm a member of and the only recent post about moldy dry food was from someone who feeds their cat out of one of those gravity feeder things that you fill up with tons of food and it comes out of the bottom and only some of the kibble was moldy AND one of the cats had spilled the water over near it earlier in the week. So not likely an issue with the food itself.


----------



## Kibblelady

Hi Max, kitty is hanging in there. We currently have her on liver shake and she is on antibiotics till the vet can totally figure this out. The food was only purchased 2 weeks prior, right before the Hurricane and was not opened for another few days. The food was stored in a cool area in a dry cabinet and not exposed to moisture. The packaging is not the type that would be affected by outside moisture before it was opened. I suspect it was a drying problem on the line with the batch and the batch had too much moisture in it when the bag was sealed. With no way for the moisture to escape and no oxygen entering the bag well, you get the point. I am waiting for a call from the company on Monday. If I am not satisfied with their reaction or assistance I will be contacting the FDA, I don't play around. Especially when our cat is very ill, could die and possibly other cats could be affected as well.


----------



## Kat

What food is it? I want to make sure it's not one my cats are eating too. I am so sorry this happened to you and your kitty, I really hope everything will be ok since it seems like you caught the symptoms early. Ill keep your cat in my thoughts.


----------



## MollyWoppy

I'd be interested to know too as Windy the cat has about 6 bags of different kibbles in the cupboard at the moment. (she's fussy, ok?).


----------



## naturalfeddogs

It would be nice to know. Our outside cat Psyco eats kibble in the winter. He won't eat any raw that he doesn't catch on his own, so in the winter it's kibble for him.


----------



## Kibblelady

Sorry I haven't posted back yet guys. I was not happy with the lack of response from the company  they had a local salesman call me telling me to return it to the place of purchase. When I explained I was worried about what mold it was and that I had a sick cat with elevated liver enzymes he said he would get back to me. That was over a week ago. Now, at this point I do not think the mold was toxic. I'm on my phone but will explain further when I'm at the computer. But it looks like Kitty got fatty liver from not eating the food because she knew something was wrong with it. She is getting better thank God. I will take some pics of the food tomorrow ( you will be shocked) the food is Earthborn Holistic's Primal ( its in a bag, I think thats the formula. Their grain free adult cat) It was a 2.2lb bag.


----------



## Kibblelady

Hi guys, I am finally on my computer so I can type more and post a photo. Here is the photo of the moldy cat food








Sorry, its from my phone and I was not sure what size to make it so it would upload, I have a larger one.

Our cat we believe got ill because my mother, who I care for, is the one who feeds the cats downstairs. She is mentally handicapped now and this is busy work for her and easier for me as I have trouble with the stairs going down there due to weak muscles in my leg. It's never been a problem but with the two cats down there she did not notice that due to this mold Kitty was not eating  As Kitty got ill my daughter and I were down there medicating her and I noticed the bowls were unusually full of food so I was checking them out when I found a nugget of moldy food in one of the bowls. I immediately got the bag out and looked inside to see a horror of mold within the bag. We do not know how many days Kitty went without eating..... she is now recovering. I do not believe that the mold is toxic however, I am livid that this company is totally unconcerned that we had moldy product and a very ill cat. They had a local salesman call me who told me to return the food to PetValu for a refund but I explained that I was scared of what mold it was and did not just want to do that. I told him I had a cat with sky high liver values that may have to be euthanized. He remarked "Oh, umm okay, I'll get back to you." He hasn't yet. This company's customer service SUCKS and IMO they do not give a damn. I am not going to call and fight with them as it is not their fault the cat was not eating and I feel terrible for not noticing the situation. Their lack of response and concern though tells me all I need to know about this company though.


----------



## Kibblelady

Okay I give up...I keep having a post disappear. Trying to post a picture of the cat food, can someone help me? lol


*** Post reappeared lol


----------



## kathylcsw

Doesn't going without food for a prolonged period cause liver damage in cats? I know you should never fast them and I think I remember it being a cause of liver issues. So maybe the liver damage occured because your cat didn't eat the food?


----------



## Kibblelady

kathylcsw said:


> Doesn't going without food for a prolonged period cause liver damage in cats? I know you should never fast them and I think I remember it being a cause of liver issues. So maybe the liver damage occured because your cat didn't eat the food?


Kathy, that is exactly what I posted.


----------



## kathylcsw

Sorry I must have skimmed through that part!


----------



## MollyWoppy

To me, it looks like that kibble got wet.


----------



## Kibblelady

No, the kibble did not get wet. Not here in my home in any event. I suspect it was not properly dried and with the packaging used the moisture was trapped inside the bag. Before I had put it in a ziplock and stored it while waiting for them to contact me many kibbles were covered with mold and there were giant chunks of moldy balls. I returned it and the unopened bag I had to the store. I will never again use any of their products or recommend them.


----------



## Kibblelady

I admit I am surprised that there was so little interest in this situation.


----------

