05.11.07
Talking Cats Videos
Not to slight the kitties…
Posted by jessebelcher on youTube.
Posted by P14stoc on youTube.
04.18.07
Black Cat ViJay in Residence
Our son Ezra’s cat is living with us for a while, his name is ViJay (Ezra enjoys watching golf.) He is a beautiful, silky black with white markings, is tolerant of Peaches and helps Scooter to get exercise.
04.09.07
Delmonte Pet Food Recalls
Per AnimalHubbub.com…
Del Monte has voluntarily recalled various treats, snacks and wet dog food with specific codes. Brands affected include Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks, Pounce Meaty Morsels and some Dollar General treats, and some Ol’ Roy and Happy Tails wet dog food. Cat foods are also involved.
Delmonte pet food recalls
Many people think most dog food uses meat that is unfit/unsafe for humans and is unhealthy for animals as well. Should you care to, here are some web sites for making homemade dog food and biscuits. I’m sure there are lots of sites for cat food as well. Basically it is 40% meat, 30% Vegetables, 30% Starch.
http://www.i-love-dogs.com/dog-food-recipes.html
http://www.seefido.com/html/dog_food_recipes.htm
http://www.dragonbear.com/rec-food.html
http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/2049/doggie.htm
http://www.dogaware.com/treatref.html
Thanks to JAN S. for this pet information!
Kitten Plays With Mac Laptop
Even Kittens Can Use Macs (from YouTube)
Thanks to my good friend C! and her daughter for passing this one to me!
03.23.07
Rat poison found in pet foods
Rat poison found in recalled pet food
POSTED today at CNNMoney.com.
A chemical used in rat poison was found as the source of contamination in Menu Foods brands, officials say. POSTED March 23, 2007:
TORONTO (Reuters) — Menu Foods Income Fund, whose pet food has been blamed for at least 14 deaths of cats and dogs, does not know how a toxic substance got into its product, company officials said Friday.
Executives told reporters in Toronto that they will begin testing all suspect raw materials and consider the possibility of tampering to be “remote.”
[Includes Video]
Two pet owners are suing the manufacturer. CNN’s Alina Cho reports. (March 23)
Earlier in the day, New York state officials said aminopterin, an ingredient used in rat poison, was found in small samples of the Ontario company’s wet cat food. “Some raw material has entered our supply chain that did not meet the quality that had been represented,” Menu Foods President Paul Henderson said at a press conference.
The two U.S. manufacturing plants where the tainted “cuts and gravy” style food came from are still in operation, Henderson said. They are located in Emporia, Kansas, and Pennsauken, New Jersey.
Class action suit filed against Menu foods
Menu Foods recalled millions of pounds of wet pet food under various brand names a week ago. It is sticking with its initial cost estimate of the recall of $26 million to $35 million.
Asked about compensation for medical bills for sick pets, Henderson said “to the extent that we identify that the cause of any expenses incurred are related to the food, Menu will take responsibility for that.”
The Mississauga, Ontario-based company is already the target of lawsuits over the recall. To determine whether cat and dog food is subject to recall, consumers should refer to the list of brand names (”listed products”) at www.menufoods.com/recall.
Shares of Menu Foods (Charts) rebounded 30.8 percent on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Friday, after they took a heavy beating earlier this week. The pet food is sold nationwide by retailers including Kroger (down $0.04 to $28.31, Charts), Safeway (up $0.62 to $36.85, Charts), Wal-Mart (down $0.10 to $47.91, Charts), PetSmart (up $0.76 to $32.70, Charts) and Pet Valu (up $0.00 to $75.73, Charts).
_________________________________________
PREVIOUS REPORT:
Rat poison found in pet food, official says… as reported by CNN earlier today. POSTED: March 23, 2007
Story Highlights
• NEW: Rat poison identified as aminopterin found in pet food
• NEW: Substance also used to treat cancer
• Class-action lawsuit filed against manufacturer
• Recall announced March 16 after cats and dogs suffer renal failure
ALBANY, New York (AP) — Rat poison has been found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs, a spokeswoman for the State Department of Agriculture and Markets said Friday.
The toxin was identified as aminopterin, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said in a statement. Aminopterin is used to kill rats in some countries but is not registered for that use in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The officials did not say how they believed it got into the pet food. The substance was found at a level of at least 40 parts per million in tested cat food samples, according to Donald Smith, dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Aminopterin, also used as a cancer drug, is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation was focusing on wheat gluten in the food. Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the common ingredient could have been contaminated by heavy metals or mold toxins, the FDA said.
State and FBI officials said they knew of no criminal investigations in the case.
The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. There have been several reports of kidney failure in pets that ate the recalled brands, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.
Menu Foods last week recalled “cuts and gravy” style dog and cat food. The recall sparked concern among pet owners across North America. It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.
Menu Foods is majority owned by Menu Foods Income Fund of Streetsville. The company also makes foods for zoo cats, but those products are unaffected by the recall. The company’s chief executive and president said Menu Foods delayed announcing the recall until it could confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying. Two earlier complaints from consumers whose cats had died involved animals that lived outside or had access to a garage, which left open the possibility they had been poisoned by something other than contaminated food, he said.
Menu Foods planned a media teleconference for later Friday, a spokesman said. A spokesman for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he was not aware of any criminal investigation involving the tainted food. FBI spokesman Paul Holstein in Albany said Friday he was not aware of any FBI involvement in the case. “I don’t know where we’ll go from here,” he said.
A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was posted online by Menu Foods. www.menufoods.com/recall/.
The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.
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UPDATE SUBMITTED BY CD; see petArtistWithPeaches original posting of March 19 here cat and dog foods recall. Looks like the wire service got hold of it, of course…
03.19.07
cat and dog foods recall
RECALL list for Cuts and gravy wet/canned pet foods and foil pouch pet foods under various brand names. A precautionary recall is being undertaken by
UPDATE PER NPR radio report Mar. 20, Manufacturer Recalls Dog, Cat Food… 60 million cans are recalled… 9 cats and a dog have died from kidney failure… possibly related to contaminated wheat gluten…
Recalled Cat Product information, or call 1-866-895-2708
Recalled Dog Product information, or call 1-866-895-2708
PRESS RELEASE (from the Menufoods website)
March 16, 2007
Menu Foods Income Fund Announces Precautionary Dog and Cat Food Recall
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(CCNMatthews - March 16, 2007) -
NOT FOR RELEASE OVER US NEWSWIRE SERVICES
Attention Business/Financial Editors
Menu Foods Income Fund (the “Fund”) (TSX:MEW.UN) today announced the precautionary recall of a portion of the dog and cat food it manufactured between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The recall is limited to “cuts and gravy” style pet food in cans and pouches manufactured at two of the Fund’s United States facilities. These products are both manufactured and sold under private-label and are contract-manufactured for some national brands.
Over the past several days, the Fund has received feedback in the United States (none in Canada) raising concerns about pet food manufactured since early December, and its impact on the renal health of the pets consuming the products. Shortly after receipt of the first complaint, the Fund initiated a substantial battery of technical tests, conducted by both internal and external specialists, but has failed to identify any issues with the products in question. The Fund has, however, discovered that timing of the production associated with these complaints, coincides with the introduction of an ingredient from a new supplier. The Fund stopped using this ingredient shortly after this discovery and production since then has been undertaken using ingredients from another source.
At the same time, the Fund’s largest customer, for which it manufactures on a contract basis, received a small number of consumer complaints and has initiated its own recall. Furthermore, for the time being, the customer has put future orders for cuts and gravy products on hold. This customer’s cuts and gravy purchases in 2006 represented approximately 11% of the Fund’s annual revenue. “We take these complaints very seriously and, while we are still looking for a specific cause, we are acting to err on the side of caution” said Paul K. Henderson, President and CEO, Menu Foods. “We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that our products maintain the very highest quality standards.”
While the number of complaints has been relatively small, Menu is taking this proactive step out of an abundance of caution, because the health and well-being of pets is paramount to the Fund. In addition to changing suppliers, for production after March 6, the Fund has increased testing of all raw materials and finished goods. It is also working closely with regulatory authorities and its customers to learn more and will take whatever additional actions are appropriate. The Fund estimates that based on currently available information, this recall could cost between $30 million and $40 million, which will be financed from a combination of internally generated cash flow and bank credit facilities. Furthermore, the Fund is aggressively producing product, utilizing a different supplier for the ingredient in question, to replenish customers as quickly as possible.
In order to determine whether cat and dog food in their possession is subject to recall, consumers should refer to the list of brand names (”listed products”) at www.menufoods.com/recall. This will be available by 6 a.m. Saturday March 17, 2007. Products not identified on the website can continue to be used.
Menu is the leading North American private-label/contract manufacturer of wet pet food products sold by supermarket retailers, mass merchandisers, pet specialty retailers and other retail and wholesale outlets. In 2006, the Fund produced more than one billion containers.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Menu Foods Income Fund
Consumers
1-866-895-2708
Website: www.menufoods.com
[ED. NOTE: I do wonder why this is NOT for release over US NewsWire Services...]
02.20.07
amazing cat gizmo flushes video
I’ve heard of toilet-trained cats but this is ridiculous! I just had to put this video up (thanks to youTube)– how long will YOU watch?
Gizmo must be the cat’s name… he’s either real smart or really obsessive– or BOTH!
02.11.07
Horse, dog lovers visit Peaches’ Picks
I’m happy to invite you to PEACHES’ PICKS, a NEW STORE for Horse and Pet Lovers! Just released are some new books about Barbaro.
At Peaches’ Picks it’s easy for you to find those special goodies and gifts for horse and pet addicts…
HORSE BOOK STORE horse art and photography books, horse books for children, horse and rider health, horse calendars, hoof care books
HORSE JEWELRY charms, bracelets, earrings, children’s watches…
HORSE WEAR FOR PEOPLE clothing, shoes, accessories, kids and baby wear
DOG BOOK STORE dog books for children, dog & puppy care, dog calendars, dog art & photography books
CAT BOOK STORE cat books for children, cat & kitten care, cat calendars, cat art & photography books
Peaches’ Picks items are categorized by horses, dogs and cats, and searchable for your browsing convenience. New items are being added and updated regularly. Sponsored by Amazon.com.
Shop at PEACHES’ PICKS and help feed Connie’s horses AND PEACHES! (Really!) THANK YOU FOR LOOKING!!!
FYI- advertisements on this blog and on my website, as well as all links to other sites and blogs, are selected to be pertinent, useful and appropriate. Please report to me should you find ANY substandard content. YOUR PRIVACY WILL ALWAYS BE RESPECTED.
Email to Connie: connie@PortraitsWithHorses.com
__________________
Connie Moses– Blog: petArtistWithPeaches
website: PortraitsWithHorses.com (horse and pet portraits)
02.09.07
funny cats videos
Amusing…
When cats attack…
Cat fighting dog… don’t worry, this cat is apparently declawed.
Talking cats… no words to describe.
Crazy cats
__________________
Connie Moses– Blog: petArtistWithPeaches
website: PortraitsWithHorses.com (horse and pet portraits)
11.09.06
Join ghost riders online (guest writers)
All horse, dog, cat and other pet lovers are invited to submit your own personal stories and photos for appearance online in petArtistWithPeaches weblog journal. WHAT MAKES YOUR PET SPECIAL? Your story may be any personal experience, anything you love about your pet(s), or a memorial tribute.
Email your stories along with digital pictures as attachments to connie@PortraitsWithHorses.com for posting. Enter GHOST RIDERS as your EMAIL SUBJECT LINE. You may use a penname (fake name) if you like– no real last names, no personal information will be published; no inappropriate language or messages will be accepted.
For stories published, I may ask you for a short blurb about yourself (if you want) for author’s credit on the Guest Writers Page, and a photo of yourself can be included (you can submit the blurb and photo with your story if you like.)
You may SEND ME JUST PICTURES too if you want to show off your animals online, and please include a caption with pet’s name and a bit about the photo.
Pictures (.jpg format) can be up to 400 pixels wide and no larger than 15K filesize (which means you will probably need to resize your digital image before attaching it to your Email.)
GO FOR IT, ANIMAL LOVERS!!!
Stay tuned to petArtistWithPeaches for new Ghost Rider appearances in the Blog Categories of–
Horses for the horse crazy
Dogs for dog lovers
Cats for cat people
In fact, as soon as I get some NON-dog/cat/horse submissions, I’ll start a Critters you gotta love Category for them!
Ghost Writers will be entered into our monthly drawing for chance to win a custom portrait or fine art print.
FYI– Your Email address will always remain private for my eyes only, I will never share it or provide it to others. Connie Moses
__________________
Connie Moses, petArtist– self-built website: PortraitsWithHorses.com
(horse and pet portraits)
