Njall was imported from Norway and came to live with us  November 2007. His life came to a tragic end 2nd July 2009 -2 days before his 4th birthday. Njall was taken ill in February completely out of the blue and diagnosed to have heart disease  following a scan 3rd February 2009. We were both extremely shocked and saddened. Medication made him feel more comfortable in the beginning and he was monitored daily, however it became too painful and the medication was not working towards the end so we decided the best thing to do was to let him go. To say we were devastated at his loss is an understatement. Njall was a very important purchase for our breeding programme. We had a full body post mortem at a Veterinary University where the diagnosis was of course confirmed as  Concentric Cardiomyopathy There appears to be no heart disease noted in the past from his ancestors or the bloodlines he is from, no cat from these bloodlines has been reported to have been ill or died earlier than would  normally be expected. Concentric Cardiomyopathy is also known as RCM and can be caused by scar tissue / or inflammation. This is now being investigated.

Before Njall's illness became apparent he was checked very regularly, at least once a month by our vet from the time he came into the UK until his death, he had  a condition that required monitoring which was not of a serious nature - not an illness  but a developmental one that just needed time. There were  no heart concerns at all and no  heart murmur -  but,  this was the start of his condition - quite unexpectedly 2nd February he had a massive murmur with no  no lead up or prior warning. Njall, like our other cats ( of which all had symptoms, some became ill and some fatally so) ,  ingested Mycotoxins and Melamine  from  dry cat food we were feeding for some time ( tested by us and Trading Standards to confirm their presence). Njalls preliminary  post mortem states " mycotoxin exposure cannot be ruled out" and now further information is being gathered for the pathologist. Njall's body remains at the University for further investigation  and until this issue is brought to a close.

We assumed the Dry Food food we purchased was "safe"  it obviously was not so. It took us some time before we had the food tested and it was after everything else was ruled out  via tests and various common place treatments ie antibiotics etc that had no effect on the cats symptoms,  and the fact a pathologist did not know what was wrong on a biopsy - the only thing left to look into that was a change in their lives was the food we were feeding.   The very first test was a basic swab test done at a Veterinary lab which identified mixed faecal flora. Once this was found we were then advised to go to Trading Standards as that should not have been in the food!  Further tests were carried out. Considering this food is supposed to be cereal free the thought of testing for Mycotoxins was not immediate - it was the symptoms  that inspired this test - and bingo there they were. Also it was not long after the Melamine was found in baby food and of course the largest pet food recall in the USA with melamine that killed thousands of pets , that we figured it would be worth testing for that also - it was found in trace amounts in both the adult and kitten   dry food that we had from a different batch and some unopened sacks.. Melamine is added  to boost protein levels in foods. It is not until one tests what the protein is that Melamine is actually found. It is  industrial scrap ( worktops and plastic bowls are made from this) and should not be in any foods at all not even in small quantities. It was slightly higher in the kitten food than the adult  I guess no surprise there really given kitten food is higher in protein - We will be writing more on this issue very soon.

CCM can have several causes, with  Njall we do not know the full answer as yet.  Njall had other issues on post mortem findings namely three pancreatic tumours and a gut that appeared to be stripped and blunted villi which needs further investigation as the effects of mycotoxins can be a cause for these issues, if nothing else we need to rule this in or out.. Another of our cats who did survive  had serious liver failure, this  was Heimdall - his pathology reported the changes in his liver cells are consistent with toxin exposure. We syringe fed him for 4 weeks 2 hourly and he pulled through with intensive veterinary care, however the secondary effect of his condition renders him with cirrhosis found on a follow up biopsy as well as his liver,  unusually still being inflamed. He will not live a full life now.

One mycotoxin is bad enough but the cumulative effect of several is far more serious. As one  of the toxicologist's we are in contact with wrote  "it is a lethal cocktail" !  Mycotoxins most commonly are  Aflatoxin - mainly affects the liver and is also carcinogenic - Ochratoxin - affects primarily the Kidneys and we lost a moggie to a very rapid onset of kidney failure , he also developed a huge heart murmur as well!  during the feeding of this food,  however the following  mycotoxins found in the Dry Cat Food are NOT disputed  were   Zearalenone - affects the reproductive organs and fertility  and the Mycotoxin  T-2 and its metabolite HT - 2  the most lethal of all mycotoxins to cats as they cannot break it down like other mammals can - the result of this is diarrhoea and vomiting in the early stages and serious consequences to the intestinal tract as well as pancreas - liver and intestinal epithelium and villi and the cardiovascular system in fact all body systems can be seriously affected. Bottom line is these toxins are lethal and should not be in ANY foodstuffs at all in ANY amount. Even when ingested  in tiny amounts the toxic effects accumulate over time in the body making the cat very ill indeed.

here are two excerpts from scientific papers:

T-2 and HT-2 are trichothecene toxins generated by several Fusarium species (e.g., F. sporothrichioldes) in corn, wheat, barley, rye and oats. These toxins are known to cause feed refusal, edema, vomiting, immunosupression and gastrointestinal inflammation in animals, and alimentary toxic aleukia in humans.

When it comes to animal and human food, type A trichothecenes (e.g. T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol) are of special interest because they are even more toxic than the related type B trichothecenes (e.g. deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol). Their major effects – related to their concentration in the commodity – are reduced feed uptake, vomiting and immuno-suppression.

Only few countries have recommended levels for these mycotoxins in food and animal feed but it is often tested for to prevent them from entering the food chain and to prevent losses in animal production.

Mycotoxins are not easy to find in foodstuffs. By the nature of them being from moulds they are clumped. Therefore you may have some food with no contamination at all - some with  little contamination and some heavily contaminated depending from where in the food the sample is taken - with a whole run of  food therefore many sacks produced some sacks may contain none at all whereas other may be to the contrary. It is very expensive to test for these toxins and one test is usually not enough.

It is worth adding here that the pet food company have written to us on a few occasions threatening to sue  us if we  do not keep quiet about this!!    Says it all doesn't it.    Our answer to that is fine then do so - then it will be in the public domain and people can decide if they want to feed their cats a food that potentially can carry toxins.  They are also saying to other people that the Trading Standards have passed their food as safe - NO THEY HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT.  In fact Trading Standards will support  us with  our future claim.  There are many comments on pet forums and other stockists reviews! and I know for certain there are other people who have indeed complained and their money refunded.

Our  concern is for the health of cats in this country and hope that  owners do not have to suffer as we did through this ordeal, we are not interested in monetary gain - unlike the company who sell this food knowing what the findings are. The sad thing is that many symptoms of Mycotoxin poisoning can be the same as other illnesses. Most vets do not know that mycotoxins are in dry cat food - they are more used to it in the livestock feed. I have spoken to many Veterinary Laboratories and they were not aware of the situation either . Many people complain about the vile smell of this food - it smells like chicken manure and many people complain it caused diarrhoea and vomiting or food refusal - food refusal is a normal response to T2 Toxins as many animals can smell it. Sadly some people mix this with another dry food - because they have paid a lot of money for it the cats WILL eat it. Please DO NOT force your cat to east this - if the cat refuses it there is possibly a good reason why.

A few days after we stopped using this toxic food our cats recovered. We did lose three in this time span and we are very aware there may be secondary issues in the near future as we have found out through extensive research into these toxins.

The full article outlining symptoms, all the tests done on our cats and when all else failed  the testing of the food  will be completed soon.

We ask that anyone using this food to be extra vigilant and keep a close eye on your cats for any slight changes at all in their behaviour. Not all of the food will contain toxins -  what we fed did and other factory sealed sacks of different batch numbers did. Testing of other sacks are now being carried out. We have requested sight of any negative tests from the company , to this day  despite asking we have not been furnished with any. In any event it makes not difference to our situation as we have tests to show what was in the food we purchased.

If anyone would like any information on Mycotoxins or Malamine please email or call us we will be happy to help if we can.

My Best Friend

You came into my life quite by chance when you were only 6 weeks old.

You so very sadly left me September 2000 at 8 years old and still I feel the pain of you not being with me  We were best friends without a doubt and shared so many happy moments that will forever be treasured. Many things we experienced together that no one else has shared and some times when sadness loomed you were there to pick me up and dust me off. You looked after me in the face of a threat and I trusted you with my life as you did me. Sadly I could do nothing at the end and to this day I feel so inadequate.

I am sometimes so lost without you and wish so much you were still with me !

I think you knew I loved you so, and I am so very lucky to have been a part of your life.

Rest well my boy.