Hi [firstname],
Normally, my first newsletter of the month is out
a little sooner than this. But we are quite busy with
our move into the country. This will give all the cats
a lot more room, and me more time to look after them
and work on my web sites, too.
So, September will be a chaotic month. But I haven't
forgotten you. I'll keep my newsletter schedule as
close to normal as possible.
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NEWS
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The petfood recall this year was the biggest event in
the history of feeding pets. And it is changing the way pet
foods are made, tested and marketed. One thing you may notice
soon is some new packaging. Also watch for labels
that say "Safe" and "China-free."
The old label, "Made in the USA," can no longer be equated
with safety or quality, due to the use of raw materials from
other countries (can you say China?) from which US-based
companies manufacture their products.
While China has made a few gestures at improving their
procedures (such as executing a few people found responsible
for the contamination), they can no longer be trusted to
provide the quality we expect.
After all, the melamine that was found in the food wasn't
even the old melamine that's been used for years. It was
even a cheaper, toxic, "scrap" version of it, mixed into
the gluten to dump on unsuspecting companies in the U.S.
and Canada. Simply put: Greed got in the way.
See the Petfood Industry web site below to read about this in
more detail.
Well, as you may remember, it was Menu Foods that took the
biggest hit in this situation, since they are the largest
provider of pet food ingredients, possibly wordwide.
They have lost some major accounts, which they have not
disclosed, but one thing we do know: They are selling one of
their plants in the U.S. to help with the loss of revenues
and the costs of dealing with the problem.
The plant in North Sioux City, South Dakota, is being
bought by Mars for just over $26 million. Mars is a large
manufacturer that also makes Royal Canin pet foods.
The purchase is expected to be completed by October 1.
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WEB SITES
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These web sites offer a lot of great information,
so I thought I'd share them with you. If you have
any comments or questions, feel free to drop me a
line.
http://www.petfoodindustry.com
Check out the articles archive.
Oh no! Another recall?
http://www.castleberrys.com/news_productrecall.asp
They just closed one of their plants because of a botulism scare.
My new blog:
http://cathealthproblems.blogspot.com
(You can add your own comments on this.)
http://tinyurl.com/y4zanc
Dr. Jones' site has a ton of helpful information for you.
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/?click=15867
Enter your topic of interest in the search box at the top
of the page, such as "Flea control" or "Pet Food Safety"
or any subject you need help with. They sell natural and
organic products at reasonable prices. Bookmark this one
for future reference.
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A SMILE FOR YOU ;-)
===================================
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ860P4iTaM
(If you can't view this video, it's about a cat playing
the piano. Cute, but don't feel bad. She's no Chopin...)
;-)
===================================
Do you have any interesting stories to share about your
cats? Send them in and I'll put them here in
this newsletter. (Include your name and website
if you have one, and I'll give you a "plug" for
your website. Or, anonymous is OK, too. It's
up to you.)
===================================
If you ever want to review past issues,
here is where they are stored:
https://www.ymlp.com/pubarchive.php?catsgalore
We will NOT rent or sell your info. You are
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R.J.Peters, "the Cat Lady." You can unsubscribe
anytime.
If you know someone who would like to read
this newsletter, please feel free to forward
this to them. If they want to sign up to get
their own, refer them to my web site,
http://www.theproblemcat.com/optinpage.html.
