We, the public, are usually caught ignorant and unaware about what choices we have when our pet need's us the most .

Recently I switched my cat's food from Purina One to a private labeled canned cat food made by Del Monte/9 Lives. This food was not one that was listed as a public recall .

About two weeks after my cat's easting this food my Oldest of 17 yrs. became very ill , He began to loose serious weight and had

a very hard time digesting anything he ate or drank . He began to seem very sluggish and began to vomit and have loose stool's , this went on for a week .

At the start of the next week his breath became very foul and he began looking and acting very ill , later that night we found his vomit and stool's contained alot of blood . I proceeded to take him to the vet the very next day , he was in kidney failure and probably wouldn't have made it because of his age . Therefore my angel had to be put to rest .

I thought nothing of this being he was a old cat , but couldnt help it wonder why he had gotten so ill so fast

Two day's later my 5 yr. old cat started to vomit and have loose stool's with blood as well .

It was then it dawned on me that this could be a result in the change of food .

I imediately contacted the vet

and he had confirmed that it was definatly a possiblity to watch my other cat closely and start her on a brat diet ,

he told me she is young and she will probably be ok , bring her in if there is no improvement in a few day's .

Mean while I contacted this company who apologized and offered me nothing more but a year supply of food .

They were unwilling to test the un used portion of food

or to do anything else.

Now why would I want a year supply of food that probably contributed to my cats death .

At times we are so emotional and distraught that we perhaps take the advice of professionals who might not be sensitive to our and our pet’s needs.

When we lose a loved one or they become ill , our emotional vulnerability allows us to be taken advantage of very often.

Had I not been so distraught , I would not have been so nice .

Few would argue that our pets are considered part of our family and, when they die or become ill, we experience feelings of grief and loss as we would for any other family member.  Since the human/companion animal bond has been recognized to be a strong emotional one, there should be the same kind of protections in place to prevent a distraught pet owner from being deceived and exploited.

We pet owners cannot change the past but we can change how care is provided in the future.

We should demand that our companion animals be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.