Thousands of pet cats are feared to have fallen ill or died with a rare blood illness that has been linked to premium food brands.
At least 330 have died, according to Royal Veterinary College figures – but the true number is likely to much higher.
Lawyers representing owners claim thousands of cherished pets have become sick and vets believe many cases could also have gone undocumented.
A common factor appears to be the diet of the cats. The foods watchdog announced the recall of a large number of hypoallergenic dry cat food products made by the Fold Hill Foods company and sold under several different brands.
The recall was announced on June 17 and covers several leading brands of dry food from Applaws, plus others owned by Pets at Home and Sainsbury’s.
At least 330 cats have died, according to Royal Veterinary College figures – but the true number is likely to much higher. Pictured: Sarah Lawrence with her cat Shadow. Shadow's brother Sterling was believed to be poisoned and died
But deaths have risen since and there are fears that many cat owners are unaware of the danger and are still using the dry food, which has a long shelf-life.
Apart from the distress, owners have been faced with vet bills of more than £9,000. Michelle Victor, who is leading a group legal action by lawyers Leigh Day, said: ‘We now believe there could potentially be thousands of victims.
‘If you look at the number of cat owners in the UK, the scale of this could be very large indeed.
‘What we have found is that many cases have been retrospectively diagnosed by vets. This suggests many cases may have been missed.
‘It is likely a lot of cats have died and their owners are not aware of the real reason.
Lawyers representing owners claim thousands of cherished pets have become sick and vets believe many cases could also have gone undocumented. Pictured: Sterling the cat who is believed to have died from cat food poisoning
‘At the moment Fold Hill Food products appears to be where the issues may have occurred, but there is no distinctive, concrete proof at this stage.’
She said most cats ‘cannot be treated’ and the issue ‘could lead to an overall loss of confidence in the food chain for pet food’. She added: ‘A huge number of people have lost their family pets. They are part of their family and they are really, really hurting.’
The Royal Veterinary College is aware of 528 cases, with a 63.5 per cent death rate recorded, which equates to 335.
HR director Sarah Lawrence, 36, and husband Rob, 37, a firearms police officer, lost Maine Coon Sterling, three, and now fear for Shadow, also a three-year-old Maine Coon. They both had AVA anti-hairball cat food but Sterling always ate first while Shadow was often sick after eating which may have saved his life
