Pet Owner Fears His Cats Will Die After Eating Dry Food, Recalled Due To Rare Disease Outbreak Links | UK News

A pet owner who fears his cats will die after eating food linked to an outbreak of a rare disease has spoken of his family’s anguish.

Andrew Kay, 45, told Sky News that the deaths of ragdolls Bell and Blue left a “real hole” in the lives of his children after the animals allegedly succumbed to pancytopenia.

More than 130 cases of the rare disease, which causes rapid decline in blood cells, have been recorded since April alone, as the Royal Veterinary College announced it would investigate the “peak”.

Large retailers including Sainsbury’s and Pets at Home recall dry food items, manufactured by Fold Hill Foods, on links to the epidemic as a precautionary measure.

The product list, released on Wednesday, has since been updated to include more items on Thursday.

The Food Standards Agency and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have warned cat owners not to feed the affected products to their pets.

No unsafe cat food has been identified, but Fold Hill Foods and retailers have acted as a “precaution,” a government spokesperson said, adding: “There is no definitive evidence to confirm a link to this stage “.

Mr Kay says he fed his cats every two nine months with Applaws Cat Dry Chicken – one of the products feared to have been contaminated – which is also stocked by Amazon.

Both cats were put to sleep in May.

Bell was the first to hurt, becoming listless and suffering from diarrhea, which was treated with antibiotics, said Mr Kay, a chiropractor from Essex.

“She seemed to straighten up a bit but then got worse, she started bleeding around her gums,” he told Sky News.

“Then she started to adjust and have seizures, she fled like my daughter said.

“She was…