The recall notice for AVA cat food applies to all of the following dry cat food types, and applies to every batch number and best before date. This means if you feed your cat any of these foods, they are affected by the recall. Pancytopenia is a rare condition where the number of blood cells (red, white and platelets) rapidly decrease, causing serious illness. A government spokesman said: "Working with the Royal Veterinary College, the Animal Plant and Health Agency and other government departments across all four nations of the UK, local authorities and the pet food supply chain, we are investigating a possible link between specific cat food products and feline pancytopenia.

The FSA said the current outbreak of pancytopenia was potentially linked to specific cat food products. This means that there is not as yet definitive evidence that these foods caused the illness; but sufficient suspicion to warrant a recall pending a definitive conclusion. What should I do if I have been feeding my cat one of the recalled foods?Cat or dog food recalls in the UK are very uncommon, because we hold pet food manufacturers to the same high standards we do for food designed for our own consumption. However, there’s currently a very large-scale cat food recall in place in the UK (June 2021) affecting a number of product lines (but not complete ranges) sold under the Applaws, By Sainabury’s, and AVA cat food brands respectively. No unsafe cat food has been identified but the manufacturer and brand owners affected, based on investigations so far, are taking the precautionary action of recalling and withdrawing cat food products that have been linked to affected cats.

A Pets at Home spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the recent rise in feline pancytopenia cases identified by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). The health and wellbeing of pets is our top priority, which is why we are supporting the manufacturer’s product recall of Ava and Applaws dry cat food ranges. As cat owners ourselves, we fully understand how upsetting and stressful this situation is for families and although diet has not been confirmed as the cause, we would prefer to act now to ensure the absolute safety of cats. There is no evidence to suggest this outbreak of feline pancytopenia presents any risk to human health." If your cat does become ill or you have any suspicions about their health, call your vet right away and inform them of the relevance of their diet and the recall; all UK vets are aware of the recall, the association with pancytopenia, and the risks involved.Only certain specific cat foods from within each of these ranges is affected by the recall, not every variant of cat food within their ranges. There are only two By Sainsbury’s cat foods named within the recall, both of hypoallergenic cat foods. Again, the recall notice applies to any batch number or best before date for the foods in question.

Ava is an own-brand product made for and sold only in Pets At Home, and the By Sainsbury’s food is sold only in Sainsbury’s supermarkets. Applaws is widely sold by many retailers in the UK.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Defra are advising cat owners not to give their pets food made by manufacturer Fold Hill as a precaution.

To find out more about the UK cat food recall for AVA, Applaws, and By Sainsbury’s, plus details of which foods from each brand are affected and why, read on. What cat foods have been recalled to date? It is important to note that while any cat owner who found they had inadvertently been feeding their cat a food involved in a recall due to suspicions of it causing serious illness will be very concerned, the vast majority of cats fed these foods have suffered no ill effects.Make sure your cats are entertained by swinging by our pet toys section. From squeaky cuddly toys to bouncy balls, we’ve got everything you need to keep them occupied. (Although, being cats, they might prefer playing in the boxes the toys come in!)