Sprocket had been with the Love family for 16 years and until last month appeared healthy despite her age.
Amy Love took the cat to the veterinary when she became ill. “It was a real sudden change of health for her. Her kidneys were off the charts. The vet gave her an IV and medication,” said Geoff Love in a telephone interview Sunday.
Now the family suspects the cat was a victim of a pet food that has been recalled after causing kidney failure in an unknown number of cats and dogs. Menu Foods, the Ontario, Canada-based company that produced the pet food, said it was recalling 48 brands of dog food and 40 brands of cat food, including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.
Sprocket crawled under a table for a time after returning home, then began vomiting. The cat stopped eating and crawled into a closet and died after several days.
“Our kids are eight and five. It was a little tough on them,” said Geoff Love.
“She was old, but she was perfectly healthy one day and then she just started going down hill really quickly,” Amy Love told KUSA TV.
The family still has the food packages and plans to contact the manufacturer. The cat died Feb. 19 and was cremated.
