# \*\*\*CONSUMER ALERT\*\*\* Wellness Canned Cat Food Recalled **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 5, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617 "2011-03-05T21:52:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/21 "2011-03-06T01:57:01Z")
The idea that Wellness adds Thiamine to their grain-free products was just a guess on my part. I have no idea if that’s actually the case or not. The fact is, cats can’t digest grains, as they’re missing an enzyme (amylase) that makes that possible. Cats are “obligate carnivores” and their bodies are designed to eat meat – not grains. Not _any_ grains. Grains serve no purpose in a cat’s diet and are primarily put there by cat food manufacturers because they’re a filler that makes the food more profitable. If you want to feed your cat grains, by all means, I’m not going to try to talk you out of it. I choose not to feed grain to my cats based on thoroughly researching the subject. Now, if you don’t mind, can we just stick to the Wellness recall issue, please? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/22 "2011-03-06T02:24:09Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > The fact is, cats can’t digest grains, as they’re missing an enzyme (amylase) that makes that possible. They are not missing it. Cats have only pancreatic amylase, and not salivary. Cats can digest grains, only not to the same extent and facility as more omnivorous animals such as humans (or, obviously, herbivores) whose salivary amylase improves that ability. They still need some nutrients from grains–thiamine, for example. Cats on a wholly fish diet exhibit thiamine deficiency. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/23 "2011-03-06T03:28:06Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > They are not missing it. Cats have only pancreatic amylase, and not salivary. Cats can digest grains, only not to the same extent and facility as more omnivorous animals such as humans (or, obviously, herbivores) whose salivary amylase improves that ability. They still need some nutrients from grains–thiamine, for example. Cats on a wholly fish diet exhibit thiamine deficiency. sighs. Jumps into the catpile. Fish are not a natural food for cats. Milk isn’t good for cats either. I limit the amount of fish flavored food I give my cats because I know its not good for them. They don’t get milk or cream unless they have swallowed my ring and I want them to poop. Cats evolved to eat small rodents. They do eat some predigested grain while eating mice. But…we arent’ talking about feral cat diets, we are now talking about house cat diets. Cooking meat tends to degrade the food for cats. Of course Wellness adds Taurine to their food, if you look at fancy feast, it has added taurine. Cats don’t need to eat grain. They shouldn’t eat grain. They don’t do it in the wild and most fat cats get fat because they eat kibble. Kibble is mostly grain. If I knew how, I’d link the thread about obese cats here. Cats really shouldn’t eat grain and corn is the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/24 "2011-03-06T03:40:47Z")
Frank, feed your cats whatever you want. I’m going to continue to feed mine a grain-free diet. [Wellness Chicken Recipe](http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=cat&pid=2#ingredients) [Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics of Feline Nutrition](http://www.catinfo.org/) ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/25 "2011-03-06T03:44:50Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Kibble is mostly grain. If I knew how, I’d link the thread about obese cats here. Cats really shouldn’t eat grain and corn is the worst. Just copy the url and paste it into the reply window. It should automatically “parse” the link (make it clickable). Here you go: > **[Half Of All American Dogs And Cats Are Overweight](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=598242)** > > From the Huffington Post: Full story at Huffington Post So what do you all think? When I was a kid I had a dog and he was pretty fluffy, then one day he got skunked and we had to clean him. It was funny we wet him down and soaped him up and found... ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/26 "2011-03-06T04:10:51Z")
[quote=“Shayna, post:25, topic:573617”] Just copy the url and paste it into the reply window. It should automatically “parse” the link (make it clickable). Here you go: [Half Of All American Dogs And Cats Are Overweight - Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=598242)[/QUOTE Very cool. thank you so much. I do love how helpful folks are here. **Frank** , I’m thinking that you don’t have inside only cats. For those of us who keep our cats safe inside, we tend to have an interest in the output. Yes, cats who eat grocery store kibble do seem to be healthy. The litterboxes are always full and the cats go into kidney failure. + Diet makes SUCH a difference for cats. I was able to get another couple of years out of a cat by changing her diet to mostly meat instead of mostly grain. I’m the one who will get drive through food for me and then buy the good stuff for my cats/ :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/27 "2011-03-06T05:09:03Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > I’m the one who will get drive through food for me and then buy the good stuff for my cats/ :smack: I just went through a complicated and expensive dental procedure, and it took me a long time to consider having it because of the cost. (I have no dental insurance.) But as I was paying for it, I realized that I’ve spent more than that on my cats in a heartbeat, when they appear to be in ill health. Maybe it’s because I know the pros and cons of letting things ride and they don’t (and not being a veterinarian, neither do I, when it comes to their health); but still–it was odd to realize that. I’ll also thank the OP for the heads-up. I wouldn’t have heard about any recall otherwise. My guys don’t eat Wellness, but I do appreciate the fact that you let us know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/28 "2011-03-06T05:56:45Z")
You’re welcome, Spoons. Hope your dental work heals soon and gives you the results you want! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/29 "2011-03-06T06:14:03Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > You’re welcome, Spoons. Hope your dental work heals soon and gives you the results you want! Let`s just say that I can eat solid food again without severe dental pain. Hooray! ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2011, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617/30 "2011-03-06T06:33:09Z")
That _is_ good news. Congratulations! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-alert-wellness-canned-cat-food-recalled/573617.md?page=1)