Meow Mix Recall 2022 and History

Do you love feeding your feline friend the Meow Mix brand? Then you might be interested in knowing more about the food, especially if there has been a Meow Mix recall. This is part of our article series tracking cat food recalls.

In my article today, I will be reviewing this cat food brand with a focus on what has been pulled out of the shelves and the reasons why. But before that, let us talk a little about the brand.

Meow Mix was first introduced in 1974 by Ralston Purina Company which is currently known as Nestle Purina. For 40 years, the brand’s ownership was transferred from one owner to another with Del Monte Foods, Big Heart Pet Brands owner at the time, being the first buyer.

In 2015, Meow Mix brand ownership changed after J. M. Smucker Company purchased Big Heart for $3.2 billion. Their current promotion jargon is “it’s the only brand cats ask for by name”.

The dry cat food brand variety is made in the Decatur company’s facility in Alabama while the wet variety is manufactured in Thailand.

The dry variety consists of 7 types of foods including Hairball Control, Original Choice, Seafood Medley, Indoor Formula, Tender Centers, Kitten Li’l Nibbles, and Bistro Recipes. The wet variety has 4 types of cat foods including Pate Toppers, Simple Servings, Classic Pate, and Tender Favorites. It also has a range of treats for cats.

Although not in the FDA’s pet food recall website listing, Meow Mix cat food has had a few recalls as well as a victim of a petition signed by 381 individuals in 2014 following severe vomiting and death cases after cats ate the brand in 2013/14. For more info, continue reading. Read here.

Is Meow Mix a good brand?

On the one hand, Meow Mix is an average cat food that is good for most cats, even though not all. They offer a variety of dry and wet cat foods as well as treats at an affordable price tag. I also love the customer experiences based on many positive comments in product reviews.

On the other hand, however, the brand does not tell us where they source their ingredients. I tend to find that fishy, don’t you? To make matters worse, most of their recipes are filled with artificial ingredients that you and I know are unsafe for pets, at least in most cases. If you also look at the ingredients list of Meow Mix cat foods, you will find that they are heavily grained with too many carbs that are useless when it comes to your little furry friend’s health.

Who makes Meow Mix?

Meow Mix is manufactured by The J. M Smucker Company, an American firm that is also known as Smucker and Smucker’s. The company makes a variety of products including cat & dog foods, coffee, pet snacks, and peanut butter among others. The company was founded in 1897 in North America and has its head office in Orrville, Ohio. You can read more about the firm here.

The Big Heart Pet Brands, a subsidiary of the J. M. Smucker Company, also manufactures and sells other pet food brands and products. Most notably, they include Gravy Train, Natural Balance, 9Lives, as well as Kibbles ‘n Bits and Milk-Bone, among others.

Meow Mix killed my cat

As mentioned above, Meow Mix cat food has found itself in the middle of a petition and there are cases where some cat owners complained that it killed their feline friends. Check out below for more information.

In an article posted on 21-03-2007 at mtstars.com, one 4-year-old Persian cat owner expressed the possibility of their cat dying from being fed Meow Mix dry cat food. Apparently, the food is said to have higher contents of certain minerals that make male cats develop urinary crystals. According to the client, his cat developed crystals that led to total urinary tract blockage, thus causing renal failure that led to euthanasia. Total bills summed up to $5,000.

In another case, a client review on Meow Mix Tender Centers Dry Cat Food talked about how the Salmon & Chicken recipe in the product line almost killed their kitten. It all started with diarrhea then vomiting. This review was made on July 9, 2019, in the US and involved a 13.5-pound bag.

You can read more about the first case here and the second one here.

Reasons for Meow Mix Cat food recall

Meow Mix cat food has been recalled only once for potential salmonella contamination which involved the Original Choice Dry Cat Food 30 lb. bag. The J.M Smucker Company made a voluntary recall on 2 lots of this cat food variety in April 2021. These bags of cat food featured in the recalls had been sold in 8 states at Walmart stores. You can read more about this FDA recall on Meow Mix cat food here. These states include Oakland, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Utah, Wisconsin, and New Mexico. 

Salmonella, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) puts it, can spread to you if you handle the contaminated pet food. Another possible way of contracting this is by touching your infected cat or surfaces that your cats have come into contact with. Signs for salmonella contamination in cats include vomiting and diarrhea. In rare cases, some cats may suffer from reduced appetite, too much salivation, and fever. 

If you want to know whether you have salmonella contamination as a pet owner, check for symptoms such as nausea, bloody diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramping, and vomiting. These bacteria can cause severe illnesses like muscle pain, urinary tract symptoms, arterial infections, eye irritations, and endocarditis. The illnesses, however, are very rare.

Remember the FDA warns that some cats might not show signs of sickness but can be carriers of the salmonella bacteria and spread it to owners, family, and other pets. Make sure that you contact your vet if your feline friend has consumed any of these Meow Mix recalled cat foods.

Meow Mix recall history

Meow Mix has had two recalls due to salmonella contamination on its dry cat food variety as you can see in the table below. This was the ONLY recall that the brand has received in history for the 47 years it has been in the pet food industry. I did not find other recalls in all the stones I turned in FDA websites as well as other reviews.

Date of Recall	Announcement	Reason for Recall	What Was Recalled
09 April 2021	FDA report company website read here	Possible salmonella contamination	Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food 30 lb. bagRetail UPC Code 2927452099, Lot Code 1081804 & 1082804, and Best By date 14/9/2022 and 15/9/2022

Meow Mix Tender Centers recall

Meow Mix Tender Centers has never been recalled. Probably one of the top kibbles that most cats love from the brand, the Tender Centers variety boasts 4.8 out of 5 stars rating in 12,805+ global reviews on Amazon. It is so tasty that not even the finickiest cats can walk away from it when poured into the feeding bowl. The food is also affordable in a very economical price tag with an adorable packaging bag. 

Unfortunately, the list of ingredients is disappointing and very unhealthy for your cat. Overall, its nutritional value is below average due to the many fillers and artificial colors included. It is also very low in protein content. It is available in a number of flavors including salmon & chicken, tuna & whitefish, beef & salmon, chicken & tuna, as well as salmon & turkey.

Meow Mix Hairball Control recall

Meow Mix Hairball Control has never been recalled. The Hairball Control type is in the brand’s dry cat food variety. Known for its palatability, it comes in a range of recipes including ocean fish flavors, turkey, chicken, and salmon which are all excellent premium protein sources. Meow Mix Hairball Control also features a blend of natural fibers for ease of digestibility and is packed with essential nutrients like calcium, vitamin B-complex, and omega fatty acids.

And while that seems enticing, there are ingredients I am not proud of in the recipes such as soy, artificial colors, as well as turkey by-product and chicken by-product meals. Besides that, Meow Mix Hairball Control is a good choice for your indoor or outdoor cat of all life stages, sizes, and breeds. 

Meow Mix Dry Cat Food recall

Two lots of Original Choice products of the Meow Mix brand Dry Cat Food variety were recalled in 2021 due to risks of salmonella contamination. Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food 30-pound bags lot numbers 1081804 and 1082801. The cat foods had UPC code numbers 2927452099 with expiry dates of September 14, 2022, and September 15, 2022.

The recalled Original Choice variety seems to be the Meow Brand’s best-selling product in its dry cat food category. Overall, this dry cat food is not a natural or nutritious choice for your feline friend. How so you may ask. Like most of the cat food recipes of the brand, ground yellow corn is the primary ingredient, followed by corn gluten meal, chicken by-product meal, and so on. I, however, do like the beef tallow ingredient, an excellent animal-based fat source that is healthy for your cat. It contains 308 calories per cup. 

Meow Mix Irresistibles recall 

Meow Mix Irresistibles has never been recalled. The top in the list of its treats variety, they are just like their name, Irresistible for all cats due to the rich flavor and freshness. These treats are made with real meat and no artificial additives are included to help improve your cat’s health. Each cat treat contains just 2 calories and comes packed in a resealable pouch to help maintain freshness. You can choose between chicken and salmon flavors.

You can read more about Meow Mix Irresistibles on their site here.

Meow Mix recall 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022

No products from Meow Mix cat food were ever pulled out of the shelves in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, however, two of J.M. Smucker’s products in the Meow Mix brand were recalled for potential salmonella contamination in a news release dated 9^th April 2021. The featured cat foods included Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food product lines with a “best by” date of September 14/15, 2022, lot number 1082804, and UPC #2927452099.

In my opinion, Meow Mix has a very impressive history of not being recalled like many other cat brands out there in the market. And while that gives them the upper hand, the fact that they use a lot of fillers and artificial ingredients makes their cat food an average product.

FAQs

Has Meow Mix been recalled?

Yes, the Meow Mix cat food brand has been recalled only once in its 47 years in the pet food industry arena. The featured products were two lots of its Original Choice Dry Cat Food variety due to possible salmonella contamination.