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Caution to use of Corn Based Cat Litters
- 3-31-2010
- Categorized in: Pets
Corn and moisture are not a good combination; deadly aflatoxin mold can be the result. While many pet owners avoid corn ingredients in their pet foods because of the concern of aflatoxin, do we now have a new concern with corn cat litters? One pet owner says a definite yes; the death of her pet raises suspicion to aflatoxin poisoning from Worlds Best Cat Litter; a corn based cat litter.
In late 2005, many pet owners learned a new word to be worried about; aflatoxin. Diamond Pet Foods contaminated with the deadly mold aflatoxin was recalled; at least 100 dogs were killed. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ArchiveRecalls/2005/ucm111929.htm In October 2009, Wysong Pet Foods recalled numerous brands of pet food due to aflatoxin contamination. http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/wysong-dog-food-recall.html Because of these recalls and the true concern of aflatoxins, many pet owners avoid at all costs corn ingredient in pet foods and pet treats.
But what about corn cat litters?
I hate to admit this, but it’s something I never thought about prior to receiving an alarming email from a pet owner. “Is it possible that a corn-based cat litter could contain aflatoxins once it has come into contact with a moisture-rich environment (i.e. litter box). My 3 cats began vomiting and one developed hepatic lipidosis resulting in the insertion of a food tube but then developed hind leg paralysis; another developed kidney disease; and the third is now ok once the litter was replaced with clay. Unfortunately, the one with hepatic lipidosis was euthanized because her prognosis was so poor (miss her terribly).”
My first thoughts…of course it could be possible. With further information, it seems clear it is VERY possible.
From Cornell University Department of Animal Science “the commodities with the highest risk of aflatoxin contamination are corn, peanuts and cottonseed. Pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination of peanuts and corn is favored by high temperatures, prolonged drought conditions, and high insect activity; while post-harvest production of aflatoxins on corn and peanuts is favored by warm temperatures and high humidity.”
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/aflatoxin/aflatoxin.html
With corn ingredient pet food and cat litter, pet owners first need to trust that the corn was accurately tested prior to pet food or cat litter manufacturing. Testing accuracy is difficult. Consider a ton of grain. Only one small sample of each ton is tested for toxins. While that one small sample might test clean, it is possible another section within the ton of corn IS infected. Again, testing accuracy is difficult.
Next, a pet owner has the concern if the corn ingredient pet food and/or corn cat litter was subject to warm temperature and high humidity after production of the product. This would include warehousing conditions of the product long after it left the manufacturer. With corn cat litter, this could happen right in your litter box. Covered litter boxes with added warm urine.
The livestock industry tells farmers that “uninfected corn at 18% moisture can only be safely stored for just over a month at 70 degrees F”. Broken kernels of corn are three to four times more susceptible to mold growth than intact kernels. http://nationalhogfarmer.com/nutrition/0101-mold-infected-corn/
Even clumping corn cat litter and the absolute cleanest litter box – remnants of moisture remain in the box. Are they growing deadly mycotoxins that could be inhaled and consumed by cats visiting the litter box? If so, what is the risk to cats?
“Mycotoxins can show carcinogenic, mutagenic, toxic, teratogenic or immunotoxic effects. Mycotoxin exposure in the workplace may occur through inhalation and skin contact, e.g. during occupational handling of organic matter such as livestock feed, food products, or waste. Various studies suggest that both acute and chronic effects can occur, depending at least on the exposure level. The magnitude of the potential health risks associated with a respiratory or dermal intake of mycotoxins has largely remained unclear to date.” Published 2/26/2009
http://www.springerlink.com/content/g84651382h40326p/
This is Zelda.
Zelda had to be euthanized because of liver failure and numerous other complications. Zelda’s Mom – JH – is needless to say heartbroken. JH wanted other pet owners to be alerted to the possibility of risk with corn cat litters. Below are some of her comments.
“The illnesses of my cats have occurred within such a short period of time (within 4 weeks of switching to Worlds Best Cat Litter in late December 2009). Soon after euthanizing my Zelda and seeing the decline of my two remaining cats, my husband and I were really puzzled and convinced that they had come into contact with something toxic The only change that had been made was the litter; so we quickly switched back to the clay, and neither has vomited since.”
“After relaying my concerns about the litter to her primary vet, she said that the presence of aflatoxin would be her main concern, but could not definitively say that was the cause. I'm still waiting for comments from the specialists who included an internist, oncologist, and cardiologist. I think that the simple fact there is suspicion and probable cause is enough to warn others.”
Dr. Berryessa from Georgia Veterinary Specialsts (who treated Zelda) stated that “aflatoxin is definitely associated with corn but could not conclusively say that this caused Zelda’s liver failure; she was cremated and an autopsy was not performed. He further stated that if this litter is ingested, it could aggravate a cat who has kidney disease because it could contribute to dehydration.”
The cat litter company, Worlds Best Cat Litter, told JH the lot number was tested clean of aflatoxins. JH told the company her “concern was not with the product in the bag, but rather what happened to it once it is used as litter and comes into contact with moisture.”
While Worlds Best Cat Litter did respond to JH’s concerns with the litter, an email from their ‘Research Department’ is very suspicious (and down right stupid in my book). Please take a close look at the sections I bolded…
“We use corn and other ingredients, which meet the standards for pet foods. There are no possibilities of contamination and toxicity issue when the product is in the bag and fresh out the bag. We use a high temperature and pressure process to produce the product and make the product meeting feed/pet foods standards in terms of microorganisms. The product was made in winter (Nov. 29th, 2009) and won't have any mold or fungi issues in normal conditions unless it has been subjected to high temperature and high humidity or moisture in the litter box.”
‘There are no possibilities of contamination and toxicity issue when the product is in the bag and fresh out the bag. The product won’t have any mold or fungi issues unless it has been subjected to moisture in the litter box.’
Does Worlds Best Cat Litter understand what cat litter is used for?
I have to wonder if Worlds Best Cat Litter ever bothered to test their products for toxins when it was used as a litter. I wonder if anyone ever gave the slightest thought to moisture in the litter box. If anyone ever gave the slightest thought of the pets that would be using this litter.
Dr. Cathy will be adding her concerns in a follow up article soon.
My sincere thanks to JH for allowing me to share her heartbreaking story with readers; her wish as is mine is that by sharing this heartbreak, other lives can be saved. I hope your other babies fully recover; I hope your broken heart will heal soon. Zelda will not be forgotten.
Add corn cat litter to your list of cautions for your pets, any corn litter.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Truth about Pet Food
Petsumer Report
www.TruthaboutPetFood.com
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Since many dogs have a propensity to eat cat cookies from the box, I assume there's also the risk to dogs that may ingest the corn cat litter.
I used to use World's Best Litter and loved it until I saw Food, Inc. and put 2 and 2 together to determine that the corn used to make this litter was probably a GMO... I contacted the company and after giving me a song and dance I discovered that it is in fact GMO corn used and that since the FDA has approved this crop it is not harmful -- yeah, right... They also told me that if they used organic corn the cost would be much higher. I informed them that there product is already the highest priced litter on the market -- and corn is a subsidized crop... Makes no sense to me. I stopped using this litter based on the attitude the company had and my concern with GMO corn. I now use Sweatscoop and am glad to read in the article above that wheat is not one of the crops to be concerned with in this area. Thank you for the information. Blessings, Meo
Dear Ms. Thixton:
We have recently learned of your blog post concerning our product, World’s Best Cat LitterTM and the potential of aflatoxin being in our products and we thought it would be good to respond to the specific situation that you have reported on.
As a company that is deeply committed to being a good corporate citizen, we at World’s Best Cat LitterTM take every consumer situation very seriously. We research and share information to help consumers stay informed about every aspect of our products. To address some of the points you bring up in your article we have the following comments:
1) In reviewing the information that we have from JH, our own internal data, our quality control processes and our product testing protocols, we are extremely confident that the litter in question from JH did not contain aflatoxin. Furthermore, with World’s Best Cat Litter’s long term quality history and the ongoing rigorous product testing of both raw materials and finished product, we are equally confident that consumers should have no concerns regarding aflatoxin issues with our products.
2) Additionally, in your blog post you raise the question about our testing requirements, corn testing accuracy and our knowledge of how cat litter is used in relation to aflatoxin contamination. To respond to these questions, we can say with confidence that we do have screening and testing protocol in place monitoring aflatoxins as well as other potential issues with our product quality. We assure you that, when developing and in testing World’s Best Cat LitterTM, we have closely observed our product’s in “in-home” performance testing, including any tendencies to develop mold or other problems after the litter has been used with urine. We believe that we have taken the needed extra steps with our product to ensure consumers don’t have quality or product issues when reasonable litter box maintenance is practiced. Our history of 12 years of growing consumer usage is a testimony that these testing steps have been very effective and successful.
3) Also, within your blog, you state that the testing protocol for aflatoxin contamination of corn is challenging. We believe it is not as challenging as you suggest. Corn has historically been a key source of many important ingredients in the U.S. for numerous food, pharmaceutical and animal feed products. These ingredients have to meet stringent quality specifications created by the largest, most reliable consumer product companies in the U.S. under the regulatory guidance of the FDA and USDA. Within our company, both quality assurance and testing protocols are in place to guarantee that we meet these high standards. To answer your questions directly about the testing of our products, I want to be clear: we do extensive testing on our products throughout the production process and we have the testing protocol in place to properly monitor our product’s quality. Additionally, we are very aware of how cats will use our products and we have sufficiently tested our products for any potential problems.
4) Regarding the specific situation with JH, we are appropriately investigating the matter. We have requested samples from JH, reports from the treating Veterinarians, and any available test results to help investigate this issue. While waiting to receive the requested information from JH, we have tested retained samples from the same production lot of JH’s litter as well as sister lots, and they were all negative for aflatoxins. To this point, we have been unsuccessful in obtaining further samples from JH or test results from the examining veterinarian. In the absence of any data that establishes aflatoxin was present in the litter and since our retained samples tested negative for aflatoxin we are convinced that this is not an aflatoxin problem. Also, we are deeply concerned with your statements such as “I have to wonder if Worlds Best Cat Litter ever bothered to test their products for toxins when it was used as a litter. I wonder if anyone ever gave the slightest thought to moisture in the litter box. If anyone ever gave the slightest thought of the pets that would be using this litter” and “add corn cat litter to your list of cautions for your pets, any corn litter” because they give the idea that something is wrong when there is no established proof to make these statements concerning our products.
5) As stated previously, we take every consumer situation with a high level of concern and this case is no exception. As fellow pet lovers, we understand your concerns about corn and aflatoxin, but in this specific case, there is no testing indication there was aflatoxin on the litter that was used by Zelda and there is no basis to suggest or imply that our products may contain aflatoxin in the future. While we applaud your efforts to help pets stay safe, we believe in this case there is no cause for concern and there is no reason to think that our products contain aflatoxin.
It is our hope from our response that you can see we take the process of producing the best cat litter on the market very seriously and we work very hard to enhance the quality of life of all cats and their owners. Over the course of existence as a company, we have gained a solid reputation of caring for cats and cat owners. We know the importance of using only the best products for our pets. We can say with confidence that we use the highest standards to test our products and to evaluate how they will be used. We believe that there is nothing in our products that is harmful to cats or their owners in any way. Finally, just like you, we would like to extend our sympathies to JH for the loss of her cat. We are sincerely sorry about the loss JH has experienced and we hope that her other cats remain in good health.
Sincerely,
Paul Zobel
Director, Sales & Marketing
World’s Best Cat LitterTM
I can understand and appreciate Paul's response. Afterall he does work for the company and must protect his interests. However, to make claims that corn is safe and that it has been fed to many over many years is just outrageous. There have been many recalls on corn. Many livestock has died from eating bad corn. Paul does not go into details about how the litter is tested or even how many batches are tested. Companies know the percentage of their product that is tested, but they never tell the consumer this information.
In addition, Corn is now mostly a GMO crop. Notice how Paul did not mention this in his response. WBL uses GMO crops. I had this conversation with a rep from there myself. WBL, being one of the most expensive litters on the market, could very well use corn from more organic sources but they don't. They told me that they would have to increase the price... INCREASE THE PRICE??? On CORN? Corn is a subsidized commodity -- come on -- you already get top dollar for GMO CRAP. Cats use the litter box, lick themselves and eat this CRAP in the process. I do not put GMO products in my own body, why would I give them to my beloved pets...
And then Paul goes on about the regulations of the USDA and FDA -- what a load that is... We have trust in these regulating agencies like a trust a wolf in a hen house. If consumers paid the same almighty dollar that the food industry pays them, perhaps they would provide better protection of our food supplies.
I work in QA so I am well aware of what goes on behind the scene. All Paul did was relay the same song and dance that some attorneys prepared for marketing purposes...
Thanks Paul, but -- no thanks to your product...
I take exception to Meo's blanket condemnation of GMO products. Where's Meo's proof on this? Or is it based on prejudice? Organisms genetically mutate (are modified) continually over the eons of evolution of life on earth. Does Meo have a problem with that? If so, we are all modified and contaminated and should be put out of our misery.
Also, I take exception to condemning a product and company based on a data point of 1. And in using this single data point, the blame is based on speculation, not known fact or proof. It's these kinds of opinionated judgments with little or no proof, which are often found on websites, that lead me to suspect a lot of what I read in the Internet...especially when coming from untrusted sources like reader's comments.
I am sorry that you take exception and I ask you for your proof that any GMO product is safe. Below my statement are websites demonstrating my position. I would be interested in you providing factual data to the contrary – which does not come from a GMO manufacturer since as we all know how well they can make their marketing claims sound. The research to get these products in the market was seriously flawed. There are many countries that have banned these products. Yes, I do believe that they know something that we didn’t pay attention to during the time when the corrupt FDA (led by a Monsanto employee) approved these products.
With respect to your claim that organisms genetically mutating have been occurring over the eons of evolution, I do not argue that this is a fact. However, these NATURALLY occurring mutations that you speak of are not brought about by chemical implantation and do not occur in a petre dish overnight. You really should do more research as to how these genetic seeds are made before you take up to condemn the research of another. Here are some articles to get you started:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/25/doctors-warn-avoid-genetically-modified-food.aspx
http://www.aaemonline.org/gmopost.html
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2010/02/india-defies-monsanto-says-no-to-gmo-crops.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthcomment/geoffrey-lean/7431043/The-GM-war-in-Europe-starts-here.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/028388_GM_crops_kidney_damage.html
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/GMODangers/index.cfm
I can provide more and more links, but you can do your own further research on this topic -- as this discussion has gone way off track from the original post. However, I am still interested in your data to the contrary.
Personally speaking, I'd rather error on the side of caution. I stopped using a litter made out of corn cobs after my cat developed a liver condition that he miraculously survived. His veterinarian informed me that litter from corn cob can harbor a fungus that can adversely affect the liver. His conclusion was based on suspicion, but it was enough for me to discontinue using corn cob based litter.
Charles Regal
Bought this product of corn based litter because I had a cat who started eating clay litter. Thought corn would be OK. He didn't eat it. My smallest cat who is 3 yrs. had a seizure within days. Cannot say if it is correlated or not. She had another seizure today 12/25/10. My other male cat is vomitting frequently. Not sure is it is related but, I am not willing to take the risks. I have switched back to their regular clay clumping litter today 12-25-10. The old litter controls odors better anyways. WBCL made my home smell like a barn. I am truely scared for my cats that this litter may have had long term adverse health effects on my 3 very loved felines. I pray not. I just do not know for a fact that the product is responsible but, I will NO longer take the risk.
I want to thank the people who posted on this site. I have been using the corn litter since October. For the past several weeks my cats have been throwing up, having bloody diahrrea, and acting strangely. Then my dog after eating some of the litter began to have the same symptoms.
I did an internet search and found this site. I called my vet and she confirmed my suspicions. I am heartbroken. I thought I was doing a good thing for my cats and for the planet. Instead I was poisoning them.
Now only time will tell if I caught it soon enough. Thank you for sharing your stories. You saved my kitties!
I started using Arm and Hammer corn based litter a few months ago, mixing it in with their clumping clay litter, as I heard that clay litter is detrimental to the environment. Possibly so is corn although they use the cobs and don't grow more corn, presumably.
My concern with the comments here are about no one has addressed the issue of URINE as the wetting agent. Urine is not a good medium for growing anything and kills most things.
Probably if the animal eats the litter, that would be bad. Has anyone got a study showing if aflatoxin will grow in urine?
Helen, I started using Arm & Hammers newest Heavily perfumed corn litter 6 weeks ago & taking my 1 cat back to the vet today for partial paralysis & another one too-Get rid of that litter-don't take the chance-Look up Mycotoxins and mold growth on corn products on your search engine-it's not woth the risk!!!!
Terry in Florida
Ok Folks, over a month later now and Both my cats are getting worse-One is totally paralyzed in the back legs and tail and having liver bloating even after extensive treatment-the other one I believe is going blind and still unsteady-again with vigorous treatment for a month and a half. Please, Don't take the chance with corn based litters-Arm & Hammer Essentials is the only thing I changed. I got rid of it right after I took the first cat to the vet but the illnesses are progressing and may have to put both of them down:( Please Everybody, not worth the risk-just use clay. I hope this helps someone from going through what my poor babies (Jet & Mooch) are going Through? God Bless, Terry
Oh My Lord! I just got back from the vet for treatment of "mouth lesions" and near critical kidney damage for one of my cats who has had an exclusively organic diet his whole life...and his brother needs to go in for a hip cyst removal....looking back the cyst started growing shortly after I started to use the corn based litter...won't say the name but it has a building tool in the symbol...not to mention the increased vomiting for no reason (no hairballs in it) and the dozen other little health issues previously not seen.
I have taken every effort to give these terrific tomcat brothers the very best diet and water their whole lives...I feel so taken by agribusiness based on greed...not what's best for the planet or our animals!
I'm switching back to clay for now....maybe try the wheat product again...but they aren't guanteed to be organiclyly grown or non GMO either.
What a hidden nightmare for pet owners! I'm glad folks have shared on this site...
Tom in Catalina CA
I changed my litter to A&H corn 6/7 weeks ago because I have a 3 legged kitty and she has trouble in the box. She had an ashmatic(sp)attack last week and this is a first. The litter was the only change in my house. I am a very clean person and keep my cats box very clean. My one cat began to throw up alot and now my tripod has had her breathing issues. What is your opinon on the mold that could be there and could this cause this ashma in her? My vet says no. I now think YES.. Anyone with some knowledge on this please comment.
Purchased this letter several weeks ago. In that short space of time both our cats have started vomiting and displayed strange behaviour with regard to normal bodily functions. I am really glad we found this article as I believe beyond doubt that this litter is the cause of their distress. I will be following up and hope that their symptoms clear up as I have replaced the litter with another brand. Very, very scarey that they are not acknowleding what is so very obvious a toxic mold issue.