A Champion Petfoods (Orijen manufacturer) representative has just posted on CatWorld forums that an Australian Veterinarian, part of the team working to solve this mystery, has been in contact with this "Dr. Jones" and has confirmed that his report of cases in the United States is ERRONEOUS. She reports that he has agreed to publish an immediate retraction.

All cases of this paralytic syndrome linked to Orijen cat food are confined to Australia, where the only difference in the previously available food was that it had been irradiated by the Australian authorities at port of entry.

It is of concern, however, that Orijen dog food, similarly irradiated, was not recalled and is apparently still available there. (The company has stated that it will be removed from retailers' shelves. As well, it has announced that, due to the irradiation requirement, Orijen will no longr be marketed in Au.)

The dog food was also implicated in the illness of at least two cats, who had simply snacked on it.

CatWorld forums and Itchmofourms.com have extensive threads on this story, with both affected owners participating and "live" chats with Orijen representatives.

The company is making extraordinary efforts to communicate with the cat community - quite unlike most of the manufacturers involved in the North American food recall of 2007, where silence was the rule.