Another irony we don't want revenge - we want to be treated fairly - we want fair compensation not a very limited compassion fund that in no way covers the costs we have incurred due to Champion failing to allow us to make an informed decision about their "biologically appropriate" food, ingestion of which caused significant health issues with our cats including paralysis and death.

Champion has set May as the limit for their "compassion" fund because no doubt they want this to be over and done with. How nice for them we live with this nightmare caused by their food day in day out and have done so since July 2008 and see no signs of it being over by May 2009. I don't know what Champion wants but we (affected cat owners) don't want cat owners being forced to PTS their loved companions because they can no longer afford the vet bills and ancilillary cost (and these may well be more than the vet bills for some owners) that seem endless and ongoing.

And it should be noted as is the case with Mongo's beautiful girl Melody these cats can start to get better and then relapse - we have had it happen too in a very extreme case with young Hali who nearly died when she relapsed - thank god for a wonderful vet who made herself available out of hours. And in the case of Hunter, a beautiful young Bengal, he did die. So don't go thinking because these cats are starting to get better this will soon be over it is certainly not something an affected cat owner can let themselves think.

The other thing we want from Champion is accurate information - they haven't even released their toxicology reports to owners and treating vets so we can be aware of what we are actually battling and potential issues with our cats in the future.

We have company representatives saying that Orijen foods have tested free to all toxins? From Clark Stride on 11/12/08 Itchmo "After testing for more than 180 toxins and chemical compounds, Michigan State University’s Veterinary Toxicologist has confirmed that ORIJEN cat foods sold in Australia are free of toxins. NO KNOWN TOXIC COMPOUNDS WERE FOUND."

When this was challenged by me on the Ichmo forums on the 19th Dec 2008this was clarified to:
"In the study at MSU done on our foods, there were a few compounds discovered. The summary from the veterinary toxicologist at MSU was that they did not find any chemical compounds that are known to cause neurotoxicity." by Clark Stride, a Champion rep, on Dec 22.

For those interested the Itchmo thread can be found here . Be warned it is 45 pages long currently - the references referred to and CLark Strides comments about BHA & BHT being "found" in the food are between pages 32 & 35.

It should also be noted that the "communication error" that caused owners to be notified by an "assessor" that the closing date for the fund was brought forward by 3mths to 28th Feb caused a huge amount of stress to owners. How could this error have occurred surely the assessor would have had to receive instructions in writing not by chinese whispers. And the timing could not have been better - our country was undergoing a huge National disaster with bushfires killing large numbers of people and destroying homes. One of the affected cat owners vet lost her home, her animals, her husband. Seriously Champion what are you people thinking????

And some one said this was an accident which bit - the failure to read an import permit and know what was going to happen to product as a condition of importation? the failure to investigate what irradiation meant for cats? the failure to label product as treated? the failure to ensure ingredient suppliers met standards when it came to what they fed animals that are going into product? the failure to have adequate inline testing to know there were BHA and BHT (and what else) in a biologically appropriate product? the failure to label bags as containing these products? the failure to release information that could potentially assist affected cats? affected cat owners having to inform retailers of the recall as they had not been notified? the "communication error" that brought forward the date for close of the compensation fund? Exactly which bit was the accident?

Jo