Ishka's Story

Hi there everyone, my name is Ishka. I am 21 years old, and I am here to tell you my story of how I survived the poisoned pet food recall in March 2007. Well, it actually started for me in February 2007. I was going thru my days as I normally did, playing and eating all of my favourite foods. I already had a pre-existing kidney condition, since 2005, when my vet put me on medication. All was well in my world until I started to get sick in January 2007. I was exhibiting the typical symptoms of CRF (Chronic Renal Failure). I was throwing up daily, I was nauseous, and frequently urinating, and not in my litter.

My caretaker of 20 years thought that it was old age, well, in fact I am 104 in cat years. My bladder was causing grief for everyone in the house. I was still eating my regular foods, however on February 3rd, I was unable to finish it. I had noticed a weird smell, and the food was turning black in my bowl. For 2 days I ate nothing, because the food didn't smell right. My owner was trying to make me as comfortable as possible, she never in her wildest dreams knew what I already knew, and that was that the food was bad. I was rushed to the vet's on February 5th, and I thought that I was going for the big sleep. This was 5 weeks before the pet food makers acknowledged that there was poison in the food. I already knew this.

I lost many friends both cats and dogs to this autrocity. My body felt like it was spinning out of control. I had never felt so sick. My vet believed that a regimen of fluids weekly by IV, may help to relieve my condition. Blood tests were ordered to make a proper diagnosis. I was so grateful that no matter how bad things got, my owner was prepared to try anything to help me.

Upon my return home, all of my favourite foods were presented to me on a platter. However, no one knew what I knew. five packages of food were opened one after another, but I couldn't eat any of them, because I knew that something was off in the mix. Not knowing what to feed me, my owner resorted to baby food. Chicken flavor in fact, and I have to say that it was quite delicious. A dropper was needed, as I was very weak, and tired from what my body had been thru. When my blood tests returned. They confirmed what my vet believed, which was that I was on the verge of kidney failure, as my creatine was at a level of 386.

To make me feel better, my owner bought me a gift. A round purple medallion which she put on my collar. This is when the Purple Circle was introduced into my life, and that is when everything started to change. I was loving the color, more importantly, I liked the way it was making me feel. I started noticing changes within hours. as each day passed I was feeling stronger, and stronger. I was still going for fluids as needed, however the feeling that I felt wearing the Purple Circle, was something that I had never experienced before. I was feeling calmer, less anxious, and more balanced. I had more energy, and I was acting like I did when I was a kitten. My animal friends had a hard time believing that it was me. I liked this warm and cuddly feeling that I was experiencing.

Weeks passed, and my owner thought that because I was doing so well it would be o-kay to remove the Purple Circle that I had begun to cherish. My second blood tests showed an incredible drop in my creatine level to 225. All was good for only two days. That is when I had a relapse, and needed to be rushed to the emergency vet for fluids. Waiting for 2 hours to be seen, I witnessed many animals who were sick, or dying from this toxic cocktail of melamine and cyanuric acid. I watched a dog die in his owner's arms while waiting to be seen. My heart broke with pain and grief as the owner whispered "it's to late" as he left to bury his best friend. The heartache that I felt in that moment was so powerful and overwhelming, I realized at tht moment that I needed to survive to tell my story. Upon returning home my owner realized how important the Purple Circle was in contributing to my good health and well being, and put it back on my collar immediately. since that day I will never be without the Purple Circle again.

It has been a year and I feel better now that I have in years. No more meds, throwing up, or bladder mishaps to contend with. I feel Renewed, Revitalized and Rejuvenated. The Purple Circle helped save my life by returning my body back to balance. I hope that all of my animal friends can also experience this feeling of Harmonic Energy that I feel daily while wearing my Purple Circle.

Ishka