January 7, 2004 The Hamilton Spectator by Tara Perkins

It's not to protect the four-legged creatures that officials banned pet food from the United States. Rather, it's concerns by officials about the human consumption of pet food, said Alain Charette of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The agency imposed the ban following the discovery of a case of mad-cow disease in Washington state last month.

"Pet food restrictions were considered necessary to prevent potential inadvertent or intentional exposure to humans or ruminants," said Health Canada spokesperson Margot Geduld. Canada's chief veterinarian, Brian Evans, told the Winnipeg Sun that dog and cat food "could contain tissue from a cow's central nervous system."

Judy Livingstone, owner of the Ruffin's Pet Centre on Stone Church Road East, is certain some people in the community turn to pet food when they're low on funds. She knows of a woman with no pets who has cat food delivered to her home.

"It's true. Everyone has to eat," Livingstone said.

John Clarke, an organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty in Toronto, said he has no doubt some people eat cat food. "You hear of it all the time," he said.

"Cat tuna's a lot cheaper than the tuna on the next aisle," said Wayne Martin, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Guelph.

At Fortinos on Dundurn yesterday No Name canned flakes of chicken were selling for $0.70 per 100 grams, while No Name wet cat food was $0.158 per hundred grams. No Name Irish stew was $0.27 per hundred grams.

Martin said it's not only people who could be affected. Cats are in danger of catching mad-cow disease as well. In England, pet cats and larger felines developed the illness in the early stage of that country's outbreak. Martin's not aware of any mad-cow cases in dogs.

A Hamilton man who manages a large Burlington pet store said his shelves already have bald spots. "We will definitely have major problems if the ban continues more than a week," said the man who did not want to be named. "It's looking scary. We've had at least double the business in the past couple days," he said. He is urging the government to lift the ban.

About 70 per cent of pet food consumed in Canada is from the United States, said Doug Boucher, who imports specialty brands of pet food for Tri-Natural Products Inc. in Ottawa. "Canada doesn't have the capacity to meet demand," he said.

tperkins@thespec.com 905-526-3283