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At least one imported cat food product has been recalled in South Africa by its manufacturer after a scandal that saw hundreds of cats die from contaminated food in the United States.

Hills Pet Nutrition warned pet owners not to use its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food, which the company said must be returned for replacement or a refund.

Over the past two weeks it was reported in the international media that hundreds of cats in the US died from renal failure after eating contaminated food.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent the pet food industry and pet owners into a panic when it revealed that melamine and melamine byproducts had been detected in wheat gluten received by Menu Foods from a Chinese company that makes dry cat food. Melamine is used as a fertiliser in Asia.

"Consumers who have any bags of Prescription Diet m/d Feline should discontinue use and speak to their veterinarian if their pet shows any signs of kidney/renal illness," the FDA warned.

Signs include loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting.

Cases of kidney failure among cats climbed by 30 percent over the three months that the contaminated pet food was sold, which led to the mass recall.

The scale of the problem in South Africa is not known. The South African Veterinary Association's Gerhard Steenkamp said the association had not received any adverse reports from members.

"What normally happens is that companies will tell their sellers that a certain product has been found to be harmful and release a public statement that such a product should immediately be removed. This has not been the case as far as we know," he said. The department of agriculture's food safety and quality assurance directorate was not aware of the recall or reports of the contaminated pet food product.

Other companies, such as Eukanuba, whose products are made from the same wheat gluten, said the recall did not affect their products marketed outside of the US and Canada. Iams dry food is not made by Menu Foods and does not contain wheat gluten.

AP reports that the FDA has blocked wheat gluten imports from a Chinese company while it investigates how melamine could have contaminated the vegetable protein.

Nestle SA's Purina Pet Care, another pet food maker affected by the poison, said on its website it had stopped using the company that supplied the poisoned substance and stressed that its products in South Africa were not contaminated.

The Pet Food Institute of Southern Africa was not available for comment.

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