General News 1 8 PET TRADE WORLD OCTOBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com GA Pet Food Partners develops the UK's fi rst Halal Cat Food GA Pet Food Partners has developed the UK's fi rst Halal cat food - Muezza Pure for Halal Pet Products Ltd ( Coventry). Musa Bhayat of Halal Pet Products Ltd commented, '' Muezza Pure is the result of extensive research with Muslim pet owners. Pet ownership for many Muslims is fraught with diffi culties, due to the lack of a Halal pet food on the market. Many pet foods contain beef, chicken and even pork; because Muezza Pure cat food formula is based on Halal chicken, it removes a signifi cant barrier to Muslim pet ownership. '' Approximately 30% of Muslims own cats - and feeding a Halal cat food prevents any cross contamination within the home and ensures that a cat's saliva is clean and free from haram ( unclean) foodstuff s''. Ben Helm, GA's Sales and Marketing Director adds, '' GA thrives on helping brands to deliver complex pet food projects like this to market and has overcome several raw material and production challenges to develop the UK's fi rst Halal dry Cat food. In doing so, GA has helped Halal Pet Products to open a signifi cant potential market for Halal pet food, with considerable export opportunities.'' Halal Pet Products Ltd is due to launch " Muezza Pure" Halal Cat Food in October 2009. For more details contact: info@ halalpetproducts. co. uk ¦ Sound ways to control stress A new programme to help reduce the stress of pets suff ering a reaction to sudden loud noises such as fi reworks and thunderstorms has been launched by the makers of Zylkène. Intervet / Schering- Plough Animal Health, which manufactures Zylkène, a product proven to help manage stress in dogs and cats, has developed the unique programme in association with animal behaviour experts at Bristol University. The Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme, to be used in conjunction with Zylkène, features sound tracks, advice, written and verbal instructions and a practice track designed to help pet owners fi nd a long- term solution to a common and distressing problem. The CD features fi reworks, thunder and lightning and gunshots sounds and includes component sound tracks to avoid overwhelming very sensitive pets. One CD will be given away free of charge with every box of Zylkène purchased between 1 September and 30 November, while stocks last. The Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme complements an educational waiting room display and owner information sheets which provide owners with practical advice and techniques to help pets cope throughout the fi rework season. Melanie Dass, product manager at Intervet / Schering- Plough Animal Health, said: " The sad fact is that just under half the UK dog population reacts to sudden loud noises, as do many cats. Stress caused by unexpected sounds manifests in many ways from hiding, house soiling or attempts to escape. " Unfortunately, if this problem is not correctly managed, fi rework-related stress reactions can become progressively more severe and can extend to other sounds such as thunder and even everyday noises such as car doors being slammed. Desensitisation is a proven method of changing a pet's response to sudden loud noises. This new Zylkène Sound Desensitisation Programme means we can now off er pet owners short and long term problems to a common and distressing problem." ¦

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