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New York State officials are implicating aminopterin, a rat poison, as a potential cause of the animal deaths that sparked a 60 million piece recall of Menu Foods-produced pet foods.

Although aminopterin is used as rat poison in some parts of the world, it is not approved for this use in the US. Aminopterin is also used as a cancer drug. There is no word regarding how the substance wound up in the recalled pet foods.

The substance was found at a level of at least 40 parts per million in tested cat food samples, according to Donald Smith, dean of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

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The poison may have been used on wheat imported from China, NBC News correspondent Tom Costello told MSNBC TV.

The recall involves many store brands of wet pet foods as well as those Iams, Eukanuba and other premium brands. Menu Foods has posted a full list of recalled dog foods and recalled cat foods.

PetConnection's self-reporting database of dead dogs and cats is up to a staggering 1,100 dead animals from the tainted product at this time.