Northwest Naturals issued a voluntary recall of a batch of pet food after a cat died of bird flu in Oregon, officials said.
Testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services laboratories and the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed that an indoor cat in Washington County, Oregon contracted bird flu and died after eating pet food.
“We believe this cat became infected with H5N1 after consuming raw and frozen pet food from Northwest Naturals,” Dr. Ryan Scholz, state veterinarian with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said in a release Tuesday. “This cat was entirely an indoor cat; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and the genome sequencing results confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and the infected cat matched each other exactly.”
Can pets spread bird flu to owners?
Oregon officials are monitoring household members who had contact with the cat to see if they have any flu symptoms, but as of Tuesday no human cases of bird flu have been identified and there are no cases of bird flu in the state. The risk of transmission to humans is low.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is A pet owner is unlikely to get sick from bird flu. By direct contact with an infected pet, but it is possible. The health agency noted that in 2016, the spread of bird flu from cat to human Was reported in New York City. The infected person, a veterinarian, had mild flu symptoms after being in contact with sick cats for a long time without using personal protective equipment.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture said the cat's death is a warning that giving raw meat products to pets can cause illness.
What to do if you have purchased pet food?
Northwest Naturals on Tuesday advised pet owners to discard a 2-pound bag of Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food with use by dates of 05/21/26 B10 and 06/23/2026 B1. But has been marked as the best. The product was sold in a dozen states and Canada.
The pet food was sold through distributors in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington. This food was also sold in British Columbia, Canada.
Customers may contact the place of purchase for a full refund.
Cats are vulnerable to bird flu
there are cats particularly vulnerable According to the Food and Drug Administration, for bird flu.
“Cats are particularly vulnerable to this virus, which can cause subtle initial symptoms but progresses rapidly, often resulting in death within 24 hours due to pneumonia-like conditions,” the statement said. The statement said the center was under quarantine and would remain closed. Public until further notice.
Health officials in California then launched an investigation this year. Two cats died of suspected bird flu After feeding raw milk. And in Texas, cats in a field Cows infected with bird flu died after drinking raw milk.