Cat food recalled after death linked to bird flu contamination

A brand of cat food is recalling a line of raw and frozen chow after authorities linked the death of a cat to a batch of feed contaminated with bird flu Tuesday.

Northwest Naturals is telling people to toss two-pound bags of the company’s Feline Turkey Recipe that have a best-by date between May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026. The bags tested positive for virulent bird flu, the company is warning.

The recall comes after the Oregon Department of Agriculture linked the death of a house cat in Washington County to eating the Northwest Naturals chow Tuesday. The pet’s death also comes as concerns over the bird flu have grown. Dozens of people have been infected around the country, California has declared a state of emergency and the spread among livestock has begun impacting the food supply.

“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” said ODA State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz.

Cats are capable of catching bird flu from sick birds, say experts.

“This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and infected cat were exact matches to each other.”

The cat’s death, Oregon officials say, is a reminder that eating raw meat or feeding it to pets can lead to severe illness.

Can cats get bird flu? How to protect them and what else to know amid the outbreak

The product is sold nationwide, according to Oregon authorities, through distributors in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington. It is also sold in British Columbia, Canada.

Customers can contact the store where they bought the pet food for a refund, Northwest Naturals said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bird flu-contaminated cat food linked to pet death, recall issued

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