Cat owners beware as pet food with bird flu risk is recalled

Cat owners have been alerted to a potential health threat.

Savage Pet of El Cajon, California, is recalling 66 large chicken boxes (84 oz.) and 74 small chicken boxes (21 oz.) with the lot code/"best by" date of 11.15.2026, as these products have "the potential to contain H5N1, also known as bird flu," according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). 

The Savage Cat food products were distributed to retailers in five states: California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, the FDA's website says.

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"People who fed [their] cats the recalled products should watch for symptoms of bird flu, including fever, lethargy, low appetite, reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and neurological signs like tremors, stiff body movements, seizure, lack of coordination or blindness," the notice says. 

Anyone whose felines exhibit these signs after consuming the product "should immediately contact their veterinarian," the FDA advises.

The FDA indicates that "while no human infections have been identified among people handling raw pet food products, humans can become infected if [the] live virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth." 

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Regular handwashing and cleaning of contact surfaces is highly recommended, the notice also indicates.

"People who handled the recalled products should watch for symptoms of bird flu, including eye redness or irritation (conjunctivitis), cough, sore throat, sneezing, runny/stuffy nose, muscle/body aches, headaches, fatigue, fever, trouble breathing, seizures, rash, diarrhea, nausea and/or vomiting."

The notice also says, "People exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare provider and local health department."

In February, Savage Pet said it was "made aware of one cat in Colorado that contracted H5N1, got sick and recovered."

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The laboratory at Colorado State University "tested sealed packets of Savage Cat Food using PCR testing for H5N1," the FDA's site says.

The PCR test results were "non-negative," according to the same source.

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"The product with ‘non-negative’ PCR results was sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, for virus isolation testing" — and the product was taken off the market pending final test results, the site says.

The virus isolation testing was found "to be negative," it also says.

On March 13, "Savage Pet was made aware of an additional case in New York of a kitten" that ate from lot 11.15.2026 and "contracted avian flu. Further testing is ongoing."

The company added, as the FDA site indicates, "To ensure maximum safety, we are modifying our market withdrawal to a recall … The product with lot code/'best by' date of 11.15.2026 was distributed in November 2024."

"The boxes are cardboard and contain individual plastic packets inside. The lot code/'best by' date is stamped on the bottom and on each packet."

Previous studies have suggested that H5N1 could be transmitted among cats, and a March 15 statement from the New York City Health Department seems to support that possibility. 

The statement provided details of two cats that contracted bird flu and a third cat suspected to have it.

"Avian influenza (bird flu) virus was detected in two cats and a suspected third cat over the past two months, all connected to Savage Cat Food, poultry packets lot number 11152026," the alert read.

The first cat, cat A, became ill and died after eating chicken packets from Savage Cat Food.

"Testing for H5 bird flu was performed at the Cornell Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and confirmatory H5N1 testing by the U.S.D.A. National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) is pending."

A second cat, cat B, was diagnosed with H5N1 and also died as a result of infection, health officials said – but "this cat did not consume the raw food product but was exposed to a sick cat, cat C. Cat C became ill with fever after consuming Savage Cat Food lot number 11152026."

"Cat C survived and H5 testing was not performed and cannot be performed, as too much time has passed."

This suggests that cat B may have been infected after contact with cat C.

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