A voluntary recall has been announced for a raw and frozen pet food line after a cat in Oregon died from bird flu, traced to contaminated food.
Northwest Naturals urged consumers to discard its Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food with sell-by dates from May 21, 2026, to June 23, 2026. The batch, sold nationwide, tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu. Refund information is available at 866-637-1872.
The Oregon Agriculture Department confirmed the connection between the cat’s illness and the food. Testing by the department’s lab and Oregon State University’s veterinary lab matched the virus in the food to the infected cat.
State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz emphasized the cat, strictly kept indoors, contracted bird flu directly from the contaminated product. “Genome sequencing confirmed the virus recovered from the pet food and the cat were identical,” he said.
No human cases linked to the pet food have been reported. However, household members are being monitored for symptoms. Officials advise against feeding raw meat products to pets or consuming them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported the first severe human H5N1 bird flu case in the U.S. during the current outbreak. The patient in Louisiana was hospitalized after exposure to a backyard flock, with dozens of other cases reported this year.
Consumers should take immediate precautions to protect pets and themselves from potential exposure.
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