Northwest Naturals issued a voluntary recall on Tuesday for a batch of cat food impacted by bird flu, a contamination which resulted in the death of at least one house cat.
The pet food company said that its Northwest Naturals brand two-pound “Feline Turkey Recipe” raw frozen pet food would be recalled “after it was tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza,” according to a notice posted by the company.
“Consumption of raw or uncooked pet food contaminated with HPAI can cause illness in animals,” the alert said.
“To date, one case of illness in a domestic cat has been reported in connection with this issue,” it continued.
“Consumers who have purchased the recalled product should immediately discard the product and contact the place of purchase for a full refund.”
The impacted product is sold in two-pound plastic bags with “best if used by” dates of May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026.
The product was sold across the United States and in British Columbia.
Northwest Naturals said that “this recall is being conducted in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Salem, Oregon.”
The agency indeed revealed that researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University “confirmed a house cat in Washington County contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the raw frozen pet food.”
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Their tests also confirmed “a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat.”
“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” Oregon Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
Impacted customers can contact Northwest Naturals of Portland via email at [email protected].
They can also call with the number 866-637-1872 from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM PST, Monday through Friday.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture reminded residents to avoid consuming raw or undercooked meats, limit contact with sick or dead animals, and wash their hands after handling raw animal products.
“This case reminds us that feeding raw meat products to pets or consuming them yourself can lead to severe illness,” the agency continued.
It added: “Raw meat may contain harmful pathogens, including Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and H5N1. These pathogens are destroyed when meat is thoroughly cooked.”
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