Northwest Naturals recalls pet food after Oregon cat dies of bird flu

Northwest Naturals, a Portland-based pet food company, has issued a nationwide recall after a domestic cat in Oregon died after eating one of its products, said a press release.

The company, owned by Morasch Meats, announced the recall on Tuesday, December 24, after a batch of its 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food tested positive for H591 bird flu, a highly pathogenic bird flu (HPAI). virus.

According to the company official statement: “Consumption of raw or uncooked pet food contaminated with HPAI can cause illness in animals. To date, one case of illness has been reported in a domestic cat associated with this problem.”

According to the statement, the recall applies to products with an expiration date between May 21, 2026 and June 23, 2026. If you purchased the recalled product, Northwest Natural strongly recommends that you throw it away immediately and contact the customer service. place of purchase for a full refund.

According to the press release, the batch of products believed to contain the bird flu virus were sold in the United States through distributors in Arizona, California, Colorado, Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and other countries. Washington. The products were also distributed in British Columbia, Canada.

Northwest Naturals also stated that the recall is being conducted in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Agriculture in Salem, Oregon, which released its own statement on the incident.

A black and white cat sits next to her ceramic litter box filled with dry cat food.

Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty

This is reported by the Oregon Department of Agriculture press releaseLaboratory tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University concluded that the cat contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the raw, frozen pet food. The tests also confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat.

“We believe this cat contracted H5N1 from eating raw and frozen Northwest Naturals pet food,” said ODA state veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz. according to an official statement.

“This cat was purely an indoor cat,” he continued. “The animal 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 were exact matches to each other.”

The Oregon Department of Agriculture statement also said the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and local public health officials are monitoring household members who had close contact with the infected cat for flu symptoms. The department added that no human cases of bird flu have been linked to this incident to date and that the risk of transmission to humans remains low in Oregon.

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Northwest Naturals noted that customers with questions can contact the company at [email protected] or 866-637-1872.