House cat dies after eating raw food contaminated with bird flu; recall initiated

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is alerting pet owners that samples of Northwest Naturals brand 2-pound Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food tested positive for a H5N1 strain of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus.

Testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University confirmed a house cat in Washington County contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the raw frozen pet food. Tests 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,” said ODA State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz. “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.”

Northwest Naturals, a Portland, Oregon-based company, is voluntarily recalling its Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Feline Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food. The recalled product is packaged in 2-pound plastic bags with “Best if used by” dates of 05/21/26 B10 and 06/23/2026 B1.

The product was sold nationwide through distributors in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MI, MN, PA, RI and WA in the United States, and in British Columbia in Canada. Customers who have purchased the recalled product should immediately discard the product and contract the place of purchase for a full refund. For additional information or questions, customers may contact Northwest Naturals of Portland at info@nw-naturals.net or 866-637-1872.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and local public health officials are monitoring household members who had contact with the cat for flu symptoms. To date, no human cases of HPAI have been linked to this incident, and the risk of HPAI transmission to humans remains low in Oregon. Since 2022, OHA has partnered with ODA through a One Health approach to investigate human exposures to animal outbreaks of avian influenza.

To avoid the spread of disease, including bird flu, state, and federal experts strongly encourage people and their pets to:
• Avoid consuming raw or undercooked meat products
• Avoid consuming raw dairy
• Limit contact with sick or dead animals
• Wash your hands after handling raw animal products or contact with sick/dead animals
• Report sick or dead birds to ODA at 503-986-4711
• Keep pets or poultry away from wild waterfowl

Health officials said this case serves as a reminder that feeding raw meat products to pets or consuming them yourself can lead to severe illness. Raw meat may contain harmful pathogens, including Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and H5N1. These pathogens are destroyed when meat is thoroughly cooked. Raw milk, which has not been pasteurized, can also carry harmful germs. Pasteurization of milk eliminates disease-causing pathogens, including bird flu.

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