A company in Washington State voluntarily recalled a raw food product for cats this week because of the potential risk that it may have been contaminated with bird flu amid outbreaks in poultry and cows across the United States, federal safety regulators said.
Wild Coast Raw of Olympia, Wash., issued the recall for its frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula raw pet food for cats, according to a statement issued on Saturday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At least one pet had died after consuming the product, the company said.
The product, which had been distributed to pet food retailers in Washington and Oregon, “has the potential to be contaminated with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 also known as bird flu,” the F.D.A. said.
“The recall is a precautionary measure,” Tyler Duncan, the founder of the company, said in a social media post.
In a letter to customers, published on the company’s website, Mr. Duncan said: “The safety of our products and that of our customers’ beloved pets is always our top priority. We were devastated to learn of the passing of a beloved pet, and our hearts go out to the owner.”
The F.D.A. said that the company and the Washington State Department of Agriculture were working together to address the source of the problem.
The recall affects 16 oz. and 24 oz. sizes of the chicken formula, which is frozen in a small round white plastic container with a green label. The affected lots, identified by a sticker on the lid, include those with the numbers #22660, #22653, #22641, #22639, #22672 and #22664, with a best buy date of December 2025.
Scientists have said that cats are highly susceptible to the virus. At least 99 domestic cats have been infected since late 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported six human cases and one death in relation to the outbreak.
While there have been no reported human infections among people who handle raw pet food products, people can become infected if the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, according to the F.D.A.
Consumers who fed their pets the recalled goods should be on the lookout for symptoms of bird flu, which can include fever, lethargy, low appetite and reddened or inflamed eyes. Other related symptoms include discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing and neurological signs like tremors, stiff body movements, seizure, lack of coordination or blindness.
“People with pets exhibiting these signs after feeding this product should contact their veterinarian,” the F.D.A. said. People who have bought the recalled product should discard it, the agency added.
The recall was announced days after the Washington State Department of Agriculture alerted pet owners on Feb. 26 that at least two domestic indoor cats in two counties had tested positive for bird flu. The pet owners had reported feeding their cats the potentially contaminated pet food that was recalled.
One cat was euthanized because of “the severity of the illness,” the state’s agriculture department said, noting that the second cat was being treated by a veterinarian.
