Pet Food Recall Linked to Bird Flu Contamination: What to Know

Northwest Naturals, a company specializing in pet food, is pulling a specific batch of its raw turkey pet food off the shelves following the death of a cat that was associated with a bird flu outbreak connected to the product.

This week, the company from Oregon announced in a press release that its two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food has been confirmed to contain the avian influenza virus.

The recall underscores increasing worries about the possibility of bird flu transmitting between animals and humans, especially given the recent cases seen in both cats and people. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that the overall risk to the public continues to be low.

The voluntary recall affects plastic bags marked with "best if used by" dates of May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026. These products were supplied to different stores across the United States and British Columbia.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture released a statement regarding the recall, indicating that tests showed a domestic cat had contracted the H5N1 virus and died after eating the product.

Oregon Department of Agriculture veterinarian Ryan Scholz stated, "We believe that this cat picked up the H5N1 virus from consuming Northwest Naturals' raw and frozen pet food. The cat lived exclusively indoors, so it wasn't in contact with the virus outside. Genome sequencing results showed that the virus found in both the raw pet food and the infected cat were identical."

Pet owners who bought the product should dispose of it right away and reach out to the company for a refund.

This recall comes after the CDC announced last week that a severe case of bird flu has been reported in Louisiana, marking the first confirmed case in a person in the U.S. It was connected to contact with infected birds in personal flocks. The CDC also revealed two more human cases: an adult in Missouri in September and a child in California in November, neither of whom had obvious contact with ill animals.

Recent reports have connected the bird flu to a recall of raw milk in California that was found to contain the virus. Two cats that drank the contaminated milk and subsequently died were confirmed to have the bird flu.

If you need additional details regarding the Northwest Naturals recall, you can reach out to the company via email at [email protected] or by calling 866-637-1872.