"We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food," said an Oregon Department of Agriculture veterinarian
Northwest Naturals, a Portland-based pet food company, issued a nationwide recall after a house cat in Oregon died after eating one of its products, according to a press release.
The company, which is owned by Morasch Meats, announced the recall on Tuesday, Dec. 24, after a batch of its 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food tested positive for H591 bird flu, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus.
Per the company's official statement: "Consumption of raw or uncooked pet food contaminated with HPAI can cause illness in animals. To date, one case of illness in a domestic cat has been reported in connection with this issue."
According to the statement, the recall applies to products with "best if used by" dates between May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026. If you have purchased the recalled product, Northwest Natural strongly advises you to immediately discard it and contact the place of purchase for a full refund.
According to the press release, the batch of products believed to contain the bird flu virus was sold across the United States through distributors in Arizona, California, Colorado, Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Washington. The products were also distributed in British Columbia, Canada.
Northwest Naturals also stated that the recall is being conducted in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Agriculture in Salem, Oregon, which released its own statement regarding the incident.
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According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture's press release, laboratory testing 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 are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food," said ODA State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz, per an official statement.
"This cat was strictly an indoor cat," he continued. "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."
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The Oregon Department of Agriculture's statement also says that 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 also 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 can contact the company at [email protected] or 866-637-1872 with any questions.