Pet model recollects cat meals from cabinets after cat dies from hen flu contamination | EUROtoday

Stay forward of the curve with our weekly information to the most recent developments, trend, relationships and extra

Stay forward of the curve with our weekly information to the most recent developments, trend, relationships and extra

Stay forward of the curve with our weekly information to the most recent developments, trend, relationships and extra

Portland-based pet meals firm Northwest Naturals issued a North American recall after a cat died from consuming a batch of their cat meals, which was contaminated with the hen flu virus.

In a press launch issued Tuesday (December 24), the corporate introduced a recall of its 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe uncooked frozen pet meals after a home cat in Oregon died and subsequent testing revealed the product contained H5N1 hen flu.

“Consumption of raw or uncooked pet food contaminated with HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] can cause illness in animals,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement. “To date, one case of illness in a domestic cat has been reported in connection with this issue.”

Northwest Natural urged prospects to right away discard any recalled cat meals with “best by” dates between May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026, and to contact your level of buy for a full refund.

The probably contaminated cat meals was distributed throughout the US — particularly in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington — in addition to in British Columbia, Canada.

Northwest Naturals said that the recall is being performed in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) in Salem, Oregon, which additionally launched an announcement.

According to the ODA’s press launch, laboratory testing performed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University confirmed that the cat contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the uncooked frozen pet meals. These exams additionally confirmed a genetic match between the virus discovered within the pet meals and the virus that contaminated the cat.

“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” mentioned ODA State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz, in keeping with an official assertion.

He continued, “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.”

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) famous that the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and native public well being officers are monitoring family members who had shut contact with the contaminated cat for flu signs. The ODA emphasised that no human instances have been linked to this incident and that the chance of human transmission in Oregon stays low.

To stop the unfold of illnesses like HPAI, state and federal consultants advocate a number of precautions: keep away from uncooked or undercooked meat and uncooked dairy merchandise; restrict contact with sick or useless animals; and wash fingers after dealing with uncooked animal merchandise or contacting sick/useless animals. Sick or useless birds must be reported to the ODA. Keeping pets and poultry away from wild waterfowl can be suggested.

This case underscores the chance of extreme sickness related to consuming or feeding pets uncooked meat merchandise, which can comprise dangerous pathogens equivalent to Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, and H5N1. Thorough cooking destroys these pathogens. Likewise, uncooked, unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous germs, together with HPAI, which pasteurization eliminates.