PORTLAND, Ore. — Northwest Naturals, a Portland-based pet food manufacturer, has issued a nationwide recall of its raw frozen cat food after a house cat in Oregon died from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1, the company announced Tuesday.
The recall affects the 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food with “best if used by” dates between May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026. The contaminated batch was distributed across 12 U.S. states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington—as well as British Columbia, Canada.
Cat’s Death Linked to Contaminated Food
According to a joint investigation by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Oregon State University, genetic testing confirmed the cat contracted H5N1 after consuming the recalled product.
“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” said Dr. Ryan Scholz, ODA State Veterinarian, in a statement. “This was strictly an indoor cat with no exposure to the virus in its environment. Genome sequencing showed an exact match between the virus in the pet food and the infected cat.”
The company, a subsidiary of Morasch Meats, urged consumers who purchased the affected product to discard it immediately and contact the place of purchase for a full refund.
Low Risk to Humans, Officials Say
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is monitoring individuals who had close contact with the infected cat but confirmed no human cases linked to the incident. Health officials emphasize that the risk of transmission to humans remains low.
Northwest Naturals stated the recall was conducted in cooperation with state and federal agencies, though no additional animal illnesses have been reported.
This marks the first known case of a domestic cat in the U.S. dying from H5N1 contracted through commercial pet food. The USDA has not yet indicated whether other brands may be affected.
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