Pet Food Recall: Northwest Nationals Recalled Nationwide After Cat Dies From Bird Flu

A voluntary pet food recall has been issued nationwide after a cat died from eating a product contaminated with bird flu.

Axios reports that health officials in Los Angeles County also cautioned pet owners against giving their cats raw food after Northwest Naturals recalled its 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe brand.

A house cat in Washington County, Oregon, “contracted H5N1 and died after consuming the raw frozen pet food,” according to a statement released by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) on Tuesday, Dec. 24, following testing by health officials.

“Tests confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat,” the statement added.

“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” said ODA State Veterinarian Ryan Scholz in a statement, per the outlet. “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 pet food recall-affected product was distributed by wholesalers in the Canadian province of British Columbia as well as in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington. Northwest Naturals is voluntarily recalling the product, per a statement posted on its website.

The Latest Pet Food Recall

Northwest Naturals is the latest company to be hit with a recall. Last month, the FDA issued a pet food recall for a popular brand of dog treats following a salmonella contamination.

Due to potential salmonella contamination, 400 16-ounce bags of dog treats named “Hollywood Feed Carolina Made Chicken Chips” from Carolina Prime Pet Inc. of Lenoir, North Carolina, were recalled.

Although no illnesses have been connected to this product, the company initiated the recall as a precaution to ensure the safety of customers and dogs.

On the back of the iconic purple-and-black box, consumers can find the affected product by looking for lot number 20051324L2 and an expiration date of Nov. 13, 2025. The company emphasized that this specific lot number is the only one in its product line that may be compromised.

Following routine quality control processes, the potential contamination was identified when testing by a third-party laboratory found contamination in a related but commercially unreleased lot of the same product.