Pet Food Recalled In PA After Animal Dies Of Bird Flu

Pet food distributed in 12 states, including Pennsylvania, was recalled after a cat died of bird flu contracted through the food, according to authorities.

Oregon-based Northwest Naturals is voluntarily recalling its 2-pound Turkey Recipe raw and frozen pet food after it tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the Oregon Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.

The recalled product is packaged in plastic bags with “Best if used by” dates of 05/21/26 B10 and 06/23/2026 B1.

“We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food,” State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz said in a department news release. “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.”

No human cases have been linked to the incident, according to officials in Oregon.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled product should immediately discard the product and contact the place of purchase for a full refund.

More than 60 people in eight states have been infected with H5N1, mostly with mild illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person in Louisiana had been hospitalized with the nation's first known severe illness caused by the virus, health officials said last week.

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, which is tearing through dairy cows in the state and causing sporadic illnesses in people.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.