FDA warns of H5N1 avian flu detection in raw cat food

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday warned pet owners after tests found a link between H5N1 avian influenza samples from a sick cat in San Francisco County and a brand of raw cat food containing chicken.

Cat illnesses and deaths from H5N1 have been linked before to raw food and raw milk consumption, which prompted earlier recalls from different companies.

In a statement, the FDA said the San Francisco County Department of Health learned that a cat became ill with H5N1 after eating Rawr Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats and was euthanized. County officials tested a sample from an open container of the product collected by the cat owner, revealing H5N1.

The product is sold in 2.5-pound resealable plastic bags in retail and online stores nationwide. The two lots have sell-by dates of September 18, 2026, and the brand’s 40-count 1-ounce slider product expires October 3, 2026. The company has a production facility based in Grass Valley, Calif. 

Samples from cat and food related, from B3.13 genotype

Whole-genome sequencing on samples from the cat and the food was performed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL). Earlier this week, the USDA posted a notification of a detection of H5N1 in a domestic cat from San Francico County with a collection date of July 13 and a detection date of August 29.

FDA testing on samples from the same company but a different lot number were positive for influenza A, and sequencing on one of the samples was positive for H5N1.

The FDA said it was concerned because testing of products from two different lots and the sample from the cat originated from a common contamination source and are related. Sequencing from all three samples were within the same cluster and involve a lineage detected in November and December 2024 that is no longer circulating.

NVSL testing of all three samples found that they belong to the B3.13 H5N1 genotype that circulated in dairy cows, then spread to commercial poultry farms across several states. The same genotype has been detected in raw cat food before and was implicated in cat illnesses and deaths.

So far, no human illnesses have been linked to exposure to H5N1-tainted cat food, the FDA said.

Company removed products but questions FDA communications

The company today posted a safety alert, saying it was deeply saddened by the illness and death of any cat, but claimed that the FDA waited weeks before providing information to help the company understand the investigations. 

It said it uses only USDA-inspected human food-grade chicken and that the H5N1 finding should be addressed at the USDA level. Rawr said the sample from the sick cat’s home was tested 6 weeks after the product was opened, raising the possibility that it might have been contaminated in the home environment. It added that products from the other lot were produced from a different poultry source. 

Out of an abundance of caution, the FDA said it removed products from both lots from the market weeks ago, well before the FDA’s announcement.

More detections in US turkeys, wild birds

In other H5N1 developments, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture reported an outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Dickey County, with the detection confirmed on August 30. The outbreak follows a USDA notification earlier this week regarding an outbreak at a South Dakota turkey farm.

Also, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today reported a detection in a backyard poultry flock from Henry County, Georgia. The location has 50 birds.

APHIS also added a few more detections in wild birds with August sample collection states, which include mallards from Idaho and Vermont, a black vulture from North Carolina, and a bald eagle from New York.