Oregon House Cat Died After Eating Pet Food That Tested Positive For Bird Flu

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon home cat died after consuming pet meals that examined optimistic for chook flu, Oregon authorities stated, prompting a recall of uncooked frozen pet meals that was offered nationwide.

Northwest Naturals, a pet meals firm based mostly in Portland, Oregon, stated Tuesday it had voluntarily recalled one batch of its two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe uncooked frozen pet meals after it examined optimistic for the virus. The product was offered by distributors in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, in addition to Canada’s British Columbia.

“We’re assured that this cat contracted H5N1 by consuming the Northwest Naturals uncooked and frozen pet meals,” Oregon Division of Agriculture State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz stated in a Tuesday information launch. “This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not uncovered to the virus in its surroundings, and outcomes from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the uncooked pet meals and contaminated cat have been actual matches to one another.”

The recalled product is packaged in two-pound plastic luggage with “finest if utilized by” dates of Might 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026. The corporate and Oregon authorities stated that buyers who purchased the recalled product ought to throw it away instantly and speak to the place of buy for a refund.

No human instances of chook flu have been linked to the incident, however those that have been involved with the cat are being monitored for flu signs, Oregon authorities stated.

Greater than 60 individuals in eight states have been contaminated, with principally delicate diseases, in accordance with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, or CDC. One particular person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with the nation’s first recognized extreme sickness attributable to the virus, well being officers stated final week.

Thus far, the CDC has confirmed one human case of chook flu in Oregon. The particular person was linked to a beforehand reported outbreak at a industrial poultry operation and totally recovered after experiencing delicate sickness, in accordance with a November information launch from the Oregon Well being Authority.

In late October, the U.S. Division of Agriculture introduced {that a} pig at a yard farm in Oregon was discovered to have chook flu, marking the primary detection of the virus in U.S. swine.