A cat death in Oregon linked to bird flu contamination in raw pet food has prompted warnings about the dangers of feeding raw diets to pets. The case marks the first documented instance of an indoor cat with no poultry or dairy exposure dying from the virus through raw food consumption. Experts advise against raw diets due to the risk of bacterial and viral contamination, noting that commercial pet foods undergo heat treatment to eliminate such risks.
against raw pet food s after a cat in Oregon was found to have died from a product contaminated by bird flu . The maker of that cat food, Northwest Naturals, has since recalled, either getting sick or dying, for years. There were no cases in the United States until 2022, experts say.
But “freezing is just a good way to preserve viruses,” said Dr. J. Scott Weese, a professor at the Ontario Veterinary College and director of the Center for Public Health and Zoonoses at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. “So you can’t say stick it in the freezer and that will get rid of the virus.”NBC News reached out for comment to three makers of freeze dried raw cat foods including Instinct, Stella & Chewy’s and Vital Essentials. They didn't respond.
In the meantime, the FDA warns against feeding raw foods that might have come from farms with infected animals, Goodwin said. “If you’re not sure of the origin of your products, it’s safest to thoroughly cook or pasteurize it to inactivate the virus.”On Dec. 20, Los Angeles County issued an advisory confirming bird flu had been detected in four domestic cats that had consumed recalled raw milk and in one that had consumed Northwest Naturals.
It’s likely that there have been more cats sickened by contaminated raw food, Scholz said. “This owner was very interested in knowing what had happened,” he said. “Not everyone does that. I expect we will probably find more cases either looking backward or looking forward.”“I’m fairly confident this is the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of people who are going to pay $100 to $200 to get their dead cat tested.
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Bird Flu in Raw Pet Food Leads to Cat Death and RecallA batch of raw frozen pet food from Northwest Naturals has been recalled after a cat died from bird flu. The Oregon Department of Agriculture believes the cat contracted the virus from the food.
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Oregon cat's death prompts nationwide recall of bird flu-contaminated pet foodNo human cases of bird flu have been linked to the incident.
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Oregon cat's death prompts nationwide recall of bird flu-contaminated pet foodNo human cases of bird flu have been linked to the incident.
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Oregon cat's death prompts nationwide recall of bird flu-contaminated pet foodNo human cases of bird flu have been linked to the incident.
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