The New York City Health Department (NYC Health Department) has advised pet owners to avoid feeding their pets Savage Cat Food after bird flu (H5N1) was detected in two cats and suspected in a third, all linked to the company’s poultry packets (lot number 11152026). The company has also shared the recall announcement through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcements webpage. In a statement by the NYC Health Department, the Cat A has reportedly developed fever, appetite loss, and severe respiratory distress after consumption of the contaminated raw food. The cat reportedly died due to the infection. Cat B, diagnosed with H5N1 last month and experienced fever and severe respiratory and liver disease also died due to the infection. Unlike Cat A, this cat did not eat the food but was exposed to Cat C, which became ill after consuming Savage Cat Food. Cat C survived, but testing for H5 was not conducted. The FDA has been tracking H5N1 cases in cats in multiple states linked to contaminated raw food products, including California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Cats can contract H5N1 by consuming infected raw pet food, milk, or poultry. There are no current reports of dogs infected with the virus in the United States, and human infection remains low. “In collaboration with local, state, and federal animal health officials, the New York City Health Department has confirmed that two separate cats, and possibly a third, were infected with bird flu and have been linked to a raw poultry pet food product from Savage Cat Food. We strongly encourage New Yorkers whose cats are experiencing illness after consuming Savage Cat Food products or other raw meat or dairy products to contact their veterinarian,” says NYC Health Department acting commissioner, Michelle Morse, MD, MPH. “The current risk to New Yorkers of bird flu remains low. Bird flu viruses present a wider risk to the general public only if the virus develops the ability to transmit between people — which we have not seen at this time.”
