California raw cat food recall issued by FDA due to possible bird flu contamination
A San Diego County pet food company that specializes in raw food for cats is recalling its product because of the potential it may contain H5N1, also known as bird flu.
Savage Pet of El Cajon is recalling 66 Large Chicken Boxes (84 ounces) and 74 Small Chicken Boxes (21 ounces) with the lot code/best by date of 11152026.
The boxes contain frozen California certified organic chicken and were distributed to retailers in California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.
Savage cat food was sold widely in California, including Whitie’s Pets in Fresno, Caldron’s Pets Choice in Modesto and Carters Pet Mart, which has stores in Modesto, Lodi, Stockton and Manteca.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have, so far, investigated two cases of cats that ate Savage Pet food and got sick.
In February, Savage Pet was made aware of a cat who contracted H5N1, got sick and recovered. Further testing did not detect the presence of the virus at the time of testing.
On March 6, the company learned of a kitten in New York that also ate from the recalled lot of food and also became ill with bird flu. Further testing is ongoing, the FDA said in a news release.
Nationwide, the poultry industry has been devastated by an outbreak of the H5N1 virus, resulting in the deaths of millions of chickens, turkeys and wild birds. The virus has also spread to the dairy industry where it has infected dairy cattle in 17 states, including California.
More than a dozen cats have become sick or died from bird flu in raw food, according to the FDA.
Animal health experts advise that if your cat ate one of the recalled products, you should watch for symptoms, including fever, lethargy, low appetite, reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and neurological signs like tremors, stiff body movements, seizure, lack of coordination, or blindness.
People with cats exhibiting these signs after feeding the recalled product should immediately contact their veterinarian, the FDA says.
“While no human infections have been identified among people handling raw pet food products, humans can become infected if live virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth. People should wash their hands while handling raw products and sanitize contact surfaces. People who handled the recalled products should watch for symptoms of bird flu, including eye redness or irritation (conjunctivitis), cough, sore throat, sneezing, runny/stuffy nose, muscle/body aches, headaches, fatigue, fever, trouble breathing, seizures, rash, diarrhea, nausea, and/or vomiting,” according to FDA officials.
For more information contact the company at info@savagecatfood.com or by calling 619-270-0295.
