Savage Pet has issued a recall of some of its raw chicken cat food products due to potential contamination with bird flu. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall on Saturday, affecting 66 large 84-ounce boxes and 74 smaller 21-ounce boxes. The recalled products bear a lot code/best-by date of 11152026.
The affected products come in cardboard boxes designed to resemble a cat’s head, with the raw chicken flavor identified by yellow outlining around the company’s logo. These items were distributed to retailers across five states: California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
The FDA has urged consumers who may have purchased the recalled cat food to refrain from feeding it to their pets or donating it. Instead, they are advised to return the products to the retailer for a full refund. Customers who have already fed the food to their cats should monitor them for potential symptoms of bird flu, also known as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1.
Symptoms in cats may include fever, lethargy, low appetite, inflamed eyes, nasal or eye discharge, difficulty breathing, and neurological issues such as tremors, lack of coordination, or blindness. Pet owners who notice these signs should contact a veterinarian immediately.
While no human cases of bird flu have been reported, the FDA also warned pet owners to watch for symptoms in themselves after handling the contaminated products. These may include eye redness, cough, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, and body aches.
This recall follows a similar action by Wild Coast LLC, which recently pulled its frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula raw pet food for cats due to possible bird flu contamination. The affected products, sold in 16-ounce or 24-ounce containers, were distributed at pet food retailers in Washington and Oregon. These products, packaged in small white plastic containers with green labels, carry lot numbers 22660, 22653, 22641, 22639, 22672, and 22664, and a Best By date of December 25.
The recall was triggered after testing by the Oregon and Washington State Departments of Agriculture found traces of H5N1 in both the affected cat food and the cats who had consumed it.
The American Veterinary Medical Association had earlier issued a warning regarding the potential spread of bird flu among cats.
Related topics
