#18,619
My thanks to Lisa Schnirring at CIDRAP for forwarding the following press release from the Oregon Department of Agriculture that - while dated the 13th - appears to have been emailed out today. It reports on two households with H5N1 infected cats, once again linked to raw commercial cat food.
In December and January we saw several similar incidents in California, Oregon, and Washington state (see LA County Animal HAN: H5 Bird Flu Confirmed in Three Additional Domestic Cats in LA County & in One Commercially Available Raw Pet Food Product).First the statement from Oregon, followed by a public health alert from the WSDA (Washington State Department of Agriculture) on the raw pet food.
Detections of HPAI in Domestic Cats
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) are warning pet owners about the risks of raw pet food after tests confirm Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in two cats living in different households in Multnomah County, Oregon. The owners of the cats, in consultation with their veterinarians, elected to humanely euthanize the pets due to the severity of the illness. ODA confirmed both cats ate the same brand of raw pet food before becoming ill.
In both cases, the veterinarians followed the correct protocol in reporting the illness to ODA. Agency staff collected samples from the affected cats and opened containers of the raw pet food, providing additional unopened containers to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) for additional testing. Tests conducted by the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ODVL) at Oregon State University and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of HPAI in both cats and the food samples.
In response to these findings as well as additional testing performed by WSDA, a public health alert has been issued by WSDA warning consumers about the risk of HPAI in certain lots of raw pet food produced by Wild Coas Raw in Olympia, WA. Consumers are urged to check the lot numbers on Wild Coast Raw products at home. If they match the affected lots, pet owners should stop feeding the product to their animals immediately. For more information on the health alert involving Wild Coast Raw pet food, please contact the Washington State Department of Agriculture .
Cats, including both domestic and wild cats, such as tigers, mountain lions, lynx, etc., are particularly sensitive to H5N1 avian influenza, and care should be taken not to expose these animals to the virus. Dogs can also contract H5N1, though they appear less susceptible to the virus than cats. Tips to help protect your pet from H5N1:
The alert from the WSDA follows:If you suspect your pet has H5N1, please immediately contact your veterinarian and tell them about any risk factors. Veterinarians must immediately report any suspected cases of influenza in animals to the Oregon Department of Agriculture at (503) 986-4711.
- Do not feed your pet undercooked or raw meat, including uncooked or freeze-dried meat-based diets, treats, or animal products.
- Do not feed your pet raw (unpasteurized) milk or colostrum.
- Prevent pets from eating birds or other wild animals.
- Wash your hands after touching raw meat and interacting with poultry, livestock, or animals outside your household.
- Consider changing clothing and shoes after interacting with animals or birds with unknown health status and before interacting with your own pets.
- Contact your veterinarian if your pet appears sick. Tell your veterinarian if your pet has been exposed to raw meat, raw milk, or wild waterfowl.
Public health monitors all people exposed to animals infected with HPAI through 10 days following their last exposure. There have been no documented human cases of HPAI following exposure to an infected cat.
Raw pet food identified as source of bird flu infection to house cats
WSDA Media contact: Amber Betts 360-628-3477
OLYMPIA – OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) are warning pet owners about the risks of raw pet food after indoor cats in Oregon became ill from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or H5N1) beginning in early February 2025.
The owners of the cats, in consultation with their veterinarians, have elected to euthanize due to the severity of the illness. Upon further investigation into the source of the illness, officials found the cats all consumed the same brand of raw pet food before becoming ill.
After receiving reports of the illnesses, ODA collected samples from the affected cats pre- and post-mortem, and from open containers of the raw pet food. Tests conducted by the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ODVL) at Oregon State University and the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of HPAI in both cats and the food samples.
This public health notice was initiated in response to these findings and further testing conducted by WSDA on unopened containers of the raw pet food, manufactured by Wild Coast Raw. Consumers are urged to check the lot numbers on Wild Coast, LLC products at home. For more information and specific lot numbers, visit the Washington State Department of Agriculture recalls and health alerts webpage.
Pets with H5N1 infections may have a fever, lethargy, low appetite, reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and neurological signs like tremors, seizure, incoordination, or blindness. If your pet has consumed this product and has any of these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian immediately.
While no human infections have been identified among those handling raw pet food products, people can become infected if the virus enters their eyes, nose or mouth — such as by handling contaminated pet food or touching contaminated surfaces, especially without thoroughly washing their hands afterward. Although the current human health risk is low, those exposed to H5N1 should monitor themselves for symptoms like eye redness or irritation (conjunctivitis), cough, sore throat, sneezing, runny/stuffy nose, muscle/body aches, headaches, fatigue, fever, trouble breathing, diarrhea, nausea and/or vomiting, and pet owners or handlers showing these signs should contact their healthcare providers.
