An organization in Washington State voluntarily recalled a uncooked meals product for cats this week due to the potential danger that it might have been contaminated with hen flu amid outbreaks in poultry and cows throughout the US, federal security regulators mentioned.
Wild Coast Uncooked of Olympia, Wash., issued the recall for its frozen Boneless Free Vary Hen Method uncooked pet meals for cats, according to a statement issued on Saturday by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration. At the very least one pet had died after consuming the product, the corporate mentioned.
The product, which had been distributed to pet meals retailers in Washington and Oregon, “has the potential to be contaminated with Extremely Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 often known as hen flu,” the F.D.A. mentioned.
“The recall is a precautionary measure,” Tyler Duncan, the founding father of the corporate, said in a social media post.
In a letter to customers, printed on the corporate’s web site, Mr. Duncan mentioned: “The protection of our merchandise and that of our prospects’ beloved pets is all the time our prime precedence. We have been devastated to be taught of the passing of a beloved pet, and our hearts exit to the proprietor.”
The F.D.A. mentioned that the corporate and the Washington State Division of Agriculture have been working collectively to deal with the supply of the issue.
The recall impacts 16 oz. and 24 oz. sizes of the rooster components, which is frozen in a small spherical white plastic container with a inexperienced label. The affected heaps, recognized by a sticker on the lid, embody these with the numbers #22660, #22653, #22641, #22639, #22672 and #22664, with a finest purchase date of December 2025.
Scientists have said that cats are extremely vulnerable to the virus. At the very least 99 home cats have been infected since late 2022, in response to the U.S. Division of Agriculture. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention has reported six human cases and one death in relation to the outbreak.
Whereas there have been no reported human infections amongst individuals who deal with uncooked pet meals merchandise, folks can turn into contaminated if the virus will get into an individual’s eyes, nostril or mouth, in response to the F.D.A.
Customers who fed their pets the recalled items must be looking out for signs of hen flu, which may embody fever, lethargy, low urge for food and reddened or infected eyes. Different associated signs embody discharge from the eyes and nostril, problem respiration and neurological indicators like tremors, stiff physique actions, seizure, lack of coordination or blindness.
“Individuals with pets exhibiting these indicators after feeding this product ought to contact their veterinarian,” the F.D.A. mentioned. Individuals who have purchased the recalled product ought to discard it, the company added.
The recall was introduced days after the Washington State Division of Agriculture alerted pet owners on Feb. 26 that at the least two home indoor cats in two counties had examined constructive for hen flu. The pet homeowners had reported feeding their cats the possibly contaminated pet meals that was recalled.
One cat was euthanized due to “the severity of the sickness,” the state’s agriculture division mentioned, noting that the second cat was being handled by a veterinarian.
