Analysis: How Avian Flu Cases in Domestic Cats Can Impact the Manufacturing Industry

According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), it is believed that 40 domestic cats in the US have been infected with avian flu since 2025 began. With limited testing available, the true scope and causes of the outbreak remain unclear.
 

This has posed challenges for certain industry stakeholders, with at least some blame falling on raw cat food producers.
 

Raw Food Reeling

Only a few HPAI cases in cats have been traced directly to batches of pet food.
 

Oregon-based Northwest Naturals recalled its frozen raw turkey recipe in December after reports of HPAI contamination. Soon after, public health officials in California warned consumers against purchasing products from Monarch Raw Pet Food.
 

The company released a statement on 3 January denying this report. 'We want to assure our customers and the public that these claims are not substantiated by any scientific evidence at this time,' it said.
 

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In February, the Departments of Agriculture in Oregon and Washington released a warning to consumers after both states detected HPAI in cats who had eaten food from the raw brand Wild Coast Raw. On 1 March, the company announced an updated voluntary recall of many of its poultry products.
 

'We are fully confident in our quality control processes and procedures and their ability to ensure that our customers' pets are served safe and nutritious food,' Wild Coast's founder, Tyler Duncan, says in a statement. 'Our ingredients meet the highest industry standards and are inspected before use.'
 

Savage Cat Food was also reportedly linked to an HPAI case, but the company has since received negative test results from the National Veterinary Services Laboratories.
 

It's unclear how the ongoing HPAI scare may impact these and other raw pet food companies' bottom lines. Monarch Raw, Wild Coast and Northwest Naturals did not respond to requests for comment by GlobalPETS.
 

Tracing the Source

While the source of infection in the raw pet food cases is unclear, the nature of HPAI means that the virus likely ended up in the pet food after infecting poultry on farms. According to Veterinary Pathobiologist Scott Weese, it's often clear when HPAI reaches a farm. However, birds that are infected early may be slaughtered before the disease is detected and make their way into the food system.
 

In most cases, cooking or high-pressure pasteurizing can eliminate the virus from meat. However, raw pet food companies do not use these processes.
 

Weese says the virus seems to be spreading mostly through raw poultry. 'Beef-based diets are probably pretty low risk because even though it's endemic in dairy cattle, it really seems to focus on the udder – the virus concentrates there. It's shed in milk.'
 

Testing and Regulatory Landscape

Testing is variable across North America, as diagnostic labs have little standardization. Limited government monitoring of animals and animal food means some testing may only happen if a pet owner requests or pays for it. Weese states that this presents a barrier to getting samples and adequately mapping the problem.
 

'A lot of cats that have this virus tend to die fairly quickly,' he notes. 'Or if they're terminal and they get into clinic… that's hard for people to decide to spend money on a diagnostic test when their animal's dead.'
 

In January, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that dog and cat food producers will be required to consider HPAI in food safety plans. The agency states companies 'must identify and evaluate known or reasonably foreseeable hazards' associated with the flu. However, it did not outline specific testing requirements, and enforcement may be limited.
 

In response, the Pet Food Institute (PFI), which represents many US food manufacturers, announced its support for revisiting safety plans. 'Pet food makers love animals, and the safety of pet food is their highest priority. They recognize the risks to pets that are associated with HPAI, and they have strict processes in place to mitigate those risks,' PFI CEO Dana Brooks says.
 

PFI also cited Centers for Disease Control and American Veterinary Medical Association guidance, which advises against feeding pets raw food.

By Dan O'Connor

Source: GlobalPETS