PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Washington County, Oregon home cat died after consuming pet meals that examined constructive for chook flu, Oregon authorities stated, prompting a recall of uncooked frozen pet meals that was bought nationwide.
Northwest Naturals, a pet meals firm based mostly in Portland, Oregon, stated Tuesday it had voluntarily recalled one batch of its two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe uncooked frozen pet meals after it examined constructive for the virus. The product was bought by distributors in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin, in addition to Canada’s British Columbia.
“We are assured that this cat contracted H5N1 by consuming the Northwest Naturals uncooked and frozen pet meals,” Oregon Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz stated in a Tuesday information launch. “This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not uncovered to the virus in its atmosphere, and outcomes from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the uncooked pet meals and contaminated cat had been precise matches to one another.”
The recalled product is packaged in two-pound plastic baggage with “finest if utilized by” dates of May 21, 2026, and June 23, 2026. The firm and Oregon authorities stated that buyers who purchased the recalled product ought to throw it away instantly and speak to the place of buy for a refund.
No human circumstances of chook flu have been linked to the incident, however those that had been in touch with the cat are being monitored for flu signs, Oregon authorities stated.
More than 60 folks in eight states have been contaminated, with largely delicate sicknesses, in line with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. One particular person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with the nation’s first recognized extreme sickness brought on by the virus, well being officers stated final week.
So far, the CDC has confirmed one human case of chook flu in Oregon. The particular person was linked to a beforehand reported outbreak at a industrial poultry operation and absolutely recovered after experiencing delicate sickness, in line with a November information launch from the Oregon Health Authority.
In late October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture introduced {that a} pig at a yard farm in Oregon was discovered to have chook flu, marking the primary detection of the virus in U.S. swine.
