Additional cat food company announces recall over H5N1 concerns

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On March 15, 2025, Savage Pet Food located in El Cajon, California, announced the recall of 66 Large Chicken Boxes 84 oz, and 74 Small Chicken Boxes 21 oz, because it has the potential to contain H5N1. The products have an affected lot/best by date of 11152026. The recalled products were distributed to retailers located in California, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.¹

“In February, Savage Pet was made aware of one cat in Colorado who contracted H5N1, got sick and recovered. Colorado State University Laboratory tested sealed packets of Savage Cat Food using PCR testing for H5N1. The PCR test results were “non-negative” for lot number 11152026 (chicken packets). The product with “non-negative” PCR results was sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa for virus isolation testing,” Savage Pet announced in a letter to its consumers.

“As a precautionary measure for our consumers, we initiated a market withdrawal while awaiting final test results. On 02/17/25 every retailer who may have received the lot code in question was contacted and informed to return it for proper destruction,” it continued.²

On March 6, 2025, the NSVL confirmed through virus isolation testing results that the virus was negative. Following this, on March 13, 2025, Savage Pet was notifed of an additional case in New York of a kitten that was fed lot 11152026 and was confirmed to have avian flu. Further testing is ongoing.

Clients that fed their pets the recalled products are instructed by the FDA to look out for symptoms of H5N1, including fever, lethargy, low appetite, reddened or inflamed eyes, difficult breathing, discharge from the eyes, and neurological systems such as tremors, seizure, lack of coordination, stiff body movements, or blindness. If a cat is showing these signs after ingesting the product, the client should contact their veterinarian immediately.

RELATED: From poultry to public health: Understanding the H5N1 threat

At this point in time, no human H5N1 infections have been identified in people handling raw pet food products, but humans can become infected if the live virus enters their eyes, nose, or mouth. Veterinarians should instruct any clients that handled the recalled products to watch for symptoms, including runny/stuffy nose, muscle/body aches, fatigue, fever, headaches, seizure, trouble breathing, rash, nausea and/or vomiting, and diarrhea. If any clients exhibit these symptoms, they should contact their healthcare provider and local health department.

“Savage Pet has always been dedicated to the health of its feline consumers. All of our poultry ingredients are USDA-inspected and passed for human consumption. Our suppliers follow the National Poultry Improvement Plan which monitors for H5/H7 and work under daily USDA inspection. Savage Pet has adhered to Good Manufacturing Practices and sanitation standard operating procedures for 10 years,” the company expressed.

“All retailers who may have received the product with lot code/best by date of 11152026 which was sold in Large and Small Chicken Boxes in November 2024 have been contacted. Any consumers who may still have the affected lot code are urged to return it to their retailer for a full refund,” it continued.

Savage Pet is not the first cat food company to issue a recall over its feline raw pet food diet. In February 2025, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Agriculture issued a warning to pet owners feeding their pets of raw pet food after multiple indoor cats were diagnosed with avian influenza.³ After consulting with their veterinarian, the owners decided to euthanize their cats based on the severity of their illness. When officials looked into potential sources of the illness, they discovered all of the infected cats were fed the same brand of raw pet food.

References

1. Savage Pet Recalls Savage Cat Food Chicken – Large and Small Boxes Because of Possible Bird Flu Health Risk. US Food and Drug Administration. March 15, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/savage-pet-recalls-savage-cat-food-chicken-large-and-small-boxes-because-possible-bird-flu-health
2. Avian Influenza. Savage Pet. Updated March 14, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2025. https://savagecatfood.com/avian-influenza/
3. McCafferty C. WSDA and ODA identifies raw pet food as source of bird flu infections. dvm360. Published February 18, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/wsda-and-oda-identifies-raw-pet-food-as-source-of-bird-flu-infections