The New York City health department is warning cat parents to stop using Savage Cat Food — a brand the city says is likely tied to at least three cases of feline bird flu in the last two months.
Health officials said the company — which markets raw, “prey-based” food — had been linked to two house cats who tested positivefor bird flu and died.
Avian flu has wreaked havoc on animal populations and food prices in New York and around the U.S. The health department said the risk to humans is low.
Savage said it was made aware of another possible cat infection in Colorado earlier this year and issued a letter in mid-February to retailers and consumers, recalling the affected products and warning people of the potential danger.
The health department said to report illnesses immediately and avoid the brand along with any other product that includes raw food.
“We strongly encourage New Yorkers whose cats are experiencing illness after consuming Savage Cat Food products or other raw meat or dairy products to contact their veterinarian,” said acting city health commissioner, Dr. Michelle Morse in a statement issued Saturday.
She added, “Bird flu viruses present a wider risk to the general public only if the virus develops the ability to transmit between people — which we have not seen at this time.”
The health department said one of the cats was hospitalized this month after exhibiting a fever, a loss of appetite and extreme difficulty breathing. Another cat linked to Savage was diagnosed last month with H5N1, the medical designation for the disease, and had similar symptoms. A third city cat also linked to Savage products likely had bird flu but survived and it’s now too late to test for the infection, officials said.
Savage co-founder Audrey Brady said the company was notified of the issue in February. In a statement she said “we are incredibly saddened” by the deaths and added the company issued a recall notice on February 17 after a customer in Colorado reported their cat had fallen ill.
“The product in question was then sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa for virus isolation testing,” she said. “As a precautionary measure for our consumers, we initiated a market withdrawal while awaiting final test results.”
Company and city officials said the poultry in question was part of a specific lot, code 11152026.
During the current outbreak, bird flu has been detected in 48 flocks of birds across New York state. Seven of those detections occurred in live poultry markets in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island in March alone, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Those infections were reported after Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered several live poultry markets in New York City to shut down temporarily last month, following several previous detections.
City officials urged pet owners to keep cats indoors and to steer dogs clear of any dead animals.
Caroline Lewis contributed reporting.
link