Bird flu cat food recall UK: Is cat food being recalled in the UK? Which foods have been recalled in the US?

On Saturday, Wild Coast LLC dba Wild Coast Raw said it was recalling its frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula raw pet food for cats.

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a notice saying that it was possible that the food would be contaminated with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 also known as bird flu.

The statement continued: “People who fed pets the recalled products should watch for symptoms of bird flu in their pets, including fever, lethargy, low appetite, reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and neurological signs like tremors, stiff body movements, seizure, lack of coordination, or blindness.

“People with pets exhibiting these signs after feeding this product should contact their veterinarian. While no human infections have been identified among people handling raw pet food products, people can become infected if the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth. People should wash their hands and handling the raw product and sanitize contact surfaces such as countertops, refrigerators, bowls, or utensils.”

This strain has been found in the UK, including in farms in Lincolnshire, and wild seals on the north Norfolk Coast, as well as in wild birds in the area, says the UK’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). However, it has not been found in any pet food.

The US products in question were sold in Washington State and Oregon. They come frozen in a small round white plastic container with a green label, and the FDA said the affected lots were #22660, #22653, #22641, #22639, #22672 and #22664 with a Best Buy date of 12/25. The recall is widened to include any raw material sharing similar production dates and lot codes as #22660 and #22664, and these two codes were included in a public health alert on February 14.

Bird flu has caused huge problems in the US recently, and is one of the main drivers behind the rising cost of eggs as millions of chickens have been killed in a bid to limit the spread.

A man from Louisiana, who was over 65, died in January after being taken to hospital with severe respiratory symptoms. The patient reportedly had underlying medical conditions, and had been in contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock. Since March, there have been 70 confirmed bird flu infections in the US.

At the end of last year Portland pet food company Northwest Naturals issued a North American recall after a cat died from eating a batch of their cat food, which was contaminated with bird flu. At the time, the company recalled its two-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food.

It comes just days after the first feline case of H5 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) in New Jersey was confirmed in a feral cat from Hunterdon County, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

The case was confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory. It follows cases in other states.

The New Jersey Department of Health said: “The cat developed severe disease, including neurologic signs, and was humanely euthanized. Other cats on the same property were also reported ill, and one additional indoor-outdoor cat was subsequently confirmed positive for H5 HPAI. Other tests are still pending, and the investigation is ongoing.”

Humans can contract H5 HPAI but usually this is people who have close contact with infected cattle. None of the recent US cases are thought to have come from contact with cats.

Cats are susceptible to H5 HPAI and can experience severe disease and high mortality when infected. Potential exposure sources of H5 HPAI for cats include eating raw (unpasteurised) milk or raw/undercooked meat contaminated with the virus, infected birds or other animals and their environments, or exposure to contaminated clothing or items (fomites) worn or used on affected premises.