Up to 5 Cats Sick After Bird Flu Found in Raw Pet Food Brand, Marking the Second Such Occurrence in Weeks
One cat was confirmed positive for bird flu, while four others from the same household are believed to be ill as well
One cat was confirmed positive for bird flu, while four others from the same household are believed to be ill as well Kannika Paison/Getty A cat eating food (stock image).:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/cat-eating-food-010225-tout-6018d07832534ad6bc3ae398ddb5a99d.jpg "Cat Eating food")
Up to five house cats are sick after raw pet food they consumed was found to contain bird flu.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) said in a news release on Dec. 31 that Monarch Raw Pet Food that was sold at several farmers markets in California contains traces of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus.
Per the organization, one feline that consumed the pet food product has been confirmed positive for bird flu. Four other cats from the same household who also ate the food, meanwhile, "are presumed to have also been positive," the DPH said.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Monarch Raw Pet Food said, "The entire team at Monarch Raw Food Pet Company is committed to the health and safety of pets and their owners. ... At Monarch Raw Food Pet Company, we adhere to the highest industry standards when it comes to quality and safety. The ingredients that we purchase for our products undergo rigorous testing and quality assurance processes to ensure they are safe for pets. There is currently no credible evidence to suggest that our raw food products are linked to avian influenza or any other health risks."
They added, "We understand the concern that misinformation can cause within our community, and we take these allegations seriously. The well-being of the pets we serve is our top priority. We are actively monitoring the situation and will collaborate with veterinary and health professionals to investigate this claim thoroughly. ... We are committed to reviewing our manufacturing processes and safety protocols to ensure the highest quality of our products."
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Nico De Pasquale Photography/Getty A cat eating food (stock image).
The occurrence marks the second time that a warning was issued about raw pet food in December 2024.
Northwest Naturals, a Portland-based pet food company, issued a nationwide recall on Dec. 24 after a house cat in Oregon died after eating one of its products, according to a press release.
The batch of products believed to contain the bird flu virus, the release said, was sold across the United States through distributors in Arizona, California, Colorado, Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Washington. The products were also distributed in British Columbia, Canada.
"We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food," said Oregon Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz, per an official statement.
"This cat was strictly an indoor cat," he continued. "It was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and infected cat were exact matches to each other."
