A Washington state-based company has announced it has issued a voluntary recall for a brand of cat food due to potential bird flu contamination.
The Food and Drug Administration said that Wild Coast of Olympia, Washington, announced the recall on March 1. It includes its frozen Boneless Free Range Chicken Formula raw pet food for cats “because it has the potential to be contaminated with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 also known as bird flu. H5N1 can be transmitted to animals eating contaminated product.”
The recalled item comes in 16 and 24-ounce packaging that was distributed in Washington state and Oregon. The lots in question feature the numbers #22660, #22653, #22641, #22639, #22672 and #22664 with a best buy date of December 2025.
“This recall is a precautionary measure,” Wild Coast founder Tyler Duncan said in a Facebook post the company shared March 3.
Wild Coast founder Tyler Duncan noted in a letter posted on the company’s website that the recall is “out of an abundance of caution” and that one pet has died.
‘The safety of our products and that of our customers’ beloved pets is always our top priority. We were devastated to learn of the passing of a beloved pet, and our hearts go out to the owner,” he wrote.
The recall comes after the Washington State Department of Agriculture announced in February that two cats had tested positive for bird flu. That came after the WSDA issued a warning about the virus following tests performed on unopened containers of pet food manufactured by Wild Coast.
The FDA recall states that anyone who may have given the products to their pets are advised to look out for any bird flu symptoms, 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. Anyone with pets who have these symptoms should reach out to their veterinarian.
Consumers with the affected products should throw them out and not sell or donate them.
No human has gotten bird flu from coming in contact with raw pet food, per the recall notice. The first person to die from bird flu in the United States was confirmed in January.