Federal health authorities are issuing warnings to cat owners regarding specific batches of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats following a San Francisco pet cat’s infection with the H5N1 bird flu virus, which resulted in the animal being euthanized.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) disclosed that two batches of the product tested positive for the H5N1 virus. San Francisco health officials subsequently verified that the identical strain was present in both the pet food and the infected cat.
This marks the first documented instance of an H5N1 infection in pet cats connected to raw pet food since March. Notably, close to 70 cats across the nation have tested positive for the virus this year, based on information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Experts indicate that many of these infections stem from consuming raw pet food or raw milk that has been contaminated with H5N1.
According to the FDA, the impacted batches of RAWR Raw Cat Food Chicken Eats include:
- Lot CCS 25 077 — sell-by date Sept. 18, 2026 • Lot CCS 250 093 — sell-by date Oct. 3, 2026
The products are available in frozen 2.5-pound resealable bags containing 40 1-ounce sliders of food. RAWR food has distribution channels nationwide and through online platforms.
While the FDA has not issued an official recall, the company reports it withdrew the affected lots from distribution several weeks ago, The Associated Press said.
Animals that are very young, advanced in age, or have weakened immune systems face a greater chance of developing the illness.
While no human cases in the United States have been connected to handling raw pet food, health experts caution that infection is still possible if the live virus comes into contact with a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth.