Since the announcement by Oregon Department of Agriculture in late December 2024 that a raw pet food was the source of avian flu that caused a cat death (which turned out later the pet food was NOT the source of the cat’s infection), the number one question I’ve received from pet owners is: ‘should I stop feeding my cat raw food?’ 

My response to these questions remains: I am still feeding my own pets (5 cats, 2 dogs) both raw food and cooked food, part commercial and part home prepared. I have not changed the way I feed my own pets, and I have not changed the style of food I give my own pets – nor do I have any plans to change. 

For the most part, pet owners have ONLY been told about avian flu being detected in cats when it was linked to raw pet food or raw milk. But, when you look at what regulatory authorities have NOT told us…the data tells us a different story about avian flu. 

According to the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected in 105 domestic cats since May 2022 (in the US). 

Below is a USA map indicating the detection of HPAI in mammals (from May 2022 through March 4, 2025). 

When you look closely at the above map, the various icons on the map indicate the species of animal detected to have been infected with HPAI. The small black box is the icon for domestic cat HPAI detections. Notice that these cat HPAI detections are not uniform across the US. In fact, in the area of the map color coded as light blue (the eastern section of the US) – there is only one case of domestic cat infection. 

To the contrary, pet foods are distributed nationwide. IF pet food was the source of HPAI infections in cats – we should see a map with a uniform distribution of cases across the US. 

The majority of these 105 domestic cat cases (and perhaps all of these cases) were linked to: “Infection is thought to have happened via exposure to infected birds or other animals. In late March and early April 2024, Texas reported detection of HPAI A(H5N1) in several cats from several dairy farms experiencing HPAI A(H5N1) virus infections in dairy cows, suggesting the virus spread to the cats either from affected dairy cows, raw cow milk, or from wild birds associated with those farms.” 

Which aligns with more information from the Centers for Disease Control, confirming the risk of raw pet food is minimal. 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a guidance document outlining the agency’s recommendations “for preventing human exposures to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses and infection prevention and control measures.” This guidance from CDC shares a risk category by exposure table, explaining the “categories of individual risk for influenza A(H5N1) virus infection by setting and exposure.” 

This CDC guidance states (note – this guidance is directed towards human exposure, not specifically pet exposure): 

Considered: “HIGH RISK OF EXPOSURE“. 

• “Working on farms with poultry or cows with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) virus infection or sick poultry or cows exposed to those with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) virus infection; known close animal contact.”

Examples provided for risk activities on farms include: 

• Milking cows
• Getting splashed in face or eyes with raw milk from cows
• Feeding or watering poultry or cows
• Handling carcasses of dead cows, poultry culling, depopulation, butchering, evisceration

Considered: “HIGH RISK OF EXPOSURE“. 

• “Close or prolonged contact with wild birds with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) virus infection or their contaminated environments; known close bird contact.”

Note: “close bird contact” was expressed as within 6 feet. 

Examples provided for risk activities of close bird contact include: 

• People in direct contact with sick or dead wild birds
• People involved in depopulation/culling of wild birds
• Wildlife agency employees in direct contact with sick or dead wild birds, including defeathering, carcass removal and disposal
• Hunters who handle wild birds
• Touching surfaces or materials (e.g., animal litter or bedding material) contaminated by wild birds with saliva, mucous, or feces

With regards to raw milk… 

Considered: “Currently, level of risk to humans is unknown but high level of concern based on available animal data.” 

Example provided for risk of raw milk: “Drinking, consuming or exposure to contaminated raw cow’s milk from cows with confirmed or suspected HPAI A(H5N1) virus infection or other products made from contaminated raw cow’s milk.” 

And significantly, the CDC’s perspective on consumption of raw meat/eggs… 

Considered: “LOW RISK OF EXPOSURE”. 

• “Consuming potentially raw or undercooked poultry products or eggs from poultry with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) virus infection.”

Again, this CDC guidance is solely based on human risk – not pet risk – but, the information provided seems very clear; the greatest risk of HPAI virus infection is NOT consuming raw meat or eggs (raw pet food). The greatest risk of HPAI virus infection is with close animal contact to infected wild birds and infected poultry and cattle. 

One more statistic. 

The AVMA states there were 73.8 million cats in US in 2024. The category of raw pet food is between 2-3% of the US pet food market. 

If 2% of US cats were eating a raw pet food, that would be 1,476,000 cats consuming a raw pet food daily. IF the cases of HPAI currently being investigated test to confirm the pet food was the source (estimating 5 potential cases), the risk of raw pet food exposing your cat to HPAI is an estimated 0.0003%. 

The greater risk (to me)…feed grade pet food. 

In a FDA Warning Letter issued to Mid America pet food, the agency stated “FDA Investigators observed rainwater entering your facility through the roof while you were manufacturing multiple lots of dog food.“ 

Bird feces on the roof of this facility could contaminate the pet food with HPAI. 

In an inspection report of a Mars Petcare facility, the FDA noted this pet food manufacturer: 

1. Failure to inspect, segregate, or otherwise handle raw materials and ingredients used in manufacturing under conditions that will protect the animal food against contamination and minimize deterioration.
2. Failure to take effective measures to exclude pests from your plant and protect against contamination of animal food by pests

In 2008, in a Petco distribution center: “During an FDA inspection of a PETCO distribution center in April, widespread and active rodent and bird infestation was found. The FDA inspected the facility again in May and found continuing and widespread infestation.” 

Feed grade pet foods and feed grade manufacturing are NOT held to the same safety standards as human food. With known contamination risks being high with wild birds, manufacturing and warehousing standards must be free of bird infestations to protect the safety of the pet foods. 

With relation to pets, the CDC states: “Sick animals may be able to transmit influenza virus to people in their saliva, feces or droppings, and other body fluids. Human infections can occur when the virus is inhaled or gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth. This can happen when virus is in the air (in droplets or dust) and a person breathes it in, or when a person touches something that has virus on it and then touches their mouth, eyes, or nose.” 

Every pet owner has to make up their own mind to what they feel is safe for their own pets. For me, I am putting my trust in pet foods manufactured and warehoused to human food safety standards.

 

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food