March 10, 2025 – Savage Pet has shared an update with pet parents regarding a possible link between its raw cat food and a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Colorado.
In February, this year, a cat that had consumed Savage Cat Food contracted HPAI but later recovered. Initial genetic testing of sealed raw cat food packets returned a “not negative” result for the H5N1 variant of bird flu.
Not-negative is a technical laboratory term for results that are preliminary in nature. To determine infectiousness, further virus isolation testing is required.
However, further testing by a federal laboratory in early March found no evidence of H5N1 in the product through virus isolation tests.
Where was the affected product sold?
- Colorado and Mountain territory: 24 Large Chicken Boxes & 18 Small Chicken Boxes
- Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic territory: 30 Large Chicken Boxes
- Washington and Pacific Northwest territory: 12 Large Chicken Boxes
- California, Arizona and Nevada: 54 Small Chicken Boxes
Savage Pet statement
Savage Pet was made aware of one cat in Colorado who contracted avian influenza, got sick and recovered in February. Colorado State University Laboratory tested packets of Savage Cat Food using PCR testing for H5N1. The PCR test results were “not negative” for lot number 11152026 (chicken packets). The product with “not negative” PCR results was sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa for virus isolation testing. These virus isolation test results came back confirmed negative on 03/06/25.
Savage Pet has always been dedicated to the health of its feline consumers. All of our poultry ingredients are USDA inspected and passed. Our suppliers follow the National Poultry Improvement Plan and work under daily USDA inspection. Savage Pet has adhered to Good Manufacturing Practices and sanitation standard operating procedures for almost 10 years. We are confident that the supply-chain controls and pathogen controls we employ at the manufacturing level are effective.
As a precaution, every retailer who may have received the product with the lot code/best buy date in question was contacted. If consumers are still uncomfortable feeding raw poultry at this time, they can cook the packets in a sous vide at 165°F.
For full details visit Savage Pet.
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