A man in Oregon filed a lawsuit against wild coast pet food this week after he died of cat flu. The lawsuit says the company misled consumers when selling raw chicken foods to health, but failed to acknowledge potential risks such as the possibility of consuming foods infected with H5N1 infection.
Tim Hanson filed a lawsuit seeking less than $8,000 in damages, covering veterinary bills and attorney fees, according to KTVB 7 in Oregon. Hanson adopted Kira in 2021 and told the news outlet that he usually feeds his cat raw food, just like a chicken that kills cats because “I believe in its health benefits.” It is not clear that Hansen believes can come from the health benefits of raw chickens.
Hansen told KTVB 7 that he bought wild coast pet food brand food in January, but one day in early February, Kira stopped eating. Hansen told the news media that he took her to the vet on February 5 and tests confirmed Kira had a bird flu a few days later. Kira is sick and she must be euthanized on February 9.
Washington-based Wild Coast recalled its 16-ounce and 24-ounce frozen boneless free-range chicken formula raw food cats on March 1. The food is for sale in Washington and Oregon.
A warning for recall, which is posted on the FDA website:
People feeding pets should pay attention to symptoms of bird flu in pets, including fever, lethargy, low appetite, redness or inflammation of the eyes, discharge of the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, and tremors, stiff body movement, seizures, seizures, lack of coordination or blindness. After feeding this product, people with pets showing these signs should contact their veterinarian.
The spread of bird flu has been devastating for many cat owners, as they appear to be the most vulnerable to H5N1 in birds outside of birds. Many cats from New York to Oregon have been proven to die from the disease, and there may be more undetected deaths.
At least as far as health authorities know, no one in the United States will be accompanied by bird flu. But it seems that cats are taking it from consumption of raw food. Health agencies in the United States have tested milk and beef, and even if there is milk, and the beef is cooked at least until the medium, it seems to be safe for human consumption.
There is also no evidence that bird flu spreads to humans in the United States, but fears that mutations can make this happen. Americans have 70 H5N1 cases and die. 41 of these cases were linked to cows, 24 were traced to poultry farms, two were from backyard flocks and wild birds, and three were still unknown sources.
The Wild Coast did not answer questions sent by email on Friday. If we hear back, Gizmodo will update this post.
