H5N1 and Raw Cat Food: Questions About Ingredients and Processing

Cats can develop serious illness from H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. The FDA's advice for cat caregivers identifies food-related risk from uncooked meat and unpasteurized animal products and discourages feeding uncooked meat diets. This matters when assessing raw pet food, including a dry-looking product.

The linked caregiver notice was updated in January 2025. The FDA also updated its manufacturer food-safety reminder in September 2025. These are dated official sources, not a claim that a new outbreak or a new PARTNER incident has occurred today.

A format name does not describe every safety control

“Freeze-dried” identifies a processing format; it should not be treated as a certificate that a product is free of H5N1. The relevant question is what controls apply to the ingredients and finished food and what evidence supports those controls for the particular product.

The FDA manufacturer notice discusses the hazard in certain uncooked or unpasteurized poultry- and cattle-derived materials and processing steps capable of inactivating the virus. A supplier description, an ingredient photograph and a test result each answer different questions. Do not merge them into a broad guarantee.

Ask the manufacturer a question that can be answered

Identify the exact recipe and, for food already purchased, the package and lot. You can ask which H5N1-specific controls are used, how those controls are verified and what information is available for the finished product. If testing is mentioned, ask what was sampled, which method was used and which product or batch the result applies to.

Keep the scope of the answer intact. A document for an ingredient or a different recipe is not automatically a test of the bag in your home. This article does not provide a product-specific H5N1 testing or process-validation report for PARTNER and does not certify any food as virus-free.

Read every animal source in the recipe

A front name such as “rabbit recipe” does not identify all ingredients. PARTNER's written rabbit cat recipe also lists bone-in chicken thighs and egg yolks. That is ingredient information, not evidence that those ingredients are contaminated or that a particular control has been validated.

Assess the whole recipe and discuss an appropriate diet with your veterinarian. Do not assume that switching to another meat word on the front removes a hazard. Do not invent an at-home rehydration or heating protocol and call it a validated H5N1 control.

If a cat becomes unwell

Seek veterinary advice promptly and tell the clinic about raw foods and any other relevant exposure before the visit. The FDA lists signs that include low appetite, lethargy, eye or nasal changes, breathing difficulty and neurological changes. These signs are not specific enough to diagnose H5N1 at home; difficulty breathing, seizures or severe illness needs urgent care.

Save the food's identifying details and ask the clinic or manufacturer how to handle remaining material. Follow any applicable official notice instead of using this article as a current recall list. Our lot-code guide explains how to preserve that information.

The practical decision is to take the FDA's advice seriously, ask product-specific questions and involve the veterinary team. A reassuring appearance or process name is not the same as documented hazard control.

Published by PARTNER Editorial Team for general education. Your veterinary team can advise on your pet’s individual health and feeding needs.