Raw cat food maker Savage Pet updated its letter to pet owners regarding correlation between its raw cat food and a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Colorado. In February, a cat that had been fed Savage Cat Food fell ill with HPAI and later recovered. Subsequent genetic testing of the raw cat food from sealed packets returned “not negative” results for the H5N1 variant of bird flu. In early March, a federal laboratory tested the product. That lab’s virus isolation tests came up negative for H5N1.
The raw pet food company updated its letter to customers.
Letter to Savage Cat Food Consumers 2.17.25 updated 3.06.25
Dear customers,
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 lot code/best buy date of 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.
What does “not negative” mean?
Not-negative is a technical laboratory term for results that are preliminary in nature. To determine infectiousness, further virus isolation testing is required.
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
What are the safety measures Savage Pet is taking to address H5N1 in their products?
The USDA is responsible for keeping H5N1 out of the supply chain by testing flocks and culling any flock with a bird that tests positive. We source only USDA inspected and passed poultry slaughtered for human consumption.
What steps do you take for pathogen control in your processing?
We use ozone processing in our food and our facility. Ozone is the process of taking oxygen (O2) and turning it into O3, in which no pathogens can survive. Ozone is FDA-approved for meat processing and is also used in a wide variety of other industries such as hospitals, gyms and saunas due to its inactivation of salmonella, influenza, herpes, molds and more. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ranjit-Singh-36/publication/305399037_Ozone_Technology_in_Food_Processing_A_Review/links/578d118a08ae5c86c9a65391/Ozone-Technology-in-Food-Processing-A-Review.pdf
Additionally, all meat and eggs are received and processed in a controlled temperature (42°F) environment and frozen immediately after processing.
Are you testing the final product for H5N1?
There are no FDA-approved food commercially available lab tests available for H5N1. The USDA is responsible for keeping H5N1 out of the human-grade food chain at the living animal level. We have sent inquiries to our laboratory partners to let us know when a food test becomes available.
Can I cook your food?
You can lightly cook our food such as putting the packets in a sous vide.
