On Friday, federal regulators declared that producers of raw pet food for dogs and cats need to enhance their methods for detecting bird flu in the items they sell to consumers.

In the United States, several cats—both wild and domestic—have contracted the H5N1 strain of avian influenza and died after consuming raw food infected with the virus. Such raw foods typically consist of unpasteurized milk, uncooked meat, or raw eggs. Despite health warnings and product recalls, the raw pet food market has grown significantly, as reported by YSL News.

Pasteurization, a well-known process involving heat treatment, effectively destroys viruses like H5N1 along with other foodborne pathogens.

According to the FDA’s recent announcement, pet food producers who offer uncooked or unpasteurized items must reassess their food safety plans to account for the bird flu risk. This update aims to keep manufacturers informed about the emerging H5N1 threat linked to their products, stated FDA officials.

There is an added concern about pets falling ill with bird flu because they could potentially transmit the virus to humans. Generally, cases of human infection with bird flu have been mild, with no signs of person-to-person transmission.

Studies indicate that cats are capable of carrying both bird flu and human influenza viruses, which allows them to become intermediate hosts. This raises the risk of the bird flu virus mutating, making it more likely to infect humans. In some scenarios, this could lead to more serious health issues.

Cats are particularly vulnerable to serious illness and death due to bird flu. Twenty wild cats died at an animal sanctuary in Washington after consuming raw food, while domestic cats have died in states like California, Colorado, and Oregon after being fed recalled raw meat or milk products.

Dogs can also become infected with H5N1, but no cases have been reported in the U.S. so far.

As part of FDA regulations, certain animal food manufacturers are required to develop a food safety strategy that identifies and assesses hazards related to the products they produce, process, package, or store at their facilities.

This rule stipulates that regulated companies must reevaluate their food safety plans whenever the FDA deems it necessary, which is currently applicable given the known risks of bird flu in raw pet foods.

The FDA has urged pet food manufacturers and others in the supply chain to adopt practices that can “significantly reduce or prevent” bird flu transmission through animal food, highlighting methods such as pasteurization. Companies should source meat, milk, or eggs from healthy flocks or herds.