LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is advising consumers to not feed their pets Monarch Raw Pet Food sold at several farmers markets in California due to the detection of H5 highly pathogenic avian influeza (HPAI) in product samples. According to the department, a house cat that consumed the product has tested positive for the virus, and four other cats from the same household are presumed to have also tested positive after consuming the same food.

A listing of farmers market locations where the raw pet food is sold can be found on Monarch’s website.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is also recommending that consumers avoid consumption of all raw milk and raw meat products and not feed them to their pets. As part of an ongoing investigation, the department also recently confirmed the virus in four house cats from a separate household that consumed recalled raw milk and became sick and died. 

Cats infected with HPAI can develop severe illness that may include neurological issues, respiratory issues or liver disease that can rapidly progress to death. As of Dec. 31, there have been no human cases of HAPI associated with exposure to these cats identified.

The overall risk of HPAI to the public remains low as there is currently no evidence of person-to-person spreading of the virus. However, the department has been working with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the local agricultural community to ensure key risk groups, including farm workers, workers at dairy, egg and meat processing facilities, and backyard flock owners, receive information and resources to help identify and protect against this infection.

The department has confirmed the first case of H5 HPAI in a human in Los Angeles County who was exposed to livestock infected at a worksite.

HPAI may prove to be a continued threat to raw pet food products. As Morasch Meats recently recalled its Northwest Naturals Feline Turkey raw and frozen pet food formula due to detection of the virus.  

Read more about pet food safety on our Operations page.