Portland man whose cat died from bird flu sues cat food company

Even lying in an oxygen cage at DoveLewis Animal Hospital, Tim Hanson said his cat Kira still rolled over for belly rubs. It was one of the last visits Hanson would have with her as she, like several other cats in the Pacific Northwest, lost her battle with a deadly bout of bird flu last month.

Hanson, 57, believes the fatal illness was linked to raw cat food from Wild Coast Pet Foods. He filed a lawsuit against the company Tuesday, as first reported by KGW, alleging that it failed to properly warn pet owners about the risk raw pet food poses.

“I think we need to raise awareness and hold the businesses responsible who don’t pull their product or who sell a faulty product,” Hanson told The Oregonian/OregonLive Saturday.

Hanson is seeking $7,951.51 in damages to cover the vet bills and the cost of the cat food. The lawsuit alleges that the company “omitted from its advertisement” that the raw cat food had a high risk of exposure to the bird flu virus, court records show.

Wild Coast, based in Olympia, Washington, voluntarily recalled its raw chicken formula in mid-February, and expanded that recall March 1. Oregon officials tested several Portland-area cats and unopened containers of Wild Raw pet food and found they were positive for the same strain of bird flu, the company wrote in an announcement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website.

Wild Coast’s recall includes its boneless chicken formula in 16- and 24-ounce cans that have a best-by date of Dec. 25 and a lid sticker with any of the following lot numbers: #22660, #22653, #22641, #22639, #22672 and #22664.

Hanson said Kira and her brother Jen, both four years old, stopped eating at the beginning of February, shortly after they had been moved to Wild Coast raw cat food. Kira was lethargic and unwilling to eat for several days, and the vet recommended testing the feline for bird flu. That test, done by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, confirmed the disease was the culprit.

The cat was moved to DoveLewis and her condition deteriorated, Hanson said. Typical signs of bird flu are fever, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite and eye or nasal discharge, experts have said. Cats most often pick up the virus from raw cat food. Hanson’s other cat was not tested for bird flu, but has since recovered from his sickness.

After a multiday stint at the animal hospital, Kira had to be euthanized, Hanson said.

“It was really traumatizing,” Hanson said. “She was a great, happy, playful cat, and I’d do anything to get her back.”

At least 12 cats from five Portland-area homes have tested positive for bird flu since December. Six of them were euthanized, state officials have said. Experts recommend not feeding pets raw meat or milk until these outbreaks are under control.

Hanson said he empathizes with all the pet owners who have been impacted.

“I wouldn’t wish it on anybody,” Hanson said.

— Austin De Dios covers Multnomah County politics, programs and more. Reach him at 503-319-9744, [email protected] or @AustinDeDios.

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