Written By Jessica Mockett
10 Minute Read
As a cat behavior expert and feline health and nutrition coach, I’ve watched the heated debate around raw feeding intensify this year, especially after H5N1 headlines. But when I examined the actual statistics behind these scary stories, I discovered something troubling about the narrative we’re being fed.
I am starting this article by clearly stating that I advocate for safe practices when using raw food for cats. Taking precautions about where we buy, how we store, and the way we handle or prepare raw food is important. With the case I am about to present, know that I do not down play individual loss and sorrow. I feel for anyone who loses their beloved cat for any reason.
While risks exist with handling and feeding raw meats to cats, actual illness instances for either humans or pets remain statistically insignificant. Yet why do so many veterinarians oppose raw feeding and vocalize their concerns to clients?
When the story about avian flu killing cats who consumed raw milk or meat broke, I naturally investigated as someone who promotes raw feeding to clients. Several clients told me they were stopping all raw feeding because they perceived it as too risky now.
I visited the Viva Raw website—the brand I choose for my cats—to review their safety protocols. None of their suppliers operated in outbreak states, and they explained their regular process of randomly selecting birds for testing from each slaughter. This information gave me confidence in their safety measures.
We never hear discussions about the risks of cooked or processed pet foods (when they too are recalled for contaminants), yet rhetoric about raw food dangers dominates pet nutrition conversations. This suggests significant data should exist on illnesses caused by raw food. I wanted to understand the specific impact of H5N1 since media coverage portrayed it as a serious threat to cats.
It is important to note that felines who do contract bird flu do not handle it well and are more susceptible to succumbing to the illness than canines. But let me break down the actual numbers from a statistical standpoint:
Recent bird flu concerns involved “dozens” of cat cases since March 2024. However, these “dozens” included feral cats, barn cats, and big cats—not just indoor pet felines. Documented deaths of indoor-only cats totaled just 9 cases (Oregon, California, Michigan, New York).
Here’s the statistical reality:
- 74 million pet cats in the US
- Approximately 10% receive raw food in their diets = 7.4 million cats
- Estimating “dozens” as 48 total cases, with most being feral, big cats, or working barn cats
- Reasonable estimate: 18 indoor-only cats infected through raw feeding
- Risk calculation: 18 ÷ 7.4 million = 0.0000024%
Statistically, this represents zero percent of the raw-fed cat population.
To understand the broader impact, I calculated total US cat populations:
- Pet cats: 74 million
- Shelter cats: ~4 million
- Feral cats: 60-100 million (Humane Society: 50-70M; World Animal Foundation: 60-100M; USDA: 30-80M; average ~65 million)
- Big cats (captive and wild): ~30,000
Total: 143 million cats
Impact: 48 cases ÷ 143 million = 0.00000034% of the total population
The question becomes: why did a story with zero statistical impact generate weeks of international headlines?
A 2024 business report projected that the US raw food market will double by 2029 and almost triple by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 14.5%. Raw food companies currently hold an estimated 10-12% of the pet food market share.
As more pet parents recognize raw feeding’s health benefits, traditional pet food giants like Mars and Nestlé face potential losses of tens of billions of dollars every year. (Mars has acquired raw food and whole food companies Nom Nom and Champion Petfoods, showing they recognize this trend.)
With tens of billions in revenue at stake, creating fear around raw feeding could serve to protect existing market share.
From the outside the increase of FDA raw food recalls adds alarming fuel to the fire. Rather than examining recall statistics, let’s look at what’s really happening behind the scenes. Earlier this year, the FDA created a new rule specifically targeting “certain animal food businesses”—a thinly veiled reference to raw food companies—requiring enhanced H5N1 precautions.
The impact has been swift and telling: raw food recalls doubled in just eight months, jumping from 6 total recalls spanning 2020-2024 to 12 recalls by late 2025. Yet only two of the six new recalls actually involved H5N1. The rest? The usual suspects: salmonella, E. coli, and listeria—the same bacteria that trigger recalls for all pet foods under FDA’s “zero tolerance rule.”
I support safety measures, but the proportional response seems inconsistent with the statistical risk.
Here’s the crucial difference: while both raw and processed foods face the same zero-tolerance bacterial standards, the new H5N1 rule creates additional layers of scrutiny specifically for raw food manufacturers. This enhanced oversight naturally leads to more frequent testing, stricter inspections, and consequently, more recalls—not necessarily because raw food is less safe, but because it’s under a microscope (pun intended).
Here’s what the regulatory focus misses: these bacteria naturally exist in the digestive systems of cats and most healthy carnivores. As obligate carnivores, cats have evolved robust digestive systems capable of handling these microorganisms without significant impact. The FDA’s zero-tolerance approach—applied equally to all pet foods—ignores the biological reality that carnivorous digestive systems are designed to process these naturally occurring bacteria.
Where are the FDA rules requiring dry kibble manufacturers to address:
- Obesity (affecting 63% of US cats)
- Diabetes on a significant rise in cats
- Cancer prevention (leading cause of death at 36%)
- Kidney disease (affecting 1/3 of all cats)
- Pancreatitis and other diet-related diseases
These conditions affect statistically significant cat populations, yet receive minimal regulatory attention.
The regulatory disparity becomes clear in priorities:
- Enhanced scrutiny: New rules specifically targeting raw food companies over statistically insignificant H5N1 risk (0.0000024% of cats affected)
- Regulatory silence: No equivalent enhanced oversight for processed foods contributing to obesity, cancer, or kidney disease
This creates a perception problem: increased testing and scrutiny of raw foods generates more recalls, reinforcing public fear—regardless of whether the products pose actual health risks compared to the documented health crises resulting in part from processed diets.
We are what we eat—this maxim is also true for cats. Low-quality, dry, high-carbohydrate diets contribute to illness and behavioral problems. Cats eating more raw, whole foods could experience dramatic health improvements, just as humans do with species-appropriate diets.
Research consistently shows that plant-rich human diets reduce cancer risk by 30-40%, while processed foods increase disease risk. The principle applies to cats: species-appropriate diets matter. Cats are obligate carnivores who thrive on meat-based nutrition, not high-carbohydrate kibble.
Consider these documented health crises affecting cats:
- Cancer: 36% of cat deaths (1.8 million cats annually)
- Potential prevention: 30-40% reduction with proper diet = 500,000+ lives saved yearly
- Kidney disease: 33% of all cats, 80% of senior cats (15+)
- That’s 59 million cats vs. 0.0000024% affected by H5N1 from raw food
- Obesity: 63% of US cats (47 million cats)
- Leads to diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, behavioral issues
Compare these millions of mortally affected cats to fewer than 10 documented raw-food-related H5N1 deaths in the US. The disparity is staggering.
Search “raw food disease prevention for cats” and Google responds: “Currently, there are no scientific studies or data showing that a raw food diet for cats prevents disease.”
Search “human diet disease prevention” and Google responds: “Numerous studies show healthy diets prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.”
This disparity reveals the information ecosystem around pet nutrition. The lack of studies doesn’t prove raw food is ineffective—it often reflects research funding priorities and industry influence.
When I searched for specific illness-causing statistics from raw pet food, Google provided telling responses, focusing only on human risk and citing no documented data on health risks for pets:
- Salmonella: “No exact yearly number of human cases directly attributed to raw pet food”
- Listeria: “No exact figure for total annual cases from raw pet food”
- E. coli: “No specific yearly count of human cases directly linked to raw pet food”
Translation: Despite claims of significant risk, no statistical evidence supports the danger narrative. Yet, the fear is spread over and over in article after article online.
Three industries benefit substantially from raw food fear:
- Big pet food companies (protecting market share)
- Veterinary practices (treating diet-related diseases)
- Pharmaceutical companies (selling medications for preventable conditions)
While this doesn’t prove conspiracy, it does illustrate aligned financial incentives that deserve consideration.
Based on my research and experience, raw feeding supports feline health recovery. The statistical risk pales compared to disease prevention potential.
Consider your options:
- Risk accepting: Significant chance your cat will develop cancer, kidney disease, pancreatitis, allergies, obesity, or diabetes on processed food diets
- Risk avoiding: Minimal statistical risk for both H5N1 exposure (0.000002%) or bacteria related illnesses in properly sourced and handled raw food
Source carefully from reputable raw food companies with testing protocols so you feel confident in the quality of the diet.
If you remain uncertain about raw feeding after considering these statistics, try these approaches:
- Steam commercially sourced raw food at home to 160°F
- Purchase fresh-cooked (not processed) commercial foods
Both options significantly support your cat’s immune system and longevity compared to the traditional kibble diet.
