Jury awards man $800,000 after his cat died from bird flu in pet food

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - A jury awarded an Oregon man $800,000 after his cat died from eating pet food tainted with bird flu.

Tim Hanson sued, saying in early 2024 he fed his 4-year-old cat, Kira, food from Wild Coast Pet Foods that contained raw chicken. She became sick and tested positive for bird flu.

After days of veterinary treatment and the emergency room, vets euthanized her.

The lawsuit claimed that Wild Coast Pet Foods advertised its food as healthy and safe and did not warn customers that the raw chicken had a high risk of exposure to bird flu.

The lawsuit claims the chicken came from California and Washington, states with the highest rates of confirmed bird flu outbreaks at the time.

KPTV reached out to Wild Coast Pet Foods but has not yet heard back.