With any mass produced food, the risk of contamination is always present. This applies to human food and cat food.
Luckily, most brands have a testing regimen in place so they can identify potential hazards quickly and issue a cat food recall before the animals are hurt.
When a cat food is recalled, you will often hear about it on the news and see it online. Most pet websites have a section for recalled foods, which will include the current year and most recent years.
We’ve compiled a list of the recalled cat foods from 2018-2023. Keep in mind that it is possible your cat’s food might be recalled in the future, even if it’s not on our list currently.
Sometimes it takes companies a few weeks to recognize a contamination.
Cat Food Recalls in 2023
None announced yet
Cat Food Recalls in 2022
Date | Brand | Product |
February 18, 2022 | Family Dollar Inc. | Multiple brands |
June 18, 2022 | Freshpet | Freshpet Select Fresh From the Kitchen Home Cooked Chicken Recipe |
December 16, 2022 | H-E-B Texas Pets | H-E-B Texas Pets Indoor Complete Dry Cat Food |
Cat Food Recalls in 2021
DATE | BRAND | PRODUCT |
Dec 23, 2021 | Woody’s Pet Food | Raw Cornish Ren Pet Food |
Dec 3, 2021 | Livia Global | Liviaone Liquid Probiotics |
September 6, 2021 | Whiskas Canada | Dry cat food |
May 20, 2021 | Natural Balance | Green Pea & Chicken |
April 9, 2021 | Meow Mix | Meow Mix Original Choice Dry Cat Food |
March 27, 2021 | Earthborn Holistic, Pro Pac, Sport Mix & more | Multiple Products |
Jan 11, 2021 | Midwestern Pet Foods Inc. | Sportmix, Splash Fat Cat |
Cat Food Recalls in 2020
DATE | BRAND | PRODUCT |
Dec 31, 2020 | Midwestern Pet Foods Inc. | Sportmix |
July 3, 2020 | Natural Balance | Ultra Premium Chicken & Liver Paté Formula |
April 8, 2020 | Radagast Pet Food, Inc. | Free-Range Chicken and Turkey Recipes (Raw Diet) for Cats |
March 24, 2020 | Radagast Pet Food, Inc. | Raw Diet Cat Food (Free Range Chicken; Pasture-Raised Venison) |
March 23, 2020 | Icelandic+ | Capelin Whole Fish Pet Treats |
March 23, 2020 | G & C Raw | Ground Lamb Dog Food and Ground Turkey Cat Food |
March 20, 2020 | Radagast Pet Food, Inc. | Radcat Raw Diet |
March 19, 2020 | G & C Raw, LLC | G & C Raw, Kim’s Special, Pat’s Cat |
March 11, 2020 | Columbia River Natural Pet Foods | Frozen meats |
March 11, 2020 | J.M Smuckers Company | 9Lives |
Cat Food Recalls in 2019
DATE | BRAND | PRODUCT |
Dec. 5, 2019 | Special Kitty | Mixed Grill Dinner Paté |
Nov. 14, 2019 | Go Raw, LLC | Quest Beef Cat Food |
Aug. 14, 2019 | Texas Tripe | Various raw pet food products |
April 4, 2019 | Thogersen Family Farm | Ground pet food |
March 29, 2019 | Purina Muse | Natural Chicken recipe in gravy |
Jan. 28, 2019 | Woody’s Pet Food Deli | Raw Free Range Turkey |
Jan. 23, 2019* | Hare Today | Hare Today gone tomorrow ground chicken with bones |
Cat Food Recalls in 2018
DATE | BRAND | PRODUCT |
Dec. 21, 2018 | Columbia River Natural Pet Foods | Cow Pie, Chicken & Vegetables |
Dec. 7, 2018 | 9Lives | Protein Plus Tuna & Chicken and Tuna & Liver |
Oct. 25, 2018 | G & C Raw, LLC | Multiple products |
Sept. 7, 2018 | Steve’s Real Food | Turducken |
Aug. 21, 2018 | Rad Cat Raw Diet | All recipes |
Aug. 3, 2018 | G & C Raw, LLC | Multiple products |
July 6, 2018 | Rad Cat Raw Diet | chicken and venison |
April 16, 2018 | Vital Essentials | Beef Toppers, Beef Entrée |
March 20, 2018 | Rad Cat Raw Diet | All recipes |
March 1, 2018 | Blue Ridge Beef | BRB Complete |
Feb. 8, 2018 | Raws for Paws | Ground Turkey Pet Food |
What Does it Mean If Your Cat Food Is Recalled?
Typically, cat food will be recalled if the US Food and Drug Administration deems that it is contaminated and may be dangerous to eat. Sometimes, these contaminations aren’t serious, or might not be present in all of the food, but they are recalling it out of an abundance of caution. Often, the contamination has to do with a bacteria, like E. Coli or salmonella, and sometimes, it has to do with an unnecessarily large amount of a vitamin or mineral. If a food is recalled, the brand will cease production until the problem is solved, and the product will be removed from the shelves.
Difference Between Voluntary and Ordered Recall
There are instances when a cat food manufacturer will voluntarily recall a product, as they noticed a potential contamination in their own testing or from customer feedback. When that’s the case, this type of recall is called ‘voluntary,’ as the company is deciding to recall the product without being told to do so by the FDA. If that problem were to be ignored or undiscovered, it might lead to the FDA forcing a recall, which is then referred to as an ‘ordered’ recall.
So Your Cat Food is Recalled, What’s Next?
If you still have this food in your house, you should take it back to the store you purchased it from. They will be able to give you a refund for it if it has been recalled. Pay attention to the details of the recall, as it should outline what the contaminant/reasoning was, and which flavors/varieties it applied towards.
You’ll then want to examine the ingredients of your cat’s food and try to find a similar brand with the same ingredients so you can avoid causing digestive distress. If your cat is feeling ok and acting normal, there is probably no cause for concern.
If they’re acting sick or unusual, take them into the vet for an exam. You can also take them in even if they are feeling normal, just to be certain everything is as it should be.