The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning pet owners not to feed two lots of Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe for Cats after FDA samples tested positive for Salmonella.
The FDA collected and tested the samples after a consumer complaint about two cats that developed gastrointestinal illness after eating the food. One cat was hospitalized after eating food from one of the two affected lots. Both cats recovered after they stopped eating the product.
The FDA recommended that Arrow Reliance, Inc., doing business as Darwin’s Natural Pet Products, recall the two lots. According to the FDA, to date the firm has not initiated an adequate recall.
The affected products were sold frozen in 2-pound white and clear plastic packages with green and black labeling, each split into four separate units. The lot code is printed on the front of the lower left unit:
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe for Cats, Lot 12731, MFG Date: Jul 08, 2026
Darwin’s Natural Pet Products Natural Selections Chicken Recipe for Cats, Lot 12493, MFG Date: Apr 02, 2026
Darwin’s products are sold online through a subscription service, carry no expiration date, and could still be in consumers’ freezers. Freezing does not kill Salmonella. Check your freezer before feeding.
If you have either lot, stop feeding it and throw it away in a secure container where other animals, including wildlife, cannot get to it. Do not donate it. If you can’t find or read the lot code, throw the food away. Clean and disinfect bowls, storage containers, utensils, food prep surfaces, bedding, toys, floors, and your refrigerator or freezer. Pick up pet feces promptly and wash your hands thoroughly after handling the food or cleaning up.
Contaminated pet food is a human health problem too. Pets can carry Salmonella without appearing sick and shed it in their feces and saliva, contaminating the home and the people in it. The FDA is aware of cases in which people and animals have gotten sick from Salmonella-contaminated pet foods.
In pets, signs of Salmonella infection can include vomiting, diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, loss of appetite, and decreased activity, though pets do not always show symptoms. If your pet has these symptoms, see a veterinarian.
In people, Salmonella infection can cause diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. Most people recover without treatment, but some become sick enough to be hospitalized, and the infection can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream. The very young, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk. Anyone with symptoms should contact a healthcare provider.
Pet illnesses linked to pet food can be reported to the FDA through the Safety Reporting Portal.
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