Salmonella Infected Foods and Your Cat

The recent outbreak of Salmonella infected tomatoes and other produce has once again raised fears about quality control and contamination in imported food. (The source is believed to be Mexican produce, but this remains unproven and Mexico insists its own inspections have turned up no salmonella contamination there.)

For cat owners, the scare raises unpleasant memories of the cat food poisonings that resulted from melamine contamination in imported Chinese wheat gluten. Given that, cat owners can be forgiven for wondering if the current rash of salmonella outbreaks could also affect the pet food supply and once again put their pets at risk.

To be clear, so far at least, there's no evidence that the latest salmonella outbreaks have anything to do with pet foods or that cats are in any danger. However it is possible for cats to become infected with salmonella. It's also possible - though apparently very hard - for them to pass the virus to humans.

The good news is that cats appear to be pretty good at fighting off salmonella. There's research to suggest that they have a degree of natural immunity, at least to the types of salmonella they're most commonly exposed to. There are many different types of salmonella virus, though, and cats may be more susceptible to some than others. When outdoor cats hunt and eat various prey animals, like mice or small birds, they consume the types of virus found in those species. Salmonella that gets into a cat's system this way is one of the major causes of "Song Bird Fever," in cats - a sudden-onset illness including vomiting and diarrhea that can occasionally be fatal.

Overall, though, cat deaths from salmonella are uncommon - especially without infection from some outside source. For many cats, especially indoor cats, food would be the most likely source of infection. And it is possible for commercial cat food to become infected. In February of 2007, the FDA warned consumers that it had discovered salmonella in Wild Kitty cat food. Wild Kitty is a premium brand of raw meat cat food, delivered frozen and organically sterilized. Salmonella infection is also possible in more processed types of cat food, but seems to be rare.

Any infection in cat food is cause for alarm though, not just because of the danger to cats but because of the risk to humans. Handling infected food during feeding could potentially infect both you and your cat. This risk is actually much greater than the risk of salmonella being transferred to you via the cat.

It is theoretically possible for a cat to infect a person with salmonella. A lot of cats are infected with the virus even though they aren't harmed by it. They remain "subclinical" or not displaying any symptoms, but still carry the virus. And research has shown that infected cats do shed types of the virus that are communicable to humans. Still, actual cases of people getting salmonella from cats are practically unheard of. (A 2004 study, published in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, determined that healthy cats are "generally safe," though there may a greater chance of transmission from sick cats or those whose immune systems are being suppressed by medication.)

But handling infected food is another story. Food handling is one of the main ways people get salmonella, and it doesn't have to be food you're preparing to eat yourself. That suggests it's just as possible to get salmonella from handling infected cat food as it is from handling any other kind of infected food.

So the short answer is that you probably don't need to worry too much about salmonella infected cat food harming your cat. The current outbreaks in particular are unlikely to affect pet food

A more detailed answer is that it's always a good idea to keep an eye on the web or other news sources for word of FDA recalls. Other salmonella oubreaks have affected pet food. And if there should be another such outbreak, you'll want to know about it.

In the long run, you probably face a greater risk of salmonella poisoning than your cat does, although it's a small risk when you look at the big picture. The best way to make these risks even smaller is by taking very basic precautions. Always wash your hands after handling your cat's food, and especially after cleaning the litter box. With basic common sense precautions, both you and your cat should be fine.