FDA warns eight Quest cat food lots pose thiamine deficiency risk: full analysis

The FDA has escalated its warning over Steve’s Real Food’s Quest Cat Food line, saying eight tested lots contained extremely low or no thiamine and posed serious health risks to cats. In its March 13 advisory, the agency said it had recommended that Go Raw LLC, which markets the products under the Steve’s Real Food brand, recall all eight lots. At that point, the company had recalled only three. (fda.gov)

The public timeline started with a February 17, 2026, voluntary recall of one lot of Quest Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Nuggets after testing found potentially low thiamine levels. On February 26, Go Raw expanded that recall to include two lots of Quest Chicken Recipe Frozen Diet and said it would stop sale of all Quest products at retail until the thiamine issue was resolved. FDA’s March 13 advisory went further, saying agency testing of eight lots across multiple proteins and formats found every sample to be far below the accepted minimum. (fda.gov)

According to FDA, the investigation began after a veterinary neurologist reported severe thiamine deficiency symptoms in a cat that had eaten one of the affected lots. Additional consumer complaints prompted broader testing. The eight lots included freeze-dried chicken, pork, beef, and white fish recipes, plus two frozen chicken products. Several lots had no detectable thiamine or less than 1.8% of the AAFCO minimum, and even the highest-tested lot reached only 15.2% of the required level. FDA said the products were labeled as formulated to meet AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for all life stages, despite those findings. (fda.gov)

Industry coverage has emphasized the gap between the company’s recall actions and FDA’s wider concern. Petfood Industry reported that federal testing found eight lots with critically low or absent thiamine and highlighted FDA’s statement that the company had not yet provided evidence showing the remaining affected lots had been removed from commerce or that customers had been adequately notified. Steve’s Real Food’s own Quest product pages, meanwhile, prominently list only the three recalled chicken lots and note a February 25 market withdrawal update. (petfoodindustry.com)

Clinically, the warning is significant because cats are especially vulnerable to thiamine deficiency. FDA said early signs can include decreased appetite and vomiting, with progression to cervical ventroflexion, muscle weakness, wobbly gait, falling, seizures, and circling. Some cats may become symptomatic in as little as one week, while others may take months. Merck Veterinary Manual notes diagnosis is often based on clinical signs, diet history, and response to thiamine treatment, underscoring why diet history matters in cats presenting with acute neurologic or unexplained gastrointestinal signs. (fda.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinarians, ER teams, and nutrition-focused practices, this advisory is a reminder to ask detailed diet questions, including brand, lot code, format, and whether a raw diet is being fed as the sole source of nutrition. It also highlights a regulatory fault line: FDA is publicly warning about a broader set of lots than the company has formally recalled. That mismatch can complicate client communication, especially if pet parents assume a product is safe because it is not yet listed in a company recall notice. It may also renew debate over quality control, nutrient verification, and substantiation of “complete and balanced” claims in raw and freeze-dried feline diets. (fda.gov)

For practices, the practical takeaway is straightforward: if a cat has been eating Quest products from affected lots and shows compatible signs, clinicians should consider thiamine deficiency promptly and advise immediate diet discontinuation. FDA also recommends caution if packaging is unavailable or lot codes can’t be read, because the agency says pet parents should assume the food may not contain adequate thiamine in that situation. (fda.gov)

What to watch: The next key developments are whether Go Raw broadens its formal recall to all eight FDA-tested lots, whether FDA takes additional enforcement steps if product remains in commerce, and whether more case reports emerge from veterinarians seeing cats with compatible neurologic signs tied to these diets. (fda.gov)