FDA warns eight Quest cat food lots pose thiamine risk

The FDA has escalated concerns around Steve’s Real Food’s Quest cat diets, warning on March 13, 2026 that eight tested lots of frozen and freeze-dried Quest Cat Food contain extremely low or no thiamine, an essential nutrient for cats. The agency said the warning goes beyond the company’s existing recall activity: FDA recommended all eight lots be recalled, but said only three had been recalled at the time of the advisory. (fda.gov)

The issue appears to have unfolded in stages. Go Raw LLC first recalled a single lot of Quest Chicken Recipe Freeze Dried Nuggets on February 17, 2026 after product submitted by a treating veterinarian tested below required thiamine levels; the company reported one confirmed feline illness and said that cat recovered. On February 26, the company expanded the recall to include two frozen chicken lots and announced a stop sale of all Quest products while it investigated formulation, ingredients, and processing. (petfoodindustry.com)

What changed in mid-March was the FDA’s public assertion that the problem was broader than the company’s recall. According to the agency, it received multiple consumer complaints of severe thiamine deficiency in cats eating Quest products and initiated additional testing after a veterinary neurologist reported a severe case. FDA then tested eight lots total and found every one of them was far below the AAFCO minimum thiamine level of 5.6 mg/kg on a dry matter basis. Results ranged from 0% of the minimum in two frozen chicken lots to 15.2% in a white fish freeze-dried lot, with several other products testing at less than 1.8% to 5.7% of the minimum. (fda.gov)

The affected products span more than one protein and format, which is one reason this advisory stands out. In addition to the three recalled chicken products, the FDA listed five more tested lots: pork, beef, white fish, and another chicken freeze-dried product. The agency also said Quest Cat Food is sold online and through retail stores nationwide, and noted that if a pet parent no longer has the packaging or can’t read the lot code, they should assume the product may be affected. FDA further said Steve’s Real Food had publicly stated it was stopping sales of all Quest Cat Food, but had not yet provided evidence showing the remaining affected lots were removed from commerce and customers were adequately notified. (fda.gov)

Industry coverage has largely reinforced the FDA’s framing rather than adding a competing explanation. Petfood Industry reported that federal testing found eight lots with critically low or absent thiamine and emphasized the gap between the company’s three recalled lots and the eight lots FDA says are affected. dvm360 highlighted the clinical picture for veterinarians, underscoring that signs can begin with GI abnormalities and progress to neurologic disease, and cited the Merck Veterinary Manual’s description of vestibular signs, head tremors, severe ventroflexion, seizures, and death if untreated. (petfoodindustry.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this is a reminder that nutritional deficiency can still present as an acute clinical problem even in diets marketed as complete and balanced. The FDA said some cats may show signs in as little as one week, while others may take months, which broadens the exposure window clinicians may need to consider in diet histories. Because early signs can look nonspecific, including hyporexia and vomiting, the signal may be easy to miss until neurologic deficits emerge. Practices may want to alert staff, update triage scripts, and proactively ask pet parents about Quest product use when cats present with ventroflexion, ataxia, seizures, or unexplained GI-plus-neurologic signs. (fda.gov)

There’s also a regulatory angle worth watching. The FDA’s advisory is unusual in that it explicitly states the agency recommended a broader recall than the firm executed, and that it issued the warning to make the public aware of all FDA-tested lots with extremely low or no thiamine. That suggests continued scrutiny not just of the products themselves, but of recall scope, customer notification, and proof of market removal. (fda.gov)

What to watch: The next key developments are whether Go Raw broadens its recall to all eight FDA-identified lots, whether replacement product reached distribution as the company projected in mid-March, and whether additional illness reports push the FDA toward stronger enforcement or additional public updates. (fda.gov)