FDA warns more Quest cat food lots may cause thiamine deficiency

The FDA has escalated its response to Steve’s Real Food’s Quest cat diets, warning that eight tested lots of frozen and freeze-dried products contain extremely low or undetectable thiamine and may pose serious health risks to cats. In its March 13, 2026, advisory, the agency said multiple consumer complaints and illness reports prompted testing, and that all eight lots fell well below the AAFCO minimum for feline diets. (fda.gov)

This warning builds on a recall that began February 17, 2026, when Go Raw LLC recalled one lot of Quest Chicken Recipe Freeze Dried Nuggets after testing suggested low thiamine. On February 26, the company expanded that recall to include two frozen chicken lots and said it would stop sale of all Quest products at retail until the issue was resolved. But FDA’s March advisory went further, saying the agency had recommended recall of eight lots total and had not received evidence showing the remaining affected products were removed from commerce or that customers had been adequately notified. (fda.gov)

According to FDA, the affected products were sold nationwide online and through retail stores. The first three products on the agency’s list were the ones already recalled by the company: one freeze-dried chicken lot and two frozen chicken lots. FDA said five additional tested lots, including pork, beef, and white fish freeze-dried products, also contained extremely low or no thiamine. In the agency’s table, some lots had no detectable thiamine at all, while others measured below 0.1 mg/kg or only a fraction of the 5.6 mg/kg AAFCO minimum. (fda.gov)

The clinical backdrop is especially relevant for veterinarians. FDA said early signs may include decreased appetite and vomiting, with some cats becoming symptomatic in as little as one week, while others may take months. As deficiency progresses, cats can develop cervical ventroflexion, weakness, wobbly gait, falling, circling, and seizures. The agency said the first report came from a veterinary neurologist who identified severe signs in a cat eating one of the affected diets. The MSD Veterinary Manual likewise notes that thiamine deficiency is most common in cats and that diagnosis often rests on clinical signs, diet history, and response to thiamine treatment. (fda.gov)

Industry coverage has largely echoed FDA’s concern that the regulatory response is outpacing the company’s formal recall actions. Petfood Industry reported that despite label claims stating the diets were formulated to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles for all life stages, cats consuming certain lots as a sole food source still developed deficiency signs. dvm360 similarly highlighted the gap between the eight lots identified by FDA testing and the three lots formally recalled at the time of reporting. (petfoodindustry.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this is more than a recall notice. It’s a reminder to take diet history seriously in cats presenting with vague gastrointestinal signs, weight loss, cervical ventroflexion, vestibular-like signs, or seizures, especially when a raw or freeze-dried diet is being fed as the primary ration. It also creates a practical client-service issue: clinics may need to help pet parents identify affected products, advise immediate diet changes, and decide when presumptive thiamine supplementation or urgent workup is warranted. Because FDA says some affected products may not have been fully removed from the marketplace, case finding may depend as much on clinician suspicion as on client awareness. (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 that does not happen, and whether the company publicly identifies the root cause of the thiamine failure before Quest products return to market. Replacement inventory was expected to begin reaching distribution channels around mid-March, according to the company’s February 26 announcement, but FDA’s later advisory suggests the agency still had unresolved concerns about product removal and consumer notification. (fda.gov)