FDA warns on Steve’s Real Food Quest cat diets over low thiamine

The FDA is warning that eight lots of Quest Cat Food marketed by Go Raw LLC, doing business as Steve’s Real Food, contain extremely low or no thiamine, an essential vitamin for cats. The agency said on March 13, 2026, that it had received multiple consumer complaints of severe thiamine deficiency, including a report from a veterinary neurologist, and that FDA testing found all eight lots it evaluated fell far below the AAFCO minimum for feline diets. Go Raw had previously recalled three lots — one freeze-dried chicken product on February 17, 2026, and two frozen chicken lots on February 26, 2026 — and said it would stop sale of all Quest products, but the FDA said the company had not shown that all affected lots were removed from the market or that customers were adequately notified. (fda.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is a nutrition-linked safety event with potentially serious neurologic consequences in cats still being fed affected raw or freeze-dried diets. FDA said some cats developed signs within as little as one week, while others took months, with reported symptoms ranging from decreased appetite and vomiting to cervical ventroflexion, ataxia, circling, seizures, and death if untreated. The case also highlights a regulatory gap that matters in practice: products labeled as complete and balanced for all life stages were found to contain thiamine levels as low as undetectable, underscoring the need to ask specifically about brand, lot code, and diet format when evaluating feline neurologic or GI presentations. (fda.gov)

What to watch: Watch for whether Go Raw broadens its formal recall to all eight FDA-identified lots, and whether additional illness reports or enforcement actions follow. (fda.gov)