FDA warns Quest cat food lots may cause severe thiamine deficiency

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 nutrient for cats, after the agency received multiple consumer complaints and tested the products itself. On March 13, 2026, the agency said it had urged the company to recall all eight affected lots, but as of that advisory, only three lots had been formally recalled: one freeze-dried chicken product first recalled on February 17, and two frozen chicken lots added on February 26. The FDA said the affected products include additional pork, beef, white fish, and chicken freeze-dried lots that remain outside the company’s formal recall, even though all eight tested lots fell well below the AAFCO minimum thiamine level for cat food. (fda.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this is both a recall story and a case-finding story. FDA says some cats developed severe thiamine deficiency after eating these diets, with signs ranging from decreased appetite and vomiting to cervical ventroflexion, ataxia, circling, seizures, and death if untreated. The agency notes some cats may become symptomatic within a week, while others may take months, and Merck Veterinary Manual says diagnosis relies on clinical signs, diet history, and response to thiamine treatment. That means clinicians may need to ask specifically about Quest diets, even when a pet parent doesn’t realize their product lot hasn’t been formally recalled. (fda.gov)

What to watch: Watch for whether Go Raw expands its formal recall to all eight FDA-identified lots, and whether the agency releases additional information on complaints, enforcement, or product removal from the market. (fda.gov)