PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon man whose cat died after eating pet food tainted with bird flu was awarded some scratch last week.

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A 12-person jury in Multnomah County ruled that Tim Hanson, of Portland, was entitled to damages after his 4-year-old cat, Kira, contracted bird flu and died because she ate raw chicken pet food, The Oregonian reported.

Hanson received the award after a two-day trial, according to Multnomah County online court records.

Tim Hanson received $7,951.51 in damages, and the jury also decided that Wild Coast Pet Foods owed more than $800,000 in punitive damages, KOIN reported.

The complaint by Hanson was filed on March 18, 2025, against Wild Coast Pet Foods, a company based out of Olympia, Washington, court records show.

Hanson said that in early 2024 he fed his 4-year-old cat, Kira, pet food manufactured by Wild Coast Pet Foods that contained raw chicken, KPTV reported. The female feline became ill and tested positive for bird flu.

According to the complaint, Wild Coast Pet Foods advertised its food as healthy and safe and did not warn customers that the raw chicken had a high risk of exposure to bird flu, the television station reported.

The complaint added that Kira was later euthanized after days of treatment at the DoveLewis Veterinary Hospital, KOIN reported.

Hanson’s attorneys contended during the trial that Wild Coast Pet Foods had assured customers that it was testing its raw cat foods when it had not done so, The Oregonian reported.

Attorney Michael Fuller wrote that the defendant “omitted that it sourced its raw chicken from California and Washington, states with the highest rates of confirmed bird flu outbreaks,” KOIN reported. “Defendant omitted that cats are particularly susceptible to exposure to the H5 bird flu virus in raw chicken.”

Although jurors determined the company owed several hundred thousand dollars in damages, Hanson said that most of the funds will be dispersed to the state of Oregon, KOIN reported. The amount Hanson received will cover his veterinary bills.

“The main thing is I wanted some accountability from the manufacturer, and I wanted to get the word out that I don’t want anybody’s pet to have to go through this, and I don’t want any pet owner to have to go through this stuff,” Hanson told the television station. “That’s my main goal here.”

Wild Coast’s attorneys have declined to comment on the lawsuit and the jury award, KOIN reported.

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