Quest Cat Food Recall Gap: FDA Advisory Finds Little or No Thiamine in Eight Lots, Only Three Recalled

What FDA found

The Quest cat food recall covered three lots when Go Raw LLC, doing business as Steve's Real Food, announced it in February 2026. On March 13, 2026, FDA published an advisory saying its own testing had found extremely low or no thiamine (vitamin B1) in eight lots of Quest Cat Food, and that it had recommended the firm recall all eight. To date, the firm has recalled three.

FDA first learned of the problem from a veterinary neurologist who reported severe thiamine deficiency in a cat that had eaten one of the lots. Agency testing confirmed extremely low thiamine. After more reports of sick cats, FDA tested additional lots; every one of the eight tested contained extremely low or no thiamine.

Eight lots tested, three recalled

The table below lists every lot FDA tested, with its best-by date. Two of the frozen chicken lots contained no detectable thiamine at all. The rest measured between roughly 2 percent and 15 percent of the minimum level in the AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profile, which is 5.6 mg of thiamine per kg of food. The freeze-dried products are sold in 10 oz beige zip-top bags (chicken purple, pork orange, white fish blue, beef pink); the frozen chicken products are sold in 2 lb beige zip-top bags with purple labeling.

FDA notes that although Steve's Real Food has said publicly it is stopping sales of all Quest Cat Food until the thiamine issue is addressed, the firm had not shown FDA that the remaining lots were removed from the market or that customers were adequately told which products are affected.

Why thiamine matters for cats

Cats need roughly four times as much thiamine as dogs. Early signs of deficiency can look like stomach upset: decreased appetite and vomiting. Some cats show signs within a week; others take months. As the deficiency advances, a cat may bend its neck downward and be unable to raise its head, grow weak, walk unsteadily, fall, circle or have seizures. Untreated, thiamine deficiency can be deadly. Caught early, it usually resolves once the diet changes.

How to identify the products

Representative Quest Cat Food packaging is pictured below. The date code is printed on the front of the bag.

How to report a sick cat

Contact your veterinarian first. FDA asks consumers to report pet food complaints through its Safety Reporting Portal; the agency's guide on how to report a pet food complaint links to the portal and explains what to include.

Quest and Steve's Real Food recall history

Go Raw LLC makes both Quest and Steve's Real Food. The firm's February 2026 Quest recall covered the first three lots in the table; in June 2026 it expanded the thiamine recall to a lot of Steve's Real Food Freeze-Dried Chicken Recipe. Earlier Quest notices on our records include the November 2019 Quest beef recall. Browse every current notice on the pet food recall tracker.