Joseph Journell thought he was doing the wholesome thing when he fed raw, unpasteurized milk to his cats. Journell also drank the raw milk, thinking it provided benefits that pasteurized milk did not have.

After two of his pets died in late 2024 and a third became seriously ill he realized the raw milk from Raw Farm LLC was dangerous.

Journell’s cats Alexander and Tuxedo died horrible deaths involving convulsions and blindness and a third cat, Big Boy, was hospitalized for eight days in critical condition. A fourth cat that did not drink the raw milk remained healthy. Journell himself was feeling sick just before his cats became ill and now believes it was the raw milk.

He said he is not sure when, or if, he will go back to drinking raw milk, which usually costs between $15 and $17 per gallon.

“I think there should be better testing and regulation to make sure it is safe,” Journell said.

Journell, who lives in San Bernardino, CA, paid for testing that showed Big Boy was infected with bird flu. The testing was done at USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University. The testing, medical bills and other expenses for Big Boy were about $14,000.

Big Boy’s recovery is ongoing. He is partially blind and had to use a wheeled device because he could not walk on his back legs for several weeks. His vision is still impaired but he is walking and eating normally.

Journell is now trying to recover costs from Mark McAfee, the owner of Raw Farm LLC, whic...