Cats can get sick with bird flu. Here's how to protect them
The death of an Oregon house cat and a pet food recall are raising questions about the ongoing outbreak of bird flu and how people can protect their pets.
Bird flu has been spreading for years in wild birds, chickens, turkeys and many other animals. It was first confirmed in U.S. dairy cattle in March.
The virus has been causing sporadic, mostly mild illnesses in people in the U.S., and nearly all of those infected worked on dairy or poultry farms. When the virus is found, every bird on a farm is killed to limit the spread of the disease.
Oregon health officials traced the cat's illness to frozen cat food that contained raw turkey. Virus recovered from the recalled pet food and the infected cat matched.
The virus has been causing sporadic, mostly mild illnesses in people in the U.S., and nearly all of those infected worked on dairy or poultry farms. When the virus is found, every bird on a farm is killed to limit the spread of the disease.
Oregon health officials traced the cat's illness to frozen cat food that contained raw turkey. Virus recovered from the recalled pet food and the infected cat matched.
Some pet owners feed their animals raw meat, but that can be dangerous, even fatal for the animals, said Dr. Michael Q. Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Cooking meat or pasteurizing raw milk destroys the bird flu virus and other disease-causing germs.
"Raw milk, raw meat products can be and are a vector for carrying this virus," he said.
Are pets in danger of getting bird flu?
Though cases of infection are rare, cats seem especially susceptible to the bird flu virus, or Type A H5N1. Even before the cattle outbreak, there were feline cases linked to wild birds or poultry. Since March, dozens of cats have caught the virus. These include barn and feral cats, indoor cats, and big cats in zoos and in the wild.
"Raw milk, raw meat products can be and are a vector for carrying this virus," he said.
Are pets in danger of getting bird flu?
Though cases of infection are rare, cats seem especially susceptible to the bird flu virus, or Type A H5N1. Even before the cattle outbreak, there were feline cases linked to wild birds or poultry. Since March, dozens of cats have caught the virus. These include barn and feral cats, indoor cats, and big cats in zoos and in the wild.
A recall alert is displayed on a refrigerator at a pet store in Tigard, Ore., on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, after Northwest Naturals announced a voluntary recall Tuesday of one batch of its 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food after it tested positive for the virus. Credit: AP Photo/Jenny Kane
A bag of Northwest Naturals 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food that was part of a voluntary recall is displayed for a photograph on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, in Tigard, Ore. Credit: AP Photo/Jenny Kane
This colorized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue). Credit: CDC/NIAID via AP, File
A pet store employee holds a bag of Northwest Naturals 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food in Tigard, Ore., on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, after it was taken off the shelves as part of a voluntary recall by the manufacturer. Credit: AP Photo/Jenny Kane