Cats are at Risk of Bird Flu: What Do Owners Need to Know?

The H5N1 or bird flu virus has been sporadically detected in some pets, including cats. 

Bird flu affecting cats occurred in Thailand in 2004, northern Germany in 2006, and Poland and South Korea in 2023.

As reported by Science News on Friday, May 31, 2024, when bird flu infects mammals, the virus can undergo random mutations. These mutations will help the virus replicate better when in mammalian cells. This increases the likelihood that avian influenza can adapt and spread easily in humans.

Veterinarian and environmental epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Maryland, USA, Meghan Davis said that cats may become infected after catching wild birds outdoors. Although the cat did not eat the wild bird, it is considered physical contact that can transmit the virus. In addition, the diet humans feed their pets can also be harmful to cats.

"Raw meat diets, and particularly raw poultry diets, have been associated with some of these cases," says Davis.

Some evidence suggests that cats may be able to transmit the infection to other cats. Sadly, a cat can die from bird flu infection and the mortality rate appears to be high. WOAH noted that more than 16 cats in the US have been detected with avian influenza and at least four have died. Then in 2022 and 2023, 13 cats were affected and about half of them died.

For cat owners, the CDC recommends always monitoring the health of their pet cats and themselves. On the other hand, Davis also suggests keeping cats out of reach of birds as much as possible. If there are cats that often go outside, try to keep pets from being exposed to bird droppings.

"Keep bird feeders away from catio or cat cages," Davis said.

WOAH advises against feeding cats any food, especially raw poultry meat and milk.