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.
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