WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR CAT FROM BIRD FLU

Your orange tabby might be a fierce mouser, but house cats are not wild animals. Most veterinarians strongly advise against feeding companion animals raw food due to the risk of pathogens like salmonella and listeria.

The dangers of raw diets have become even more concerning recently with the ongoing spread of H5N1 bird flu. Several house cats have fallen ill—and some have even died—after consuming raw meat or unpasteurized milk contaminated with the virus. As a result, public health agencies have issued recalls and warnings about feeding raw foods to pets.

So, just how serious is the risk to your kitty? Here’s what every cat owner should know.

Can my cat really get sick or die from bird flu after eating raw meat or milk?

Yes, although it’s rare, says Dr. Jane Sykes, a specialist in infectious diseases in cats and dogs at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Vets say the safest bet is conventional pet food. Dr. Bruce Kornreich, the director of Cornell University’s Feline Health Center, says he isn’t worried about the possibility of H5N1 in these since heat used in cooking, canning and pasteurization seems to neutralize the virus.

How else can cats get bird flu – and what are the symptoms?

Any cat that spends unsupervised time outdoors is at risk of catching bird flu, warns Dr. Michael Q. Bailey, the president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The primary concern is that cats may hunt infected songbirds or rodents, particularly mice, which can carry the virus.

Bailey advises cat owners to watch for signs of illness like lethargy, a runny nose, or eye discharge.

However, Dr. Sykes cautions against jumping to conclusions. Just because a cat spends time outdoors or eats a raw diet doesn’t mean it has bird flu. Upper respiratory infections are common in cats, while H5N1 remains relatively rare.

Bird flu can cause neurological symptoms like dizziness and seizures, which are also seen in rabies cases. Since rabies is almost always fatal and poses a risk to humans, any animal suspected of having the virus should be euthanized.

Bailey stresses the importance of keeping pets up to date on their rabies and other vaccinations to ensure their health and safety.

Can my cat make me sick?

Bird flu in domestic cats is quite rare, and these pets are considered “dead-end hosts” for the virus, meaning they cannot transmit it to other animals or humans.

There have been no reported cases of cat-to-human transmission during the current H5N1 outbreak. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the likelihood of this happening is “extremely low, but not zero.”

Most people who contract H5N1 are farm workers who have had direct contact with infected poultry or cattle. Out of the 67 confirmed human cases of H5N1 in the U.S., there has been only one fatality.

The current strain of bird flu circulating hasn’t yet adapted to infect humans easily or spread among us. However, as Sykes points out, bird flu viruses do mutate over time.

When house cats contract H5N1 and then cuddle with their owners, it creates more opportunities for the virus to potentially adapt to a human host. The more cats that eat raw food, the greater the chance for infection and potential species crossover, warns Ian Gill Bemis, a Ph.D. student studying avian influenza in cats at the University of Maryland’s Department of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Public Health.

“I think there is a significantly high risk to public health if large numbers of people are feeding their cats raw food at this point in time,” he says.

There’s also at least one instance of a cat infecting a human with a different strain of bird flu, H7N1. As NPR reported in 2016, a veterinarian in New York City contracted the virus after close contact with infected cats. She experienced mild symptoms but recovered quickly.

While Sykes notes that the 2016 H7N1 strain is very different from H5N1, it’s an example of how cat-to-human transmission is possible with avian influenza.

Despite the potential risks to public health, Kornreich believes pet owners shouldn’t be criticized for feeding their cats raw food. “These people truly want to do what’s best for their cat,” he says.

What about dogs and other animals?

The FDA states that dogs can also contract bird flu, though their symptoms are generally milder than those seen in cats. Some dogs outside the U.S. have fallen ill and died from the virus. It’s still unclear why cats seem to be more affected, especially since people also feed raw food to dogs.

“It might be, perhaps dogs are getting infected and we just don’t know it,” says Kornreich.

In addition to wild birds, poultry and cattle, large cats are also vulnerable to H5N1. As are many other mammals, including foxes, opossums, several species of bears, even bottlenose dolphins.