America’s Pet Cats Face Bird Flu Threat

Cases of bird flu have been detected in nearly 40 pet cats across several states.

Avian Influenza has ravaged poultry stock across the U.S. in recent years, spreading to cows and a small number of humans. According to Reuters, since 2022, bird flu in the U.S. has infected over 100 million chickens, 9,500 wild birds, 168 dairy herds, seven people who were exposed to poultry, and four people who worked with infected cattle.

The disease is now spreading much closer to home. According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), 37 cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu have been detected in domestic cats as of August 20. It is also spreading among other species, including red foxes, mountain lions, bobcats, skunks and raccoons.

The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association confirmed earlier this month that there have been six cases of felines infected with bird flu in the state. One of the cases was “directly associated with a known infected commercial dairy facility,” while two of the animals were indoor only cats with “no direct exposures to the virus.” Three other cats, while homed, had access to the outside and hunted mice and/or small birds.

In April 2024, two farm cats in Texas contracted H5N1 from drinking raw milk from an infected dairy cow.

Seven other states have reported cases: Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Ohio and South Dakota.

“As companion animals, domestic cats provide a potential pathway for avian influenza viruses to spillover into humans,” Kristen Coleman, an assistant professor in the UMD School of Public Health and an affiliate professor in the University of Maryland Department of Veterinary Medicine, wrote in a report in June.

“We looked at the global distribution and spread of bird flu infections in feline species between 2004 and 2024 and found a drastic rise in reports of feline infections starting in 2023, with a spike in infections reported among domestic cats, as opposed to wild or zoo-kept animals. This increase coincides with the rapid spread of the current strain of H5N1 among mammals.”

Symptoms of Bird Flu in Cats

Symptoms of bird flu in cats range considerably in severity, and often appear just a few days after the animal is infected, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health. Signs include listlessness, loss of appetite, severe depression, fever, difficulty breathing, neurological disease, jaundice and sometimes death.

According to the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, five of the six cases picked up in the Centennial State have all presented with similar symptoms: “an initial complaint of lethargy and inappetence, followed by progressive respiratory signs in some and fairly consistent progressive neurologic signs in most.”

Can Cats Give Humans Bird Flu?

It’s very, very unlikely, with the risk being deemed “currently very low or negligible,” according to the World Organisation for Animal Health.

“Cats are not significant epidemiological vectors of avian influenza to humans or other animals,” it says. “While it’s unlikely that people would catch avian influenza through contact with an infected wild, stray, feral, or domestic cat, it is possible—especially if there is prolonged and unprotected exposure to an infected animal. Precautions should be taken when handling a sick animal, whether it is a beloved pet or a wild animal.”