Cats are getting — and dying of — hen flu. That’s sparking worries in regards to the danger that the continuing outbreak of extremely pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza poses for these feline furballs and their house owners.
This outbreak has been sickening and killing wild birds and poultry in america since 2021 (SN: 5/16/24). H5N1 has additionally jumped right into a large number of mammals, together with cattle similar to goats, dairy cattle and, most just lately, 4 alpacas in Idaho (SN: 3/6/23; SN: 4/3/24).
When hen flu viruses infect mammals, the viruses can get random mutations that assist them replicate higher in mammalian cells. That raises the chance that the avian influenza may adapt to unfold simply in folks.
There’s no signal that the virus has developed the kind of adjustments wanted to transmit simply from person-to-person but, the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention reported Might 24. Most individuals who’ve gotten contaminated to date have been these with shut contact with poultry or cattle.
However having hen flu present up in home cats may give the virus a extra intimate route for infecting folks. In spite of everything, folks don’t often cuddle chickens and cows the way in which they do kitties.
Right here’s what’s and isn’t recognized about H5N1 hen flu in cats and different widespread pets.
How do cats get hen flu?
Out of doors cats could get contaminated after catching wild birds, says Meghan Davis, a veterinarian and environmental epidemiologist on the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg College of Public Well being. “Whether or not they eat them or not, that could possibly be adequate contact.”
The food plan folks feed their pets may additionally put cats in danger. “Uncooked meat diets, and particularly uncooked poultry diets, have been related to a few of these instances,” she says.
The U.S. Division of Agriculture has discovered viral particles in muscle and different tissue from a dairy cow that was being culled, the company mentioned Might 24. Not one of the meat entered the meals provide, however the incident highlights that uncooked beef may comprise the virus. (For anybody fearful about their summer season cookout, cooking burgers spiked with H5N1 to 145° Fahrenheit (medium) or increased was sufficient to inactivate the virus, the company says.)
Water, footwear or gear contaminated with hen droppings additionally could be potential sources of an infection, based on the World Group for Animal Well being.
And now, uncooked milk — milk that hasn’t been pasteurized to kill micro organism and viruses — has change into an avenue for an infection after H5N1 confirmed up in dairy cattle. Uncooked milk, a few of which is labeled for pet use solely, could possibly be a manner that indoor cats that don’t have contact with wild birds or poultry may get contaminated, Davis says.
Some proof means that cats may have the ability to cross the an infection to one another, she says.
Can cats die of hen flu?
Sure. Demise charges from H5N1 infections in cats look like excessive.
This yr alone, greater than 16 cats in america are recognized to have contracted H5N1 hen flu, most of them on dairy farms, based on the World Group for Animal Well being. At the least 4 have died. In 2022 and 2023, a minimum of 13 cats acquired hen flu and about half died. Some had been cats on poultry farms or that had contact with yard rooster flocks that had been contaminated with the virus, however some had been home cats that one way or the other acquired sick.
The virus has additionally killed a minimum of 22 mountain lions and sickened a minimum of 10 bobcats, killing a minimum of seven of them. A captive leopard in New York and a captive tiger in Nebraska additionally died of hen flu.
The numbers of infections probably is increased. As an example, about half of two dozen cats that had been fed uncooked milk from contaminated cattle on one Texas farm earlier this yr died, researchers report within the July 2024 Rising Infectious Ailments. These cats weren’t included within the World Group for Animal Well being report.
Signs earlier than the cats’ deaths included stiff physique actions, wobbliness, circling, runny noses and blindness. Researchers examined two of the lifeless cats and located proof that the virus had contaminated their complete our bodies. However it might have been mind an infection that killed the cats. “Sadly, it’s not nice information if we get to that time,” Davis says.
Can folks get hen flu from cats?
It’s doable, however the danger might be low. In 2016, after working with cats sickened with a unique sort of hen flu, a veterinarian in New York Metropolis turned in poor health, researchers reported in Scientific Infectious Ailments in 2017.
It’s uncommon however doable for folks to catch hen flu from pets, cattle or wild animals, the CDC says. A dairy farm employee in Texas and one in Michigan each acquired gentle eye infections this yr after contact with contaminated dairy cows (SN: 5/16/24). Within the Michigan case, the employee acquired splashed within the face with uncooked milk containing the virus.
On Might 30, the CDC introduced that one other dairy farm employee in Michigan acquired sick after contact with contaminated cows and developed respiratory signs, together with a cough and watery eyes. That case was from a unique farm the place the individual with the attention an infection labored. The coughing dairy employee is isolating at dwelling and their household and coworkers haven’t developed signs, the company mentioned.
Farm employees could also be youthful and more healthy than the common individual, Davis says. Much less clear is whether or not actually prone folks, similar to older folks or ones with weakened immune programs, who stay with cats might need a better danger of getting contaminated, she says.
The precise odds of catching hen flu from animals hasn’t but been established, even for employees uncovered to massive numbers of sick cattle or poultry. However public well being companies stress that the chance of getting hen flu is low for individuals who aren’t uncovered to contaminated birds and their droppings or to contaminated animals.
Can canine or different pets get hen flu?
Sure. Canine are most likely prone to getting hen flu, Davis says. Their canine cousins pink foxes have continuously been victims of H5N1.
In a single examine of canine, 4 of 194 searching canine that had retrieved waterfowl developed antibodies in opposition to H5N1 hen flu, researchers report within the June 2024 Rising Infectious Ailments. That means that canine can get contaminated with hen flu. Not one of the canine acquired sick and so they didn’t cross the virus to different canine of their households, the staff discovered.
Different small mammal pets, particularly ferrets or mink, are additionally susceptible.
How can pet house owners maintain their cats protected?
Maintain cats inside away from birds, Davis advises. For cats that go outdoors, restrict their publicity to hen feces, she says. “Maintain the hen feeders out of the catio.”
The World Group for Animal Well being advises cleansing footwear after strolling in locations the place there are hen droppings, disinfecting surfaces the place footwear are saved and holding footwear away from cats.
Don’t feed cats meals, particularly uncooked poultry and milk, which may comprise stay hen flu virus, Davis says. “The underside line is just not feeding uncooked milk merchandise to pets is as essential as not consuming them yourselves.”
There aren’t any hen flu vaccines obtainable for cats proper now.
What ought to I do if my cat brings dwelling a lifeless hen?
Don’t contact the hen if you happen to might help it. If it’s important to transfer the hen, placed on a masks and gloves and goggles, Davis says. In the event you don’t have protecting gear a stick and a field will do. Wash your arms after dealing with the hen.
Monitor the cat and notify your vet if signs seem. The incubation interval in cats tends to be brief, with signs showing two to a few days after an infection.
In the event you discover massive numbers of lifeless birds or different animals, Davis advises notifying animal management authorities. “Many states could have both a state wildlife veterinarian or different reporting hotlines for lifeless wild animals,” she says. These companies can do testing to see if H5N1 is current and may get rid of the lifeless birds or animals.
