Bird flu in cats: causes, symptoms and treatment

If you’re a cat parent, you may have noticed a recent increase in reports of cats coming down with bird flu in the US, although the current strain of bird flu is known as H5N1 widespread in wild birds worldwideit’s really rare for cats to be diagnosed at this stage.

We spoke with Anne Kimmerlein, DVM, a veterinary epidemiologist VCA Animal Hospitals andn Sacramento, California to learn more about bird flu in cats and what steps pet parents can take to protect their cats.

What causes bird flu in cats?

“Cats can be exposed to bird flu when they have contact with infected animals such as wild birds or livestock, eat dead wildlife, drink raw milk, or come into contact with contaminated items such as clothing, footwear or equipment,” Kimmerlein says.

As such, the cats most at risk of contracting the current strain of bird flu are outdoor farm cats.

Signs of bird flu in cats

If our cat gets sick with bird flu, it can show the following symptoms:

In addition, some cases of bird flu in cats can be fatal. “Unfortunately, some cats have died from the virus without any signs of illness,” says Kimmerlein.

Can a cat give me bird flu?

Although the disease is called bird flu, it can infect both cats and humans. “This version of H5N1 can infect many different species of mammals, including dairy cows, cats and rarely humans,” says Kimmerlein.

According to the CDC, three dairy workers have been diagnosed with H5N1 so far. However, humans are unlikely to get bird flu from their infected cat, and your cat is unlikely to spread the disease to other animals.

“While H5N1 avian influenza can infect both animals and humans, cats are not known to be a significant route for infection in humans or other animals,” says Kimmerlein.

Indoor cats are less likely to get bird flu, “Currently, the risk posed by the current H5N1 bird flu strain to domestic cats is considered low, and scientific research is being conducted to better understand how the virus can be transmitted,” says Kimmerlein.

Treatment of bird flu in cats

The good news is that even if your cat contracts bird flu, it is possible for him to recover. However, since there is no specific treatment plan for bird flu in cats, it is important to address the severity of your cat’s symptoms early.

If you suspect that your cat is behaving strangely or is ill, it is important to get your vet involved as soon as possible.

How to prevent bird flu in cats

At the moment, there isn’t vaccine against bird flu for cats, so it is important to take extra preventive measures to prevent your indoor or outdoor cats from contracting H5N1.

“The best way to protect cats from bird flu is to limit their interactions with wildlife, livestock, and any animals of unknown health status,” says Kimmerlein.

Other prevention tactics include:

• Change your clothing and footwear after interacting with poultry, wildlife, livestock or any sick or injured animal
• Prevention cats from consuming unpasteurized ones dairy products
• Monitoring your cat’s health at all times