Several cats have contracted bird flu from eating raw pet food or drinking raw milk.
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The risks of raw feeding have become even more pronounced in recent months due to the continued spread of H5N1 avian influenza.
Several domestic cats became ill and some died from H5N1 after consuming raw meat or unpasteurized milk. This has prompted recalls and warnings from public health agencies against feeding raw foods to pets.
Can my cat really get sick or die from bird flu after eating raw meat or milk?
Since 2022, more than 70 cats have contracted H5N1. Sykes notes that many were barn cats and drank milk from infected cattle: A study published last summer found that about half of the infected cats on a dairy farm in north Texas died from the virus.
Last month the Oregon Department of Agriculture said that a house cat contracted the virus and then died after consuming a frozen turkey product made by raw pet food brand Northwest Naturals. It said “testing confirmed a genetic match between the virus in raw and frozen pet foods and the infected cat.”
Northwest Naturals has voluntarily recalled this lot of its frozen turkey product.
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.
Sykes agrees, which is why she regularly feeds kibble to her indoor cat, Freckles.
How else can cats get bird flu – and what are the symptoms?
The main concern is that when kittens hunt, they prey on infected songbirds or rodents, especially mice.
Bailey recommends people watch out for signs of lethargy, runny nose, or discharge around the eyes.
If a cat appears sick, Sykes says people shouldn’t assume it’s bird flu, even if their pets spend time outdoors or eat raw food. Upper respiratory illnesses are common in cats, while H5N1 is “still pretty rare.”
Bailey says it’s a good idea to make sure your pets are up to date on their rabies and other vaccinations.
Can my cat do Me sick?
There have been no known cases of cat-to-human transmission during the current outbreak. H5N1. The American Veterinary Medical Association says the chances of this happening are “considered extremely low, but not zero.”
Most people who get H5N1 have been farm workers in direct contact with infected poultry or cattle. Of the 67 confirmed human cases of H5N1 in the United States, there has been only one death.
The strain of bird flu currently circulating has not adapted to easily infect humans or spread among us.
The more cats that eat raw food, the more chances for an infection and a species crossover event to occur, says Ian Gill Bemis, a PhD student who studies avian influenza in cats at the University of Maryland Department of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Public Health.
There is at least one instance of a cat infecting a human with another kind of bird flu, called H7N1. As NPR reported in 2016, a New York veterinarian caught the virus after having close contact with infected cats. She experienced mild symptoms and recovered quickly.
Sykes says this 2016 bird flu virus is very different from H5N1. But this is an example that transmission from cats to humans is possible with avian flu.
Despite the public health risk, Kornreich argues that pet owners should not be demonized for feeding their pets raw food. “These people really want to do what’s right for their cat,” he says.
The FDA says dogs can also get avian flu infections, although they are usually milder than in cats. Some dogs outside the United States have become ill and died from bird flu. It’s unclear why cats have been so much more affected, since people also feed dogs raw food.
Besides wild birds, poultry and livestock, big cats are also vulnerable to H5N1. As do many other mammals, including foxes, opossums, several species of bears and even bottlenose dolphins.
Sarah Boden is a freelance health and science writer.
KFF health news.
