Avian Flu Information
To all our furry friend families:
We wanted to take the time to reach out with additional information about avian influenza (H5N1). Because cats can become infected and become very ill or even pass away, this is a scary time for all kitty households. Hopefully this information will help you to feel a little more empowered to protect your fur babies.
How do cats become infected?
- Exposure to infected animals or products, including:
- Direct exposure to infected birds or livestock
- Exposure to environments of infected birds or livestock (including exposure to any body secretions or stool)
- Ingesting raw colostrum / milk or other unpasteurized dairy products (like cream)
- Ingesting raw or undercooked meat (this includes commercial raw food diets)
So how do you protect your cats?
- Do not feed your cat raw foods (this includes but is not limited to human raw foods, commercial raw foods, eating wild birds, and unpasteurized dairy products)
- Ideally, keep your cats indoors
- Reduce wild bird traffic near your home – ie do not put out bird feeders or bird baths (congregating birds during this time is also dangerous for the bird population so no guilt in removing these)
- When you have contact with bird or livestock areas, remove / clean your shoes and clothing before interacting with your cats
What are the symptoms of avian flu in cats?
- Illness can start with loss of appetite, lethargy and fever but will progress:
- Neurological signs (such as incoordination, circling, tremors, seizures, and blindness)
- Severe Depression
- Heavy discharge from the nose and eyes
- Other respiratory signs (difficulty breathing, sneezing, coughing)
What should you do if your cat has these symptoms after exposure?
- Please note if your cat spends time outdoors, eats raw food, hunts/eats birds, or has exposure to livestock, these are all potential exposures
- Call us (or the ER if outside of hours) and be sure to disclose the concern for possible exposure as well as the symptoms so the clinic can prepare for isolation and proper intake
How will cats with suspected exposure be handled in the hospital?
- Cats with suspected exposure plus symptoms will ideally spend as little time as possible in the hospital to reduce chance of exposure to any other patients or people
- Cats will be isolated in a specific isolation area away from any other kennels or cats
- Staff will wear personal protective equipment while handling potentially infected cats:
- N95 equivalent or better mask
- Eye protection
- Disposable gown
- Disposable shoe coverings
- Disposable hair covering
- Disposable gloves
- Disinfection of all contacted areas immediately
Can cats and people infect each other?
- Cats are generally considered a dead end host, meaning it is unlikely that they can pass the disease along
- Though it is unlikely a human could be infected by a cat ill with avian flu, it is possible and especially if there is prolonged, unprotected exposure to an infected cat (pet or feral)
- Human to cat transmission is not a strong known source of infection for cats; however, such transmission is possible
- If a human or cat is ill after a suspected exposure, ideally there should be isolation of the sick individual(s) away from any other human or cat
Is your healthy cat at risk coming into the hospital?
- Every measure will be taken to protect all of our patients
- It is not currently clear if cats can be infected by other cats but if it is possible, there would need to be contact with the infected cat or their secretions / excretions and that exposure will not occur with isolation protocols
- Please know that choosing to postpone veterinary care due to the current avian flu outbreak (which started in March 2024) would present a higher risk to your cat's health than bringing your kitty into the hospital
Any information coming from the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) is a great resource, including:
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-health/avian-influenza/avian-influenza-h5n1-cats
