If you have read the news or been on social media lately, you may have heard about growing concerns around bird flu. Specifically, there has been increased worry and surveillance around H5N1 avian influenza. While this viral disease has been affecting wild birds and poultry for years, it has recently started to affect other species, including people and cats. As a small animal hospital, we are especially concerned about the risk this disease may pose to our feline friends. Below, we will discuss some of the risk factors for cats becoming infected with avian influenza, signs of infection, and how you can best protect the cats in your home.
H5N1 is a specific subtype of influenza that traditionally has affected birds. There are many different types of avian influenza, and variants of these are commonly spread among the wild bird population. The current outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza was first identified about 4 years ago, originally in both wild bird and poultry populations. You may remember hearing about infections in turkey barns around Minnesota at that time, and influences this had on the poultry industry. The influenza virus mutates frequently, allowing it to infect new species and cause varying severity of illness depending on the mutation types. Eventually, we saw the virus gain the ability to infect and sicken dairy cattle. More recently, we have identified infections in cats, pigs, and people.
We are still in the early days of understanding this virus and how it affects cats. We have documented infections in both domestic and big cats. The domestic cats that have been diagnosed have shown a variety of changes at home, including neurologic signs (seizures, tremors, circling, incoordination, blindness), low energy, significant eye and nasal discharge, sneezing and coughing, or difficulties breathing. Avian influenza has resulted in euthanasia or death in cats, although the frequency is not well understood as we suspect cases are underreported. There are unfortunately many other disease processes that can cause similar clinical signs in cats, so it can be difficult to diagnose avian influenza infections. As awareness around this virus grows, we are hoping our surveillance data will improve as well. There is a specialized test that can be performed in cats showing signs of illness. Your veterinarian can help make diagnostic recommendations if they are concerned about avian influenza in your cat.
At this time, the best action we can take against avian influenza is to prevent exposure in our cats. We know that raw foods and raw dairy products have been connected to many of the diagnosed infections. For this reason, we are advising our clients against feeding raw diets to their cats. We also know this virus can be spread from wild birds to cats. Keeping your cat indoors is the best way to prevent this exposure. Finally, if you work with wild birds or poultry, we recommend changing your clothes and washing your hands prior to interacting with your cat. Cats who live on or come from poultry and dairy farms are also at an increased risk of exposure, and should be watched closely for the signs discussed above. Avian influenza is an epizootic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans. We have not seen any cases of known transmission from cats to people, but if you are worried about exposure, we recommend reaching out to your human physician.
We are still learning about the management of avian influenza, especially how it relates to our cats. We always do our best to keep you updated on how to best care for your four-legged family members, and will let you know if recommendations change. If you are concerned your cat may have exposure or be showing signs of illness, please reach out so we can guide you in the next steps to take. For more information, please review the links attached below.
https://www.avma.org/news/novel-bird-flu-strain-continues-threaten-animal-public-health