Bird Flu: Can Your Cat Catch It?

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is caused by a strain of type A orthomyxovirus known as H5N1. This highly contagious, life-threatening illness has resulted in the death of more than 200 million domesticated birds to date, including chickens, turkeys, and ducks, in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Near East. While the virus usually doesn’t infect people, as of this writing more than 200 cases in humans have been reported.

In February 2006, news media reported that a domestic cat was found to have died of bird flu on the northern German island of Ruegen. This has caused concern among pet owners everywhere, who are wondering if their cats are at risk of contracting bird flu. Experts share the latest information available.

Have cats been infected with bird flu?

Fortunately, instances of cats being infected are rare. During the 2003-2004 outbreak in Asia, there were only a few unofficial reports of domestic cats with avian influenza H5N1. The cat from Germany lived in an area where more than 100 infected birds reportedly died; it is believed that the cat got sick from eating an infected bird.

Based on the available information, all the cases of cats infected with bird flu are associated with the ingestion of raw, infected poultry from wild or domestic birds.

The potential risk to American cats; possible precautions

Because avian influenza A H5N1 has not yet been detected in the United States, there is no known risk of a domestic cat in America becoming infected.

Bird flu has been reported in Europe, however, and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has issued preliminary guidelines for cat owners in affected areas:

• Keep your cats indoors at all times to avoid exposure to potentially infected birds, as well as to potentially infected free-roaming and feral cats.
• Do not allow stray cats in your home.
• Do not feed uncooked poultry to cats. As the H5N1 virus is destroyed with proper cooking, the high temperatures used to make cat food eliminate the risk of infection in cats who eat commercial pet foods.

Can people catch the bird flu from cats?

ANIMED has also received queries from pet owners who want to know if there is a risk to humans from cats infected with the virus. To date, there is no evidence that infected cats can spread H5N1 to people, and no cases of bird flu in humans have been linked to exposure to infected cats.

For the latest information...

It is important to keep in mind that the United States government, in conjunction with the World Health Organization and agencies form around the world, is working to continually monitor the situation. For the latest information on bird flu, and the risks it poses to both humans and animals in the United States, you can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention online.