At least six pet cats in Los Angeles County have died from bird flu, and more are sick with the virus, after consuming either raw pet food or raw milk containing infective particles of the H5N1 virus.
One unfortunate five-cat household lost two feline members of their family after the cats ate two brands of commercially available raw pet food. Because these were strictly indoor-only cats, their diet of raw pet foods was easily identified as a potential route of infection.
All five cats experienced a sudden onset of illness, with four developing severe clinical conditions, while one cat experienced only mild clinical signs. Two of the cats' respiratory symptoms were so severe that the vet deemed euthanasia the most humane option.
“One of the severely affected cats was tested and later confirmed to be infected with H5N1 (aka H5 bird flu),” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) reports.
Testing confirmed a particular raw food brand sold at farmers markets, ‘Monarch Raw Pet Food,' contained live H5N1 virus. Anyone who has purchased this product is advised to dispose of it immediately.
Another single-cat household in LA sought help for their cat's acute onset of illness, which testing confirmed as H5N1. This cat, also indoor-only, had also consumed raw pet food, the three different brands of which are still being tested.
A further five cats from two different households in LA County died after drinking raw milk intended for human consumption that was part of a recall due to H5 bird flu contamination. These cats were all infected with the H5N1 virus.
Cats rarely test positive for influenza A, and these are the first confirmed cases of cats with H5N1 in LA County, but further confirmation of cats infected with H5N1 is also coming in from around California and other states in the US after sampling in December.
These small outbreaks are concerning not only because of the distress and grief at the loss or sickness of each beloved pet, but also because they highlight the risk of the virus mutating and spreading between species.
“Currently, there is no evidence of local cat-to-cat, cat-to-human, or human-to-human spread of H5 bird flu, and the risk to the general public continues to be low,” the LACDPH says.
“However, people who come into close contact with animals, especially wild birds and their feces, infected cats, infected poultry, or infected dairy cattle or their milk, have a greater risk of exposure.”
The virus typically infects birds and poultry, but in recent months it has been detected in dairy cattle and other animals across the world, thereby increasing the risk to humans.
In the US, 66 people have been confirmed infected with H5N1, and one person has died from it.
The advice to anyone with animals in their lives is as follows:
- Avoid feeding animals raw dairy, raw meat, raw poultry, or raw pet food diets (a practice that comes with many other risks).
- Keep an eye on food recalls and share them with other pet owners. You can do so by visiting the FDA's Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts website and filtering the product type by ‘Animal and Veterinary'.
- Be aware of potential H5 bird flu symptoms in pets. Assess whether a sick pet may have been exposed to bird flu by eating raw food products or by catching wild birds, especially if the pet shows the following symptoms: fever, severe lethargy, loss of appetite, skin or eyes turning yellow (signs of liver issues), respiratory symptoms, neurological signs such as moving in circles or loss of balance or seizures, red eyes, strange eye movements, or vision problems.
