Avian influenza

Avian influenza is a flu virus carried by wild and farmed birds. Since the mid-2020s, a strain called H5N1 has spread widely in birds and in some mammals, including domestic cats. Cats have been infected after drinking raw milk from infected dairy cows, eating raw pet food or raw meat made with infected animals, or hunting and eating infected wild birds.

The illness in cats can be severe and fast. Reported signs include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, eye and nose discharge, breathing difficulty, wobbliness, blindness and seizures, and many affected cats have died. The signs resemble other illnesses, so only a lab test can confirm the cause. Any cat that becomes suddenly and seriously ill after exposure to raw milk, raw food or wild birds needs a vet at once. Tell the vet about the exposure by phone before you arrive, so they can take precautions.

Prevention is practical. Do not give cats raw milk, raw meat or raw pet food, particularly in areas with outbreaks. Keep cats away from sick or dead wild birds, and consider keeping them indoors. Wash hands after handling a sick animal. Rules for reporting and testing differ by place. Ask your vet and local animal health authority for current advice, because the situation changes.