More than 80 domestic cats, amongst many different varieties of mammals, have been confirmed to have had fowl flu since 2022 — usually barn cats that lived on dairy farms, in addition to feral cats and pets that spend time outdoors and sure caught it by searching diseased rodents or wild birds.
Now, a small however rising variety of home cats have gotten sick from H5N1, the fowl flu pressure driving the present U.S. outbreak, after consuming uncooked meals or consuming unpasteurized milk. Some of these cats died.
The pressure of fowl flu at present circulating has not adapted to effectively unfold amongst individuals. And there have been no recognized circumstances of cat-to-human transmission through the present outbreak of H5N1.
Still, there’s always been the risk that cats, that are arguably only semi-domesticated, might convey dwelling a illness from a midnight prowl.
“Companion animals, and especially cats, are 100% a public health risk in terms of the risk of zoonotic transmission to people,” stated virologist Angela Rasmussen, who research illness development in rising viruses on the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.
This is as a result of we snuggle with and sleep in mattress with our cats. When we’re not wanting, cats drink from our water glasses and stroll on kitchen counters. So, cat house owners ought to concentrate on the continued unfold of fowl flu. “By reducing the risk to your cats, you reduce the risk to yourself,” Rasmussen stated.
Rasmussen doesn’t suppose pet house owners ought to be afraid their cats will give them fowl flu however stated taking precautions is nice for pets, and for public well being.
Signs of fowl flu in cats embody runny nostril and discharge across the eyes, defined Michael Q. Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
H5N1 additionally causes neurological issues like dizziness and seizures, that are signs of rabies, too. Rabies is nearly at all times deadly, and it poses a risk to human well being, so any animal suspected of getting the viral illness have to be euthanized. Bailey encourages individuals to make sure pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations.
Veterinarian Jane Sykes, who makes a speciality of infectious illnesses in cats and canine on the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, stated individuals shouldn’t assume it’s fowl flu if their cat is sick — even when their animal spends time open air or eats a uncooked food regimen. Upper-respiratory diseases are widespread in cats, whereas H5N1 is “still pretty rare.”
Sykes offers her indoor cat, Freckles, common kibble solely. She informed NPR and KFF Health News she has no issues about Freckles getting H5N1 as a result of the heating course of of creating dry or canned pet meals kills viruses.
Some methods to scale back publicity to the H5N1 virus should not feeding pets uncooked meals or unpasteurized milk and making an attempt to maintain them from interacting with animals that may very well be contaminated with the virus, reminiscent of rodents and wild birds.(iStock/Getty Images Plus)
More Cases in Cats, More Risk to Humans
Some individuals feed their pets uncooked meat or unpasteurized milk as a result of they suppose it’s a extra nutritious or pure food regimen. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s web site discourages this due to foodborne pathogens like salmonella and listeria, and now the highly pathogenic H5N1.
By maintaining pets wholesome, veterinarians play an important position in defending people from zoonotic illnesses. The American Veterinary Medical Association says the chance of H5N1 spilling over from a pet to an individual is “considered extremely low, but not zero.”
State and native public well being companies, together with these in Los Angeles County and Washington state, have issued comparable warnings in opposition to uncooked meals diets for pets.
Concerns for human well being are partly why the FDA announced last month it’s now requiring cat and pet food corporations to replace their security plans to guard in opposition to fowl flu.
This got here after the Oregon Department of Agriculture found a cat that was “strictly an indoor cat” had contracted H5N1 and died after consuming a frozen turkey product made by the uncooked pet meals model Northwest Naturals. It acknowledged that “tests confirmed a genetic match between the virus in the raw and frozen pet food and the infected cat.”
Northwest Naturals voluntarily recalled that batch of its frozen turkey-based product. The firm informed KFF Health News and NPR that the recall concerned “a small product run” and that it has issues concerning the accuracy of the Oregon Agriculture Department’s testing.
Los Angeles County’s public well being division stated 5 cats from two households examined constructive for fowl flu after consuming unpasteurized uncooked milk from the Raw Farm dairy in California’s Central Valley.
Raw Farm voluntarily recalled its milk and cream after retail merchandise examined constructive for H5N1, however it denies any food safety issues, calling the priority “a political issue.”
Veterinarians additionally warn pet house owners to not enable cats unsupervised time outdoors as there’s the chance of them getting H5N1 by interacting with different animals which may carry the illness.
“This is a very scary virus, given that it can infect so many different host species,” stated Bruce Kornreich, director of Cornell University’s Feline Health Center.
At least one occasion of a cat infecting an individual with fowl flu occurred in 2016. As NPR reported, a veterinarian in New York City caught the virus after having shut contact with contaminated cats. The vet skilled gentle signs and shortly recovered.
In that case, the pressure of fowl flu was H7N2, not the H5N1 that’s now circulating within the U.S.
H7N2 is a really totally different sort of virus, Sykes defined. But she stated it exhibits that cat-to-human transmission of avian influenza is theoretically attainable.
There isn’t quite a lot of analysis on transmission of fowl flu from companion animals like cats or canine to people, although Rasmussen agreed it’s undoubtedly a priority: The extra infections you have got in animals, “the more your luck is potentially going to run out.”
Most individuals who have caught H5N1 are agricultural staff who had direct contact with contaminated poultry or cattle. Of at the least 67 confirmed human circumstances of H5N1 within the U.S., there’s been one fatality in an immunocompromised one who had contact with birds.
In common, zoonotic illness researchers need extra H5N1 surveillance in companion animals of every kind. Even if the human loss of life toll of H5N1 stays comparatively low, it stays a public well being danger.
Barn cats that stay on dairy farms are at increased danger of coming in touch with fowl flu.(Westend61/Getty Images)
Chances for Mutation
Part of the priority with this H5N1 outbreak is that fowl flu viruses change. Just a couple of mutations might make this pressure adept at spreading between people. And the extra individuals who catch H5N1, the extra seemingly it could adapt to be extra environment friendly, stated Suresh Kuchipudi, a virologist on the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, the place he researches zoonotic illnesses. Kuchipudi has studied H5N1 in cats.
Another concern is something called reassortment. If an animal or individual is contaminated with two viruses directly, the viruses can commerce genetic materials, creating one thing new. This is widespread in influenza, so virologists are looking out for a case during which the fowl flu reassorts to make a virus that’s way more contagious, and probably extra virulent.
Virologist Rasmussen is far more frightened about this occurring in pigs. Human respiratory physiology is extra like that of swines than felines. So far, the present outbreak of H5N1 has not reached industrial hog operations. Rasmussen hopes it stays that means.
Kuchipudi stated that reassortments are comparatively uncommon occasions, however the final result is totally unpredictable. Sometimes the outcomes are benign, although it was seemingly a reassortment that concerned an avian virus that led to the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people. In the century since, virologists have established a worldwide surveillance community to watch influenza viruses. Scientists say continued investment in this network is key to getting ready for and hopefully stopping one other pandemic.
Winter is “reassortment season” due to all of the influenza viruses circulating, Rasmussen stated. A reassortment in cats might technically be attainable since these pets occasionally get seasonal flu, however it’s extremely unlikely. Rather, Rasmussen stated, it’s extra seemingly {that a} cat would go H5N1 to a human who already has seasonal flu, after which a reassortment occurs within the sick individual. While the chance isn’t zero, Rasmussen doubts this may occur. It would rely on how sick the human was, and the way a lot virus they’re uncovered to from their cat.
“Unless the cat is really shedding a ton of virus, and you’re kind of making out with the cat, I think it would be hard,” she stated.
Rasmussen and Kuchipudi warning there isn’t sufficient analysis to know for certain how a lot virus cats shed, and even how they shed the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was poised to release a brand new research about H5N1 in cats, however that was delayed when the Trump administration paused the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. That investigation, revealed by way of emails obtained by KFF Health News in a public data request, discovered that house cats seemingly received fowl flu from dairy staff.
Scientists and public well being companies ought to query beforehand held assumptions about fowl flu, Kuchipudi urged. He famous that 20 years in the past no person would have predicted that fowl flu would infect dairy cattle the way in which it’s now.
Dogs Seem To Fare Better
The FDA says different domesticated animals, together with canine, can get fowl flu infections. There are not any confirmed circumstances of H5N1 amongst canine within the U.S., although in different international locations they’ve died from the virus.
There’s some disagreement and an general lack of analysis on whether or not cat biology makes them extra inclined to H5N1 than different mammals, together with people, pigs, or canine.
But cat behaviors, reminiscent of their love of dairy and predation of untamed birds, put them at increased danger, Kuchipudi stated. Also, residing in teams may play a task as there are extra feral cat colonies within the U.S. than packs of stray canine.
There’s little or no individuals can do concerning the H5N1 circulating in wild birds. As Rasmussen defined, “It’s flying around in the skies. It’s migrating north and south with the seasons.”
But she stated there’s lots individuals can do to maintain the virus out of their properties.
That contains limiting a pet’s publicity to H5N1 by not feeding them uncooked meals or unpasteurized milk, and making an attempt to maintain them from interacting with animals like rodents and wild birds that may very well be contaminated with the virus.
This article is from a partnership that features NPR and KFF Health News.
Related Topics
