Experts believe three more cats in Los Angeles County have been infected with the H5N1 bird flu. Earlier this month, two other people died from the disease after drinking recalled raw milk from Fresno’s Raw Farm LLC dairy.
Of the three newly sick cats, two died and one tested positive for influenza A, an unusual finding for a domestic cat that had not been exposed to infected birds or contaminated dairy products. The two people who died were unable to be tested before their death, but experts believe their deaths were likely caused by the H5N1 virus.
All three cats live in the same household.
Influenza A viruses include most seasonal human influenza viruses as well as H5N1. Health officials do not yet know where the cats contracted the H5N1 virus, but they noted in a statement that they are investigating the source of the raw meat and are awaiting test results.
“The risk of contracting H5 avian influenza in Los Angeles County remains low, but these confirmed cases of infection in pet cats are a reminder that consuming raw dairy and meat products can cause cats to become seriously ill,” said agency director Barbara Ferre. Barbara Ferrer said.
She urged county residents to “avoid raw dairy products and undercooked meat products, limit contact with sick or dead animals, report sick or dead birds, and keep pets or poultry away from wild animals and birds.”
The three newly discovered cats all showed respiratory illness and had no known history of exposure to raw milk; investigators are looking into whether the animals were eating raw meat.
According to health officials, the cats only live indoors.
People who had direct contact with the cats are being monitored for symptoms and have been treated with antiviral medications. Researchers say there have been cases of cats transmitting bird flu.
It’s unclear how many cats have died since the H5N1 virus began circulating among dairy cows earlier this year. However, they are extremely susceptible to the virus and dead barn cats are considered an early biological warning that dairy products have been affected by the virus.
This spring, 12 barn cats died on a Texas dairy farm after drinking infected raw milk. Sykes also pointed to an outbreak in South Korea in 2023 where shelter cats ate pet food made from raw duck infected with H5N1. At one shelter, 38 out of 40 cats died after eating contaminated food.
Last year, the World Health Organization reported sporadic deaths of cats in areas where H5N1 avian influenza is endemic, including one site in Poland where 46 cats died in a cluster; 29 of the animals were found to be positive for the avian influenza virus.
Big cats, including captive lions, tigers and panthers, have also died from eating meat contaminated with bird flu. The same goes for wild California bobcats and cougars.
Symptoms of H5N1 infection in cats include difficulty breathing, bloody diarrhea, and neurological abnormalities (loss of motor control, seizures, depressed mental status, stiffness, blindness, circling, increased eye and nose discharge, and coma), and some cats become ill quickly Deterioration or even death.
