Avian Flu in Cats?

FDA Outlines Ways to Reduce Risk of HPAI in Cats

Original Article courtesy of FDA.gov

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing pet owners and animal caretakers with information about ways to reduce the risk to their animals of contracting Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1). Felines, including both domestic and wild cats, are particularly sensitive to HPAI and care should be taken to not expose these animals to the virus.

Tips for preventing HPAI infection in dogs and cats are the same as for many other infectious diseases:

• Keep cats indoors.
• Keep pets that do go outdoors away from wild birds, poultry, and cattle and their environments.
• Prevent pets from eating dead birds or other animals.
• Avoid feeding pets raw meat or poultry and unpasteurized milk.

The FDA article also includes a link to a USDA site with the map below of reported cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) in wild mammals and domestic cats.

As you can see, the virus has not been confirmed in any land mammal in Florida.

The FDA article mentions, “at present, HPAI has not been detected in dogs in the United States”.

Even though we don’t have any reason to believe HPAI is infecting cats or dogs in Florida, it could happen, and it is prudent to advise any pet owner to follow this AVMA recommendation:

Seek veterinary care if your cat or dog appears to have any of the following signs:

• Fever
• Lethargy
• Low appetite
• Reddened or inflamed eyes
• Discharge from the eyes and nose
• Difficulty breathing
• Neurologic signs, like tremors, seizures, incoordination, or blindness

We recommend isolating any pet that we think possibly has a contagious disease.

For additional questions, please contact us.