Veterinarians and animal advocates are urging pet owners to keep their cats inside and not to feed them raw pet food to protect them from bird flu.
A handful of cats in the United States have been found dead due to avian influenza, a viral disease that historically only affected domestic poultry and wild birds, though some variants have been capable of infecting mammals including humans.
A subtype named avian influenza A(H5) is one such example of the virus with this crossover potential, and has led to widespread infections in poultry operations as well as in U.S. dairy cows. Some mostly mild cases caused by H5N1 have been documented in humans.
Dr. Michele Paul, a veterinarian at the Allentown Cat Clinic, said cases among cats are not widespread and she is not aware of any local cases — but known cases have been fatal.
“My understanding is that they are just finding them dead,” Paul said.
The main cause attributed to bird flu in cats is coming into contact with infected animals, living or dead. As carnivores, house cats need to eat meat, which makes them coming into contact with other animals or their byproducts inevitable. Outdoor and feral cats are especially susceptible as small wild birds and rodents, the preferred quarry of domestic cats, are common carriers of bird flu.
Laurie Mason Schroeder, who owns Purr Haus in Emmaus, a store that sells pet supplies and cat-themed merchandise as well as holding cat adoption events, recommends that concerned pet owners bring their cats indoors and keep them there.
“There’s a lot of danger for cats outdoors. There are a lot of people who believe cats should be outdoors for exercise and enrichment and things like that. But there are parasites, there are predators, they can get hit by a car, there are just so many ways a cat can be hurt by going outdoors. We just believe the best thing to do is to keep them indoors and give them enrichment that way,” Mason Schroeder said.
Paul added that outdoor cats, such as barn…
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