Hen flu is killing home cats in Colorado. Is your pet in danger?
A handful of home cats in Colorado died this yr from hen flu and a few had no direct publicity to outbreaks on dairy farms.
State public well being officers have not decided how Extremely Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 circulating in contaminated herds sickened six home cats, together with two indoor cats, elevating questions for some about how the virus spreads and infects totally different animals.
State officers “suspect it’s immediately associated to dairy farm exposures,” Kristin Richmann, a spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Public Well being and Surroundings, stated in an electronic mail.
“By means of genetic testing of the virus, the infections in a number of of those cats have been linked to the avian flu outbreak in dairy cattle, however we didn’t doc direct publicity to dairy cattle in all instances,” she stated. As for the 2 indoor cats, she added, it is doable “monitoring of virus from the surroundings into the house” prompted infections within the pets.
Specialists stated the deaths may very well be linked to mice in and round properties that carried hen flu. Cats might have preyed on these rodents and homeowners is probably not conscious it occurred, stated Dr. Jane Sykes, a professor of small animal inside medication on the College of California, Davis, Faculty of Veterinary Medication. One other supply of an infection may very well be uncooked meals that folks feed their pets.
Cats residing on farms with contaminated livestock died of hen flu throughout latest outbreaks this yr. Nonetheless, it is unclear how home cats with no publicity to sick animals on farms bought the virus.
“Truthfully, once you see simply this small variety of animals which are reported, it is typically the tip of the iceberg,” Sykes informed USA TODAY. “There are sometimes numerous instances that do not get acknowledged.”
Hen flu in cats, people
The danger of hen flu to the general public is low, state and federal officers say. It is also unlikely that sick pets would transmit the virus to people. There was no transmission of the virus between folks throughout this outbreak.
Final week, the Colorado State Veterinarian’s Workplace introduced that six home cats had been identified with H5N1.
One case was immediately related to a business dairy facility the place cows had been contaminated. Two others had been indoor cats, and the remaining three cats had hung out exterior looking mice or small birds, in response to the announcement posted by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Affiliation.
5 of the six instances had comparable signs. Pet homeowners reported preliminary complaints that their cats had been torpid and never consuming. Some later turned severely unwell with respiratory signs, and most developed neurologic points. A number of had been examined for rabies, which has comparable signs, however had been adverse. All of the cats died. All examined optimistic for hen flu.
The virus detected in close by dairy herds spilled over to mammals and wild birds on and close to these premises, the state veterinarian stated. The precise pressure of H5N1 has been spreading to species that hadn’t beforehand been thought of reservoirs for the virus.
Citing U.S Division of Agriculture knowledge, Colorado Public Radio linked 5 of the six cats to northern Colorado, the place outbreaks amongst livestock have occurred.
The USDA stated by way of mail that its Nationwide Veterinary Providers Laboratory has confirmed 36 home cats with hen flu. In lots of instances, that they had the identical pressure present in dairy cattle.
Throughout the U.S. this yr, 13 folks have been contaminated with hen flu, together with 10 in Colorado. All had been poultry or dairy employees. No particular person has grow to be unwell from an contaminated cat, stated Richmann, from the state public well being division. Officers have monitored folks uncovered to the sick cats for 10 days after their final publicity, she stated.
Cats are usually “dead-end hosts,” that means they do not are likely to transmit hen flu to different animals as soon as contaminated, in response to Sykes, from UC Davis. Dying charges from hen flu have been excessive amongst cats: about two-thirds of cats died as soon as they had been contaminated, in response to one research.
There have been cases of cats spreading illness. In 2016, a cat contaminated an individual with a unique sort of avian influenza at a New York Metropolis animal shelter. Thailand and Germany skilled prior outbreaks of hen flu in cats.
Jennifer Martin, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Colorado Faculty of Public Well being, stated it’s vital to know the genetic sequence of H5N1 in cats to find out whether or not the virus is mutating, or simply discovering hosts wherein it is already tailored to outlive.
“That is going to be actually useful in placing collectively a puzzle that appears to be increasing,” Martin stated. “However is it an growth that is attributable to a change within the virus or is it a pure growth?” She stated as soon as that query is answered, “we are able to depend on greatest practices to deal with it.”
What can I do to guard my cat?
How a lot the hen flu has unfold past contaminated farms stays unclear. Within the meantime, the general public ought to depend on established strategies to guard folks and their pets from getting sick, Martin stated. These steps are so simple as washing arms after dealing with meals or litter bins. Pet homeowners also needs to keep away from serving their pets uncooked milk or meat. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention recommends folks and pets keep away from contact with wild birds.
Pet homeowners ought to look ahead to indicators of sickness of their cats and will contact a veterinarian if respiratory and neurological signs develop. The Colorado Veterinarian’s Workplace stated hen flu an infection ought to nonetheless be thought of in cats even when signs and danger components aren’t all current.
Folks get sick after they inhale the virus or get it of their mouth, eyes or nostril. In people, signs have included eye redness and flu-like respiratory points.
