FDA Reports Over A Dozen Cats Sick Or Dead From Bird Flu In Raw Food
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bird food found in raw food has killed or infected more than a dozen house cats throughout America.
The FDA said in a statement to CBS that the administration was “aware of reports of death or illness associated with uncooked food in 13 domestic cats in eight households, 1 exotic cat in one household, and an unknown number of animals at two sanctuaries for large felids.”
CBS also reported that the FDA informed them that cases were found in Colorado, California, Washington, and Oregon.
The FDA has issued a statement to cat and dog food manufacturers as well. They warned manufacturers who use uncooked or pasteurized materials from both cattle or poultry to keep the H5N1 bird flu in their food safety plans.
The FDA explained that the bird flu virus can be transmitted to cats and dogs when they eat food products made from infected poultry or cattle. Unpasteurized milk, uncooked meat, or unpasteurized eggs are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to transmitting the virus.
Dogs, on average, display much more mild clinical signs and symptoms and have lower mortality when infected. In cats, the virus can unfortunately lead to severe illness or death.
The initial outbreak of the H5N1 virus in the US began last March when it was found in dairy cattle in both Texas and Kansas.
Last year, twelve barn cats died after they drank infected raw milk and in December 20 exotic cats, including a Bengal tiger, four cougars, and four bob cats died at an animal sanctuary in Washington.
In a study published last year in the academic journal Emerging Microbes and infections, “cat H5N1 genomes had unique mutations that could suggest potential virus adaptation. It found cats could serve as mixing vessels for reassortment of avian and mammalian influenza viruses as well as a bridge to infect other species,” according to the Guardian.
Since the initial outbreak more than 20 million hens have died along with 134 million birds across the poultry industry being impacted, according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.