Our home state Colorado has seen some bird flu (H5N1) issues recently. Bird flu sweeping through farms with egg-laying hens. Bird flu in dairy cows. Even some cases of bird flu in people and now cats! One other related news item coming out of Japan also caught my eye.
Bird Flu in People
The Colorado cases of bird flu in people total 10 so far this year: 9 in people working at poultry farms, and 1 case in a dairy farm worker. All cases jumped from animals to people. There are no reports of human-to-human transmission (yet?).
Bird Flu in Cats
So far in 2024, Colorado public health officials report 6 cases of bird flu in cats in 3 counties -- all relatively close to agricultural areas where the virus may also be present.
- 2 of the 6 cats were "indoor-only cats with no direct exposures to the virus." Speculated that exposure came from mice getting inside the home.
- 3 of the 6 cats were "known indoor/outdoor cats" that hunt mice and birds and also spend time indoors with their people.
- The press release doesn't say anything about the 1 remaining cat.
It does not look like any human cases have been linked to infected cats, so that's good.
Symptoms of Bird Flu in Cats
If a cat gets sick with bird flu, watch for symptoms like these:
- Lower energy
- Poor appetite
- Neurological signs like being uncoordinated, not being able to stand, tremors, and even seizures (yikes!)
Apparently, these cases of progress pretty quickly, so get veterinary care fast, and let your veterinary team know you're worried about H5N1 flu so that they can take proper precautions.
These symptoms, though, resemble by rabies and hantavirus, so it'll definitely take a veterinary expert to diagnose and treat the feline patient.
Weird Route of Transmission - Blowflies
A news piece about researchers finding that blowflies can carry the bird flu caught my eye. These icky flies like decaying flesh and feces, so if they live near places that bird flu is present in other animals, then they can pick it up and pass it onto other animals. Gack!
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