TWO more indoor cats in the US have tested positive for H5N1 bird flu after eating potentially contaminated food, health officials have revealed.
The owners say they fed their cats Wild Coast Raw pet food, which was recalled earlier this month after it made other cats sick.
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It comes amid growing concerns among scientists that the already highly pathogenic virus could be spreading through the air.
The US is currently grappling with an ongoing outbreak of H5N1, which has been spreading to other animals, including cows, over the past year.
The two cats, from different households in Washington state, fell ill after eating the same brand of raw pet food.
The food had been recalled nearly two weeks prior to the cats becoming sick.
Sadly, one cat had to be put down, while the other is receiving treatment from a veterinarian, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA).
As a precaution, the owners and those living in the same household has the sick cats are being monitored for ten days.
“To date, there have been no documented human cases of [bird flu] following exposure to an infected cat or contaminated raw pet food products,” the WSDA said in an announcement posted on its website yesterday.
“The currently circulating strain is considered low risk to the public, but there is greater risk for those who handle contaminated raw pet food products or care for infected animals,” they added.
“People can become infected if the virus enters their eyes, nose, or mouth—such as by handling contaminated pet food or touching contaminated surfaces, especially without thoroughly washing their hands afterwards,” it said.
Earlier this month, cats from two different households in Oregon contracted H5N1 after consuming raw tainted meat from the same brand.
Since 2022, nearly 100 domestic cats in the US, have tested positive for bird flu, according to data by the US Department of Agriculture.
Most of the infected cats however, were not strictly indoor cats and had access to the outdoors, where they could pick up H5N1 from other animals.
Cats are particularly susceptible to H5N1.
In previous outbreaks, infected felines have displayed rabies-like symptoms, including blindness, disorientation, paralysis, difficulty breathing, and bloody diarrhoea before dying.
“This is a difficult situation. We love our pets, and it’s devastating when they fall ill,” said Zac Turner, DVM, a WSDA field veterinarian, in the news release.
“If your cat is showing symptoms, consult a veterinarian as soon as possible.”
Wild Coast Pet Foods recalled boneless free range chicken formula Lot 22660 and 22664 with a best buy date of December 2025.
People with the recalled product should dispose of immediately and contact the place of purchase for a refund.
“If you currently feed our chicken formula and are concerned, I recommend cooking until 165 degrees, replacing with a non-poultry formula or replacing with a gently cooked formula,” Tyler Duncan, founder of the company said in a statement posted on the company’s website.
Bird flu: Could it be the next human pandemic?
By Isabel Shaw, Health Reporter
The H5N1 bird flu is running rampant in wildlife around the world and is now spreading in cows.
In recent months, it infected people in Canada and the US leaving them severely unwell.
This increase in transmission has given the virus lots of opportunities to mutate – a process where a pathogen changes and can become more dangerous.
Scientists fear it’s only a matter of time before one of these mutations makes it better at spreading among mammals – and potentially humans.
Experts recently discovered H5N1 is already just one mutation away from developing the ability to transmit person-person.
Some experts believe the virus could already be spreading among some animal species.
So far, there is no evidence that H5N1 can spread between humans.
But in the hundreds of cases where humans have been infected through contact with animals over the past 20 years, the mortality rate is high.
From 2003 to 2024, 889 cases and 463 deaths caused by H5N1 have been reported worldwide from 23 countries, according to the World Health Organisation.
This puts the case fatality rate at 52 per cent.
Leading scientists have already warned an influenza is the pathogen most likely to trigger a new pandemic in the near future.
The prospect of a flu pandemic is alarming.
Although scientists have pointed out that vaccines against many strains, including H5N1, have already been developed, others are still in the pipeline.
FUELD BY WIND?
Meanwhile, a new, non-peer-reviewed study published in bioRxiv by experts from the State Veterinary Institute Prague suggest the avian flu virus in poultry droppings could be spread by the wind.
The study examines a February 2024 H5N1 outbreak at poultry farms located eight km (5 miles) apart in the Czech Republic.
Genetic sequencing revealed striking similarities between the virus strains found at the two farms, with some samples from the duck farm being 100 per cent identical to those at the chicken farm.
Investigations ruled out several potential transmission routes.
There were no direct links between the farms, no contaminated feed or water sources, and no large bodies of water nearby that could have spread the virus through wild birds.
The study also dismissed human or rodent transmission.
Given all these factors, the scientists said wind appeared to be the most likely way the virus travelled between the farms.
