Your cat and avian influenza (bird flu)
Updated: Thursday, May 25, 2017 3:41 AM EDT
Avian influenza Articles
Bird Flu Map Links
Your cat and avian influenza (bird flu)
Leading UK feline welfare charity, Cats Protection, is urging pet owners not to panic about their pet’s health, or their own health, following the death of a domestic cat from bird flu in Germany.
Beth Skillings, Head of Veterinary Services for the charity, agrees with both leading health protection professionals and the President of the British Veterinary Association, that the risks to cats, and humans, from the H5N1 virus is small.
“We urge pet owners to be sensible and keep things in perspective. There is no need for owners to rehome their cats, or have them euthanized, because of fears of infection with bird flu. Furthermore, there is no need to keep cats indoors,” she said.
“The risk of cats catching bird flu is small – it mainly happens through felines eating infected poultry – but let’s remind ourselves that the H5N1 has not been found in this country. And even in areas of the world where bird flu is present, there has not been large numbers of deaths in mammals from the disease,” she continued.
There have been no recorded cases of cat to human infection from the virus. Cats do not have their own influenza virus (unlike humans or poultry) so the concern of cats acting as a host in which the virus changes to become transmissible between people is extremely unlikely. Furthermore, there is limited evidence of cat to cat transmission of the virus in a non-laboratory environment.
The charity suggests that concerned owners could try and keep their cats away from wild waterfowl and poultry and, in line with DEFRA guidelines, safely dispose of any wild birds and poultry carcasses that their cat presents in a sealed bag in household rubbish outside using rubber gloves. We recommend that raw meat or poultry should not be fed to cats, not only because of avian flu, but because of the risk of salmonella and other infections.
Owners of cats that hunt could also try and keep their pets in at dawn and dusk to lessen predatory activity. Normal hygiene practices should also be observed when handling cat or bird faeces.
No vaccine is licensed to prevent bird flu in cats.
Plan to Increase Chicken Exports After Bird Flu Outbreak - ThePoultrySite.com
23 May 2017 at 11:00pm
Plan to Increase Chicken Exports After Bird Flu Outbreak - ThePoultrySite.com23 May 2017 at 11:00pm
Poultry industry near collapse over no compensation for bird flu - Citifmonline
23 May 2017 at 1:49pm
Poultry industry near collapse over no compensation for bird flu - Citifmonline23 May 2017 at 1:49pm
Royal Highland Show poultry classes cancelled over bird flu fears - Press and...
23 May 2017 at 6:11am
Royal Highland Show poultry classes cancelled over bird flu fears - Press and...23 May 2017 at 6:11am
Bird flu to increase foreign demand for African lovebirds - Business Mirror
22 May 2017 at 9:03am
Bird flu to increase foreign demand for African lovebirds - Business Mirror22 May 2017 at 9:03am
Two Chinese cities close poultry markets after H7N9 bird flu infections - Reu...
21 May 2017 at 3:35am
Two Chinese cities close poultry markets after H7N9 bird flu infections - Reu...21 May 2017 at 3:35am
Iowa poultry industry back from bird flu - Iowa Farmer Today
20 May 2017 at 11:23am
Iowa poultry industry back from bird flu - Iowa Farmer Today20 May 2017 at 11:23am
Thousands of chickens, ducks die as bird flu hits DRC - Anadolu Agency
19 May 2017 at 12:28pm
Thousands of chickens, ducks die as bird flu hits DRC - Anadolu Agency19 May 2017 at 12:28pm
Bird owners urged to register pets and poultry following recent bird flu case...
19 May 2017 at 4:57am
Bird owners urged to register pets and poultry following recent bird flu case...19 May 2017 at 4:57am
Bird Flu Is Back, And So Is The Inhumane Killing Of Animals - HuffPost
17 May 2017 at 11:18am
Bird Flu Is Back, And So Is The Inhumane Killing Of Animals - HuffPost17 May 2017 at 11:18am
Bird flu Poultry restrictions lifted in Nottinghamshire - Newark Advertiser
16 May 2017 at 2:00am
Bird flu Poultry restrictions lifted in Nottinghamshire - Newark Advertiser16 May 2017 at 2:00am
Bird flu restrictions lifted in north and west Cumbria - News & Star
14 May 2017 at 4:20pm
Bird flu restrictions lifted in north and west Cumbria - News & Star14 May 2017 at 4:20pm
Report: US unready for bird flu - Arkansas Online
14 May 2017 at 12:17am
Report: US unready for bird flu - Arkansas Online14 May 2017 at 12:17am
High risk areas of the north-west hit by latest bird flu measures - FG Insight
12 May 2017 at 6:22am
High risk areas of the north-west hit by latest bird flu measures - FG Insight12 May 2017 at 6:22am
US falling short on bird flu preparation, report finds - CNN
12 May 2017 at 5:15am
US falling short on bird flu preparation, report finds - CNN12 May 2017 at 5:15am
China H7N9 bird flu death toll fell to 24 in April: health authority - Reuters
11 May 2017 at 8:22pm
China H7N9 bird flu death toll fell to 24 in April: health authority - Reuters11 May 2017 at 8:22pm
Abstracts: Bird Flu, Albatross, Robots, and More - Undark Magazine
11 May 2017 at 1:40pm
Abstracts: Bird Flu, Albatross, Robots, and More - Undark Magazine11 May 2017 at 1:40pm
With bird flu surging, US needs to do more to prevent possible pandemic, GAO ...
11 May 2017 at 5:41am
With bird flu surging, US needs to do more to prevent possible pandemic, GAO ...11 May 2017 at 5:41am
With bird flu surging, U.S. needs to do more to prevent possible ... - Washin...
11 May 2017 at 4:05am
With bird flu surging, U.S. needs to do more to prevent possible ... - Washin...11 May 2017 at 4:05am
Two bird flu cases confirmed in the UK - Irish Independent
8 May 2017 at 6:42am
Two bird flu cases confirmed in the UK - Irish Independent8 May 2017 at 6:42am
Chickens culled as bird flu found at second Lancashire farm - BBC News
7 May 2017 at 4:20am
Chickens culled as bird flu found at second Lancashire farm - BBC News7 May 2017 at 4:20am