ScienceNews Report: Bird flu can infect cats. What does that mean for their people?
Bird flu can infect cats. What does that mean for their people?
Tina Hesman Saey, May 31, 2024
May 31 (ScienceNews) – Cats are getting — and dying of — bird flu. That’s sparking worries about the risk that the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza poses for these feline furballs and their owners.
This outbreak has been sickening and killing wild birds and poultry in the United States since 2021 (SN: 5/16/24). H5N1 has also jumped into a wide variety of mammals, including farm animals such as goats, dairy cattle and, most recently, four alpacas in Idaho (SN: 3/6/23; SN: 4/3/24).