FIVE pet cats in the US have died of bird flu, according to officials, raising further concern over the spread of the disease in mammals.
It comes as a pet dog died of the virus in Canada last week.
GettyAt least five pet cats in the US have died of bird flu[/caption]
Three of the five cats came from Nebraska and two from Oregon – all died between January and March of this year.
A sixth cat tested positive for the H5N1 virus in Wyoming in January, however, officials have not shared whether the cat survived.
According to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the most recent cat to die in Nebraska became ill in late March, with symptoms such as lethargy and weight loss.
The cat died after testing positive for bird flu, the agency said.
Experts cannot confirm how the cat was infected, however, cats are known to catch and eat wild birds, some of which may be infected with avian influenza.
Other research also identified two older cases of bird flu in cats Oregon.
According to international news organisation, BNO News, the cats lived in a backyard near chickens which tested positive for bird flu.
Both and both became severely ill with a range of symptoms, including laboured breathing, weight loss, depression and dehydration – both died in January.
Meanwhile, the deaths of two other cats in Nebraska were recorded in a case report published in February.
Dr Sarah Sillman, of the University of Nebraska’s Veterinary Diagnostic Centre, said the first cat experienced a “rapid decline” in health with multiple symptoms including seizures, tremors and loss of proprioception (sense of your own body).
Three other cats in the household were considered to be at risk of bird flu and one of developed symptoms and tested positive shortly after the first affected cat.
“The cat was described as somnolent and had episodes of walking in circles,” Dr Sillman wrote.
“The cat was responsive to stimuli and seemed to eat and drink normally. It lived ten days with neurologic impairment, when the cat suddenly became laterally recumbent with continual tremors, necessitating euthanasia,” she added.
It’s believed both animals contracted the bug from an infected bird – rather than each other.
BIRD FLU FEARS
The virus has wiped out millions of birds worldwide over the last two years, but it also affects other animals including seals, otters, harbour porpoises and foxes.
Just last month, the virus killed two dolphins in Devon and Pembrokeshire.
It comes as experts fear the bug could mutate making it even more harmful to humans than it currently is.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) warned mammals could act as “mixing vessels” for different viruses, which could lead to new variant that is “more harmful” to humans.
The H5N1 strain already has a fatality rate of around 50 per cent among people – 870 people have been infected with bird flu in the past 20 years and 457 of these died.
Scientists are calling on the Government to create a new bird flu vaccine before the virus learns to spread more efficiently among humans.
Bird flu has only ever been found in one person in Britain, when Alan Gosling, 79, a retired engineer in Devon, caught it from ducks in his home in December 2021.
The 10 symptoms of bird flu in humans
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of bird flu in humans can appear very quickly and include:
a very high temperature or feeling hot or shiveryaching musclesheadachea cough or shortness of breathdiarrhoeasicknessstomach painchest painbleeding from the nose and gumsconjunctivitis
How to protect your pets from bird flu
While the risk to pet cats from avian influenza is usually very low. But it’s still worth protecting your animal:
not feed pets (e.g, dogs or cats) any raw meat from game birds or poultry
not allow pets to consume or play with dead wild birds found outside
contact their veterinarian if they have questions about their pet’s health
Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency