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Following the bird flu-related deaths of two cats, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is advising owners to avoid raw pet food.
Since 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported more than 90 confirmed cases of bird flu in domestic cats. Those cats have typically lived on dairy farms or roamed outdoors. But cases have started to emerge of house cats being infected with bird flu, often from raw food or unpasteurized milk.
In New York City, bird flu was detected in two cats and a possible third cat in the recent months, in connection to raw poultry sold by Savage Cat Food, according to the Health Department. The company sells “prey-based” raw cat food, in flavors like chicken, rabbit and lamb, and duck, according to its website.
“We strongly encourage New Yorkers whose cats are experiencing illness after consuming Savage Cat Food products or other raw meat or dairy products to contact their veterinarian,” Dr. Michelle Morse, the acting health commissioner, said in a recent statement.
The highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu, an influenza virus, has spread widely across the United States in recent years, primarily among birds and dairy cows. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 70 human cases since the start of 2024, and one human death. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus in the current outbreak.
In New York, bird flu has been occasionally detected in wild birds, backyard flocks and poultry across the state since 2022. Last month, the state temporarily shuttered all live bird markets in New York City after detecting the virus among poultry.
Cats appear to be especially vulnerable to bird flu. While there have been no confirmed cases of cat-to-human transmission during the current outbreak, it has happened before. In New York City in 2016, a veterinarian was infected with a different type of bird flu after interacting with a sick cat.
Here’s what to know about cats and bird flu.
How do cats get bird flu?
While bird flu has been detected in many animal species, cats are “very susceptible to this infection,” said Dr. Bruce Kornreich, the director of the Cornell Feline Health Center.
Cats can pick up the virus in a number of ways, including by eating raw meat and poultry products or drinking raw cow’s milk. They can also get infected by coming into contact with infected livestock, poultry, wild birds, or people and their clothing.
Last year, bird flu was detected in domestic cats in different households in Michigan. In both cases, according to a CDC report, the cats lived with people who worked on dairy farms, and the cats developed respiratory and neurologic illnesses. One cat owner worked transporting unpasteurized milk to farms, including those with cattle infected with bird flu, and their cat would often roll around in their work clothes.
What should pet owners know about raw food?
In New York City, the Health Department traced the two recent feline deaths back to raw food sold by Savage Cat Food. One of the cats became ill after eating a chicken product and was hospitalized with fever, loss of appetite and severe respiratory infection before dying.
A second cat was diagnosed with bird flu and died following a fever and severe respiratory and liver disease. While that cat had not eaten Savage Cat Food, it had been exposed to a third cat, which became ill after eating Savage Cat Food, but survived. Testing on the second cat indicated that it had been infected with a bird flu strain found in the raw food.
In a letter to consumers, Savage Cat Food said that it issued a recall for the contaminated food and contacted retailers. The bird flu cases were connected to Savage Cat Food packets with lot number 11152026.
While some pet owners opt to feed their pets raw diets, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the CDC discourage the practice due to the risks to animal and human health.
Kornreich advised pet owners to provide their pets with cooked food and avoid raw diets.
“It’s just not worth the risk,” he said.
What are the symptoms of bird flu in cats?
Early symptoms of bird flu in cats include fever, loss of appetite and lethargy. As the illness progresses, cats might exhibit eye and nose discharge, respiratory issues, coughing, sneezing, and neurologic signs, including lack of coordination, seizures and blindness.
Any of those signs is a cause for concern, Kornreich said, especially if the cat has eaten raw food, been exposed to sick pets or people, preyed upon a dead bird, or been exposed to poultry or a dairy barn. If a pet owner notices those symptoms, the cat should be isolated from other pets and people, the owner should thoroughly wash their hands, and immediately contact a veterinarian, he said.
If infected with bird flu, cats have “very high morbidity and mortality,” Kornreich said.
There is no cure for bird flu in cats, and treatment is primarily supportive.
What about dogs?
The American Veterinary Medical Association notes that the likelihood of dogs being infected with bird flu is very low. Still, dogs could become sick from eating ill or dead infected birds, drinking unpasteurized milk, or eating undercooked, or raw meat.
The CDC advises pet owners to prevent their animals from interacting with wild birds, backyard poultry, cows, or indoor animals; to keep pets away from clothing, surfaces, and areas that could be contaminated with bird flu; and to avoid feeding pets raw food or milk.
Additionally, the Health Department advises New Yorkers to avoid dead or sick animals while walking their dogs.
Eliza Fawcett is a reporter covering public health in New York City for Healthbeat. Contact Eliza at efawcett@healthbeat.org.
