14/01/2025
For our friends with cats.
Be extra carefully and vigilant.
Guys, this bird flu is scary. There’s been 2 cats confirmed to have died from it in Brazos County, most likely infected from raw foods. Please, please be diligent.
If you feed birds, stop. Not only does that encourage spread amongst all kinds of birds, but it affects outdoor cat populations, and puts you at risk too. If you let your cats go outside, consider not doing that anymore, or at least only when you can watch them closely and keep them away from birds/rodents. Don’t feed them (or eat yourself) raw milk or raw milk products, raw or undercooked meat.
This bird flu hasn’t been well tracked in cats, as that’s obviously not the primary source of infection, but they know it’s fatal in nearly 70% of feline cases, and they are pretty sure that’s a conservative estimate due to lacking data.
If you frequent areas where birds are, such as parks with ducks, take your shoes off outside when you get home. Disinfect them. Lysol, pinesol, bleach in 1:32 ratio (1/2C bleach per gallon of water), and alcohol based sanitizers are all effective at killing the virus. Don’t track it inside where it could potentially infect you and indoor cats.
Symptoms, in cats especially, are presenting with neurological abnormalities and sometimes no other obvious signs. It progresses rapidly.
Any places that attract birds are considered significant risks, but those worth mentioning are:
-trash cans/dumpsters, especially outside grocery stores or restaurants where food is discarded
-parks where birds congregate near bodies of water, or are fed by public
-home bird feeders
This has been detected in birds in neighboring counties. It’s not been well tracked in cats, but confirmed cases are also in neighboring counties. It’s undoubtedly here and just hasn’t been detected yet. This is particularly concerning for those of us managing community cat colonies, and/or with backyard flocks. Your flocks need to be locked down for sure!
Rodents are mechanical vectors of bird flu, too. The virus can replicate in rodents without adaptation and they can then spread it by eating grains/food which then are shared by birds, cats, or even people. It can survive on the coats of rodents and spread that way, too. Same with poultry feathers and dirt from areas outside surrounding poultry houses. It would stand to reason that the virus could spread similarly via cat fur as well.
Bird flu can survive in soil for MONTHS!It survives longer in cold, wet conditions than warm, dry conditions. Beware of where your compost/potting soil comes from. A lot of commercial mixes include poultry refuse, and it can be bought separately as a soil amendment also.
Don’t touch dead or sick birds for sure, but you can (and should) report them to your local health dept or state wildlife agency so they can be tested. Same with dead outdoor cats, particularly if they suddenly die unexpectedly, were presenting respiratory or neuro symptoms, and have no other visible signs of trauma (animal attack or hit by car, etc).
Please share.