Scott Weese, DVM, shares thoughts on Colorado cats diagnosed with avian flu. He advises a focus on infection control, against symptom biases and acknowledges the need for increased surveillance.
The risk posed by cats to people and other animals is completely unclear at this time.”
Source: Worms and Germs, August 11, 2024. Link.
INSIGHTS: We noted Weese didn’t mention rodent infestation when commenting on the two cases involving indoor cats. As fall approaches, keeping mice out, especially if a residence is close to a dairy, is an important precaution.
Also see: Spillover events of H5N1 led to mammal-to-mammal transmission, IDSE, August 7, 2024. Link. Researchers at Cornell University provide evidence that a spillover of avian influenza from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states has led to mammal-to-mammal transmission—between cows and from cows to cats and a raccoon (Nature 2024 Jul 25. doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07849-4).