The Los Angeles County Division of Public Well being (LACDPH) yesterday reported three extra H5 avian flu infections in pet cats after publicity to uncooked meals or uncooked milk.
In different avian flu developments, federal officers confirmed these and a number of other extra H5N1 detections in home cats from California and different states.
Assessments below means for a number of uncooked pet meals manufacturers
With the most recent instances famous in an alert to veterinarians yesterday, the LACDPH has now reported seven H5N1 infections in pet cats. Officers had earlier reported 4 different sicknesses, together with two that died after consuming recalled uncooked milk. Additionally they mentioned they have been investigating different potential instances in cats that weren’t uncovered to uncooked milk, with uncooked meals as a possible wrongdoer.
Cats in one of many earlier-affected households had been uncovered to 2 uncooked pet meals diets, one in every of which was discovered to comprise reside, infectious H5N1 virus. The Monarch Uncooked Pet Meals model is bought at farmers’ markets in California. Oregon well being officers have additionally tied cat sicknesses to a nationally marketed model known as Northwest Pure.
The LACDPH mentioned an indoor cat in one other family grew to become acutely ailing—later confirmed with H5N1—after consuming three totally different manufacturers of commercially obtainable uncooked pet meals. An investigation is below means, the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) is testing samples from the uncooked pet meals.
The group additionally famous that 5 different cats from two totally different households have been confirmed with H5N1 after consuming recalled uncooked milk. All died from their infections.
“There have been a number of H5 chook flu possible and suspected instances in cats that both consumed uncooked pet meals or uncooked milk and have become acutely ailing, however not all cats have been capable of be examined,” the LACDPH mentioned, including that testing continues to be pending on a number of extra industrial uncooked meals samples.
Given scientific proof of a connection between contaminated uncooked meals merchandise and extreme or deadly H5 infections in cats, the LACDPH urged veterinarians to strongly advise pet house owners to not feed pets uncooked pet meals, uncooked meat, uncooked poultry, or uncooked milk as a result of dangers related to the virus.
USDA confirms extra infections in cats
In one other new improvement, the US Division of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Well being Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed 11 extra H5N1 detections in home cats, 5 of them from Los Angeles County, two from California’s Santa Barbara County, and others from Colorado, Minnesota, and South Dakota.
All have been sampled in December 2024. In its replace on H5N1 in mammals, APHIS additionally confirmed a detection in a mountain lion from Nebraska that was sampled in March 2024 and an ermine from Alaska sampled in November 2024.
