Infectious Diseases 2025

Infectious Diseases 2025

Bird flu in raw pet food kills or sickens cats, FDA says

22 January, 2025

Avian influenza (H5N1) has transitioned from avian hosts to domestic felines, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirming that 13 domestic cats across eight households, one exotic cat from a separate household, and an unspecified number of animals at two large feline sanctuaries in the United States have either fallen ill or succumbed to the virus. These cases have been documented in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington State. Since December 2024, there have been at least 29 reported cases of avian influenza in domestic cats.
The FDA has indicated that recent investigations suggest a correlation between these feline illnesses and the consumption of contaminated raw food products.