First Confirmed Case of HPAI H5N1 Detected in Feline Population in the Netherlands
Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) has confirmed the first recorded case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a domestic cat within the Netherlands. On November 19, a kitten found deceased at a farm housing dairy goats tested positive for the H5N1 virus strain.
Following the confirmation, a specialist team from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) conducted an on-site investigation on November 20. The team performed clinical examinations and collected samples from the remaining animals on the premises, which included three adult cats, among them the mother of the infected kitten, and the resident dairy goats.
Laboratory analysis by WBVR yielded negative results for all surviving animals on the farm, none of which exhibited clinical signs of infection. However, epidemiological tracing revealed that the remaining seven kittens from the same litter, which had recently been rehomed, also succumbed to illness. It is highly probable that these mortalities were also caused by the HPAI virus.
The owner reported observing the mother cat bringing a dead wild bird to the nesting area on October 27. It is hypothesized that the bird was infected with HPAI and that the kittens contracted the virus through the ingestion of the carcass.
