Bird flu in Oregon cats is still very rare, state vet says

In Oregon this month, at least five cats from three different locations have been infected with bird flu, all from eating raw pet food.

Oregon State Veterinarian Ryan Scholz said the number is expected to climb as other cases are investigated. But he said that doesn’t mean bird flu is getting more prevalent.

“This isn’t necessarily a new thing,” Scholz said.

“There’s a lot of information out there, a lot of reports of this very recently,” he said. “So it makes it feel like this is a big shift in this disease. I really don’t think that’s the case.”

Scholz said he thinks vets are getting better at recognizing symptoms of the disease and testing for it.

“And so, because of that, we’re finding more,” Scholz said.

Oregon saw its first case of bird flu in December in a cat that had eaten raw pet food. A second case in January came from a cat that lived next to a wildlife refuge.

Those cases reflect the two main reasons cats are coming down with bird flu. First, they’re consuming unpasteurized milk and raw meat in commercial pet foods.

“Anytime we’re talking about raw meat, raw milk, or raw processed foods, the virus is not being inactivated by that final kill step of being heat-treated or pasteurized,” Scholz said.

The other reason cats are getting sick is their tendency to hunt birds, particularly waterfowl.

“It’s not so much the backyard songbirds,” Scholz said. “It’s really the ducks and geese. So it’s good to limit that kind of exposure.”

Portland animal hospital DoveLewis has cared for some of the sick cats. Veterinarian Dr. Kelly Flaminio said the cats’ symptoms can include lethargy, fever, trouble breathing and reduced movement.

Just like humans dealing with regular flu, animals experience a range of severity with avian flu, from mild lethargy “all the way up to neurological symptoms,” Flaminio said, “where they’re having difficulties walking around and they can actually become pretty comatose.”

Two cats are known to have died from the disease in Oregon.

While a sick pet can be frightening for an owner, Flaminio stresses that cases of bird flu are still rare. DoveLewis treats thousands of cats every month and has only seen four or five cases this year.

“So if you look at the percentage of cats that are contracting the disease, it’s a very, very, very small percentage,” said Flaminio.

When vets find a cat with suspected bird flu, they work with the state Department of Agriculture to determine whether the cat is linked with risk factors. An oral swab is also taken for testing.

There is no evidence cats can pass the disease to people or any other animal.

“So right now the cat is considered a ‘dead end host,’” Flaminio said. “That means the virus cannot be passed from them to another mammal.”

Still, people are advised to wear masks and gloves when handling sick animals.

Flaminio said cats that have bird flu at DoveLewis are being isolated out of an abundance of caution.

The virus often causes no apparent signs of illness in wild waterfowl. When avian influenza viruses spread to domestic poultry, like chickens, turkeys and peafowl, they can cause large-scale outbreaks.

Some avian influenza viruses also affect dogs and other pets, including hamsters and guinea pigs.