Two cats in separate New York City households have tested positive for bird flu, according to the city’s health department.
Precautions for Pet Owners
Health officials warn that bird flu has been confirmed in cats elsewhere in the U.S. and urge pet owners to take precautions. Dr. Michelle Morse, acting health commissioner, advises against feeding pets raw food or raw milk and recommends keeping cats indoors to prevent exposure to wild birds or other animals.
While there have been no confirmed cases of bird flu spreading to dogs, experts caution that influenza viruses have the potential to mutate. However, the health department states that the current risk to humans remains low.
Kitten Euthanized Due to Bird Flu Complications
At Brilliant Veterinary Care on the Upper West Side, Dr. Deborah Bayazit recently had to euthanize a kitten suffering from bird flu complications.
“It had vague symptoms—loss of appetite, lethargy, and a very high fever,” Bayazit explained.
The kitten had been fed a diet of canned raw chicken. The owner, devastated by the loss, was unaware of the risks.
“Now we know,” Bayazit emphasized. “It’s just not safe right now to feed raw, particularly chicken, diets to cats.”
Raw Pet Food Investigation
The raw chicken consumed by the kitten was sold by Savage Cat Food, a company that produces raw meat diets for cats.
The company reported that they were alerted to a potential issue in February when a cat in Colorado became sick. Initial PCR tests on their product were inconclusive, though later testing came back negative. As a precaution, they issued a voluntary recall.
Following the recent cases in New York, the FDA and local health officials are investigating. NYC Health strongly advises against feeding Savage Cat Food to pets and urges owners to contact their veterinarian if their cat shows signs of illness after consuming raw meat or dairy products.
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