02/07/2025
Attention cat owners!
There have been increasing reports of cases of H5N1 avian influenza in cats on the west coast. The main risk factors seem to be 1) cats who are allowed outside, exposed by hunting wild birds, and 2) cats who are fed raw diets, especially freeze-dried ones. Diseases like this tend to spread geographically, and raw diets can be shipped across the country, so we are trying to alert everyone to these risks now.
Freeze-drying does not kill all bacteria and viruses the way cooking does. In fact, when labs want to preserve bacteria to grow later, they often freeze-dry them. We urge our clients to call us to discuss what to feed their cats (and all their other pets!) to keep them happy and healthy.
H5N1 avian influenza can hit cats hard and fast, causing not only respiratory signs but neurologic ones (tremors, seizures, walking in circles, loss of balance) as well. The University of Maryland is reporting mortality rates of 71% in cats with avian H5N1, so this is definitely not "just a flu" to cats. An extra complication is that the signs can be very similar to rabies, so cats who are not up to date on their rabies vaccinations may need to be treated as rabies suspects when presenting with these signs. Even if your cat is all indoors, we urge you to keep your cats up to date on their rabies vaccinations. (It's also required by law!)
The situation is evolving as we learn more and veterinarians see more cases. We'll try to keep you up to date on any new developments!
