Avian Influenza in Domestic Cats and Backyard Poultry
The H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus has recently reemerged and increased its ability to infect people exposed to infected dairy cows and poultry. The below information is especially important for community members with cats and backyard poultry.
symptoms
If you see any of the below symptoms, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Do not bring sick animals to a veterinarian’s office unless they instruct you to do so.
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Lethargy
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Weakness
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Seizures, tremors, twitching
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Uncoordinated movement
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Unstable while standing
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Unexplained or sudden death
Keep Your Animals Healthy
If your animals are currently healthy, learn how to reduce known risk factors by reading below.
Other symptoms to look for include:
- Trouble breathing
- Large amounts of mucus from the nose
Factors that increase risk
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Drinking raw milk
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Being fed a raw meat diet
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Indoor/outdoor lifestyle
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Outdoor cats fed free choice
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Cats associated with dairy and poultry farms
Prevention tips
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Don’t feed cats raw diets or raw milk.
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If possible, keep cats indoors.
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For outdoor cat colonies, feed only at specific meal times.
More Information
- House Cats With Bird Flu Could Pose a Risk to Public Health—MedPage Today
- Cat and Dog Food Manufacturers Required to Consider H5N1 in Food Safety Plans—Federal Drug Administration
- Raw Diets for Dogs and Cats—American Veterinary Medical Association
Other symptoms to look for include:
- Dropped wings
- Swollen feet or combs
- Redness of any exposed skin
Factors that Increase Risk
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Access to wild water fowl (geese, ducks, swans, etc.)
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Intake of new poultry of unknown health status
Prevention Tips
- Try to reduce exposure to water fowl
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Register your backyard flock via the following forms:
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Baltimore County Backyard Chicken License
More Information
Learn more from the following MDA resources:
Report Dead Birds
Do not move or handle dead or sick birds.
- For birds in your flock—Call the MDA at 410-841-5810.
- For wild birds—Call the USDA Wildlife Services at 1-877-463-6497.
Learn more
To learn more, review the biosecurity reminder for all animal caretakers from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.