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.

  • Lethargy

  • Weakness

  • Seizures, tremors, twitching

  • Uncoordinated movement

  • Unstable while standing

  • 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

  • Drinking raw milk

  • Being fed a raw meat diet

  • Indoor/outdoor lifestyle

  • Outdoor cats fed free choice

  • Cats associated with dairy and poultry farms

Prevention tips

  • Don’t feed cats raw diets or raw milk.

  • If possible, keep cats indoors. 

  • For outdoor cat colonies, feed only at specific meal times.

More Information

Other symptoms to look for include:

  • Dropped wings
  • Swollen feet or combs
  • Redness of any exposed skin

Factors that Increase Risk

  • Access to wild water fowl (geese, ducks, swans, etc.)

  • Intake of new poultry of unknown health status

Prevention Tips

More Information

Learn more from the following MDA resources:

Report Dead Birds

Do not move or handle dead or sick birds.

Learn more

To learn more, review the biosecurity reminder for all animal caretakers from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.