Millions of Stray Cats Nationwide Are at Risk for Bird Flu, Experts Say Humans May Be Next

Stray cats are at risk as the current bird flu outbreak continues to spread.

The bird flu outbreak, which began in January 2022, has affected over 166 million chickens, turkeys and other birds, including wild, commercial and backyard flocks in all 50 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has also spread to dairy cows, which was discovered after fragments of the virus were detected in samples of milk.

The American Veterinarian Medical Association is now issuing a warning about the cats being infected with bird flu. 

Health officials warn that cats can get bird flu if they eat infected birds, drink unpasteurized milk, eat raw pet food, or spend time in areas where other animals are infected with the virus. Stray cats are at higher risk because they spend more time outdoors and often hunt and eat wild birds.

Symptoms in cats include fever, low appetite, lethargy, reddened or inflamed eyes, discharge from eyes and nose, and difficulty breathing. Infected cats can also display neurologic signs, like tremors, seizures, incoordination, or blindness.

“Cats appear to be particularly susceptible to severe illness, often resulting in death,” according to the AVMA. “Whether infected cats can infect other cats is currently unclear; however, that possibility cannot be dismissed.”

“The risk of cat-to-human transmission is considered extremely low, but may increase with prolonged, unprotected exposure to infected animals,” the association added. 

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Although it is highly unlikely for humans to contract the virus from cats at this point, owners are still encouraged to take precautions when exposed to any infected animals. 

“Given the number of cats in the U.S. and the close contact with people, there is definitely a need to understand the potential risk,” Dr. Diego Diel, a veterinarian and virologist at Cornell University, told The New York Times.

Additionally, officials still maintain that they have not seen any evidence of human-to-human transmission.

“There’s no human-to-human transmission that really occurs. A very small, very tiny percentage of people are even at risk of getting infected,” Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, Critical Care and Pulmonology at the Cleveland Clinic, previously told PEOPLE. 

The World Health Organization previously called the current outbreak a “significant public health concern.” In April 2024, the agency confirmed the first person to die from this strain of bird flu in Mexico. 

Additionally, the U.S. announced in January that the first death linked to the bird flu has occurred in Louisiana.

However, WHO does not currently list the bird flu outbreak as a global health emergency.