It would likely upset their core audience, but Colorado Public Radio nonetheless reported that H5N1 avian flu is emerging in the state’s domestic cats. It’s news that comes from the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association website.
It stems from six cases of highly pathogenic bird flu in cats, including only one outside Northern Colorado. That area has been hit hard by outbreaks of bird flu in poultry and livestock.
The USDA has reported that five of the six cat cases have occurred in northern Adams, Larimer and Morgan counties.
There have also been cases of bird flu in domestic cats in Texas.
As of 2022, the avian flu virus has been found in numerous Colorado mammals, including the red fox, mountain lion, bobcat and black bear, as well as deer mouse, house mouse, cottontail, prairie vole, raccoon and striped skunk.
According to Colorado officials, no cases of human bird flu have been linked to exposure to infected domestic cats, and the risk of H5N1 to the general public remains low.
The infected Colorado cats include two indoor-only pets and three indoor-outdoor cats known to hunt mice or small birds outdoors. Mice testing positive for H5N1 are quite common in Colorado.
Since 2022, the US has reported 14 human cases of bird flu in three states. Four were related to exposure to dairy cows since March. Ten had exposure to poultry reported between April 28, 2022 and July 25, 2024 this year.
Since the current round of bird flu began in early 2022, more than 100 million birds from commercial flocks have been lost in 48 states. Since March, the number of infected dairy herds has reached 190 in 13 states, with 63 infected herds in Colorado.
The CDC’s flu surveillance systems do not report indicators of unusual flu activity in humans, including avian flu A(H5).
Still, the CDC wants to be prepared. The country has 4.8 million doses of a potential vaccine ready for distribution. The aim is to stop infections if necessary.
So far this has not been necessary. The few human cases have not been serious. It is not yet known to spread from person to person. An antiviral drug remains a better treatment than a vaccine.
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