#dairyworkers — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

How your #cat can contract #BirdFlu without seeing a bird

New data reveals unexpected infection pathways to #HouseholdPets

By Serena Summer
Feb 25, 2025

Excerpt: "The CDC report details two confirmed cases of indoor domestic cats contracting bird flu, with both felines belonging to #DairyWorkers who had previously displayed symptoms consistent with the virus. Prior to the cats becoming ill, their owners had experienced symptoms including #vomiting and #diarrhea. Although the owners declined testing for bird flu, laboratory analysis confirmed the presence of the virus in both cats, with one eventually dying from the infection.

"This finding represents a significant development in our understanding of #AvianInfluenza #transmission, as it suggests that #humans may serve as intermediary hosts capable of passing the virus to household pets. Previously, most concern centered on direct transmission from infected birds to mammals, but these cases indicate more complex transmission patterns may exist.

"The indoor setting of these infections is particularly noteworthy, as it eliminates the possibility of direct contact with infected #WildBirds, which had been considered the primary transmission route for cats in previous outbreaks."