LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Next, we look at the risk of your household pet catching bird flu. The USDA says more than 70 cats have fallen ill with bird flu in the last three years. Many of these kitties lived on dairy farms and got sick after drinking milk from infected cows. But several house cats have recently died from the virus after eating raw pet food. And last week, the Biden administration's FDA said it's requiring cat and dog food manufacturers to consider bird flu in their food safety plans. Sarah Boden reports.
SARAH BODEN, BYLINE: My doctor does not want me to eat uncooked meat or drink unpasteurized milk because of diseases like E. coli or salmonella. Most veterinarians say it's the same for their patients. Your cat might be a vicious mouser, but they're not wild and shouldn't eat raw chicken. That's especially true now because of bird flu.
JANE SYKES: Cats are a sign that this virus is in products that are available for sale, and the potential for human consumption exists as well.
BODEN: Dr. Jane Sykes specializes in infectious diseases in small animals at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. And her cat, Freckles, eats regular kibble.
SYKES: I have no concerns about her getting high path avian influenza.
BODEN: That's bird flu. And Freckles is an indoor cat. But many cats spend time outside and hunt songbirds or rodents, which all might have bird flu. So keep an eye on Tiger, says Dr. Michael Q. Bailey, who is the president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
MICHAEL Q BAILEY: Say they're lethargic. They have a runny nose. They have discharge in their eye. I would strongly recommend that you contact your veterinarian and say, hey, I'm concerned about my feline friend, and can we have a consult?
BODEN: Bird flu might also cause neurological issues in cats, like dizziness or seizures. Those can be symptoms of rabies, too. So to avoid confusion...
BAILEY: Make sure your pets are vaccinated for the diseases that they can be vaccinated for.
BODEN: In case you're wondering, no, your cat probably won't get you sick with bird flu, at least not right now. But bird flu is really good at mutating, says Sykes.
SYKES: This is a very scary virus, given that it can infect so many different host species.
BODEN: That means the more cats that get sick from raw food, the more chances the virus has to evolve, which is bad for everyone, whether you have a cat or are more of a dog person.
For NPR News, I'm Sarah Boden.
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