Three more possible cases of bird flu in LA County cats; 4 cases confirmed

The nationwide bird flu outbreak is killing more L.A. County cats.

There’s now been four confirmed cases, L.A. County public health officials told LAist Thursday, and they’re investigating three possible others in felines from a separate household.

Dr. Sharon Balter,  director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said no L.A. County residents have gotten bird flu, and there’s no evidence of person-to-person spread, but there’s still a low risk.

“ We at the health department are definitely following this outbreak, which is primarily in birds and cattle right now, very, very closely,” she said. “We really want to encourage people not to handle sick or dead birds unless they're wearing a mask and gloves, and also to always consume pasteurized milk.”

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How we got here

The four infected cats were from one household and drank raw milk linked to a recall.

Their symptoms included loss of appetite, fever, and neurologic signs. The cats later died after those symptoms got more severe.

Dr. Maria Pyrdek, Pasadena Humane’s chief veterinarian, told LAist the neurologic symptoms are the number one sign you see in birds, and are now being reported in cats.

“ It might be something really small, like small twitches, maybe an eye is twitching, a head is tremoring back and forth, and then those will progress to more and more severe signs,” she said. “Difficulty walking or balancing, sort of stumbling, that, like, looking drunk appearance, maybe not picking up their paws when they're walking.”

Public health officials announced Wednesday that they’re investigating more possible cases of bird flu in a trio of cats from another household.

They’re not believed to have been exposed to raw milk, as seen in the first few cases, but they’re looking into other possible sources, including raw meat.

Two of the cats died after coming down with respiratory symptoms. And one of the cats tested positive for Influenza A. The other two are believed to have been positive as well.

Officials noted this is a rare result. The Department of Public Health is waiting for test results to confirm the cases.

Other birds, cats, and wild animals continue to be tested for bird flu as well. And the humans who had direct contact with the cats are keeping an eye out for symptoms and have been offered antiviral medication.

What you should know

There’s been no human cases of bird flu connected to these cats, but the investigation is ongoing.

Human cases of bird flu are rare, and the risk to people remains low. However, Balter is strongly urging people to avoid raw milk and not to feed it to their pets, including frozen products.

“ The pasteurization process will kill the germs,” she said.

Raw milk can carry harmful germs like influenza, and anyone can get sick from it. Pregnant people, those 65 and older, young children, and people with weakened immune systems have the highest risk of severe illness.

Symptoms in humans can include eye redness, sore throat, vomiting, headaches, fatigue, and fever. If you’ve used the recalled raw milk products and start showing symptoms, immediately contact your doctor or local health department.

Infected cats may develop a fever and neurologic signs that could quickly lead to death. If you suspect your pets are sick, call your vet as soon as possible, and let them know if they’ve consumed raw milk or raw meat.

“ If you're worried about your cat having some sort of neurologic sign, you want to get them in to seek care as quickly as possible and let a veterinarian evaluate them and see what the level of concern is,” Pyrdek said.

You can find more information about bird flu here and here.