In a worrying precedent, bird flu in raw cow's milk kills cats

It was reported that a mysterious strain of bird flu spread among cows on a North Texas farm in mid-March, leading to the death of farm cats after their bodies hardened.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials said that dozens of domestic cats on the farm fell victim to a mysterious, highly contagious strain of bird flu, as a result of drinking raw, unpasteurized cow's milk.

Cows infected with bird flu in the United States produce thick, sweet-tasting milk.

Experts say the cow and cat samples contain signs of the IAV strain of bird flu.

The findings suggest that bird flu can be transmitted from mammal to mammal, which could make controlling the infection more difficult. 

Cats are the latest victims of the ongoing bird flu outbreak, which first arrived in the United States in late 2021, and then moved from birds to mammals, such as foxes, raccoons, panthers, bears and cats.

On March 25, the US Department of Agriculture announced the first confirmed case of bird flu among cattle.

Many farms in Kansas and Texas were affected, and their cows transmitted the virus to Michigan, Idaho and Ohio.

Although one farm worker became ill with the virus as a result of close contact with cows, this outcome is extremely rare so far.

Officials stressed that drinking pasteurized milk will not expose them to the virus. The US Food and Drug Administration is conducting extensive tests on dairy products, and has not detected any signs of the virus so far.

It is worth noting that cases of bird flu infection among cats are well documented worldwide, as cats are susceptible to infection with the virus when in contact with sick birds, but transmission of the virus from cows has not been previously documented.