The death of an Oregon house cat and a pet food recall are raising questions about the ongoing outbreak of bird flu and how people can protect their pets.
Bird flu has been spreading for years in wild birds, chickens, turkeys and many other animals. It was first confirmed in US dairy cattle in March.
The virus has been causing sporadic, mostly mild illnesses in people in the US, and nearly all of those infected worked on dairy or poultry farms. When the virus is found, every bird on a farm is killed to limit the spread of the disease.
Photo: Pixabay 照片：Pixabay
Oregon health officials traced the cat’s illness to frozen cat food that contained raw turkey. Virus recovered from the recalled pet food and the infected cat matched.
Some pet owners feed their animals raw meat, but that can be dangerous, even fatal for the animals, said Dr. Michael Q. Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Cooking meat or pasteurizing raw milk destroys the bird flu virus and other disease-causing germs.
“Raw milk, raw meat products can be and are a vector for carrying this virus,” he said.
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
Are pets in danger of getting bird flu?
Though cases of infection are rare, cats seem especially susceptible to the bird flu virus, or Type A H5N1. Even before the cattle outbreak, there were feline cases linked to wild birds or poultry. Since March, dozens of cats have caught the virus. These include barn and feral cats, indoor cats and big cats in zoos and in the wild.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating the deaths of four house cats that drank recalled raw milk.
Photo: EPA-EFE 照片：歐新社
Dogs seem to be less vulnerable than cats, but they should eat only thoroughly cooked foods, Bailey said.
How can I protect my cat from bird flu?
Cats should not drink unpasteurized dairy products or eat raw meat. Pet owners should keep cats away from wild birds, livestock and poultry.
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
Don’t let them wander freely in the outdoors, Bailey said, “because you don’t know what they’re getting into. Cats are natural hunters, and one of the animals they love to hunt are birds.”
Avoid touching sick or dead birds yourself. Thoroughly wash your hands after handling poultry or animals.
What are the symptoms of bird flu in cats?
Cats sick with bird flu might experience loss of appetite, lethargy and fever.
If your cat is usually playful and likes to look out the window, but instead has been sleeping all the time or hiding from you, take note, Bailey said. “There’s something wrong,” he said.
They could have reddened or inflamed eyes and discharge from the eyes and nose. They might have difficulty breathing or have tremors or seizures.
If your cat is sick, call your veterinary clinic and keep the cat away from anyone with a weakened immune system.
What pet food was recalled?
Northwest Naturals, a pet food company in Portland, Oregon, announced a voluntary recall on Tuesday last week of one batch of its 2-pound Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food after it tested positive for the virus. The recalled food has “best if used by” dates of May 21, 2026 and June 23, 2026. Consumers should throw it away and contact the place of purchase for a refund.
(AP)
美國奧勒岡州一隻家貓的死亡，以及寵物食品的召回，讓人們對持續的禽流感疫情充滿疑慮，並想了解該如何保護家中寵物。
禽流感多年來一直在野鳥、雞、火雞和許多其他動物之間傳播。今年三月，禽流感首次在美國乳牛身上發現。
禽流感病毒已在美國民眾中引發零星的、大多是輕微的病症，幾乎所有感染禽流感的人都在乳牛場或家禽養殖場工作。發現病毒後，農場中每隻鳥類都會被殺死，以限制禽流感的傳播。
奧勒岡州衛生官員將這隻貓的疾病追溯到含有生火雞肉的冷凍貓糧。在召回的寵物食品中所發現的禽流感病毒，與受感染的貓身上的病毒相吻合。
美國獸醫協會候任主席麥克．貝利博士說，一些飼主餵寵物吃生肉，但這對動物來說可能造成危險，甚至致命。將肉類煮熟或以巴斯德殺菌法消毒生乳，可消滅禽流感病毒及其他致病的細菌。
他表示：「生乳、生肉製品可以且的確是傳播這種病毒的載體」。
寵物有感染禽流感的危險嗎？
儘管感染病例很少見，但貓似乎特別容易感染禽流感病毒，即A型H5N1。甚至在牛隻禽流感疫情爆發前，就有貓科病例與野鳥或家禽相關。自三月以來，已有數十隻貓感染禽流感病毒，其中有農場貓和野貓、室內貓，還有動物園及野外的大型貓科動物。
洛杉磯縣公共衛生局正在調查四隻家貓因喝生乳而死亡的事件。這些生乳已被召回。
貝利表示，狗似乎不像貓那麼容易受感染，但還是應該吃徹底煮熟的食物。
該如何保護我的貓，以免染上禽流感？
不可讓貓喝未經高溫消毒的乳製品或吃生肉。飼主應讓貓遠離野鳥、牲畜與家禽。
貝利說，不要讓貓在戶外四處遊蕩，「因為你不知道牠們會去做什麼。貓是天生的獵手，最喜歡捕獵的動物之一就是鳥類」。
你自己也要避免接觸病鳥或死鳥。處理家禽或動物後應將手徹底洗乾淨。
貓咪感染禽流感有哪些症狀？
感染禽流感的貓可能會出現食慾不振、嗜睡和發燒的情況。
貝利說，如果你的貓通常很調皮，喜歡看窗外，現在卻一直在睡覺或躲著你，就要注意了，「出了些問題」，他說。
貓咪可能會眼睛發紅或發炎，眼睛和鼻子有分泌物。可能會呼吸困難、顫抖或癲癇發作。
如果你的貓生病了，請聯繫獸醫診所，並讓貓遠離免疫系統較弱的人。
被召回的是何種寵物食品？
奧勒岡州波特蘭市的寵物食品公司「西北天然」（Northwest Naturals）上週二主動宣布召回一批兩磅裝的冷凍生火雞肉貓食（Feline Turkey Recipe），因為該產品的禽流感病毒檢驗呈陽性。召回食品的「最佳食用期限」為2026年5月21日及2026年6月23日。消費者應將其丟棄，並聯繫購買商家辦理退款。
(台北時報林俐凱編譯)
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