"San Francisco public health officials said it was first notified of the bird flu in the cat on July 17, after it showed "respiratory and neurologic symptoms." A local vet tested the cat for influenza A, which came back positive. The California Department of Public Health confirmed the infection on July 31. SFDPH said there are no additional suspected or confirmed cases in San Francisco, no evidence of person-to-person transmission and the health risk to the general public remains low."
"Jane Sykes, an epidemiology professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, said bird flu is particularly dangerous to cats because it's neurotropic, meaning it affects the nervous system, causing symptoms beyond breathing difficulty. And it's quickly deadly in two-thirds of infections in cats. "They start showing signs of a fever, having trouble breathing and twitching or seizuring and then they're dead within days of that happening, and there's no treatment," Sykes said. "That can also make cats look like they have rabies.""
San Francisco public health officials were notified July 17 after a cat developed respiratory and neurologic symptoms; influenza A was detected by a local veterinarian and confirmed July 31. There are no additional suspected cases, no evidence of person-to-person transmission, and public health risk remains low. Avian influenza is neurotropic in cats, affecting the nervous system and causing fever, breathing difficulty, twitching or seizures; it is rapidly fatal in about two-thirds of feline infections. Cats are most likely infected via unpasteurized milk and raw or undercooked meat. The FDA recommends handwashing after handling pet food; a product safety alert has been issued and no recall announced. Cooking pet food to 165°F or returning it reduces potential risk; raw diets increase infection risk.
Read at Kqed
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