Herding cats: It’s past time to include pets in disease surveillance H5N1 is just one reason why

https://www.statnews.com/2025/03/04/h5n1-avian-flu-cats-transmission-pets-companion-animals-disease-surveillance/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_PibY_D_rmH3Nb3tukuQiFfpdTRL5Yju_oDvtYvt-SdlaowgphiPQfGb0AlzBNr52O7Czn1a-34-obfNNiAmqrvsZPRg&_hsmi=349955347&utm_content=349955347&utm_source=hs_email It’s not quite man bites dog, to quote an old newsroom saw, but it’s an echo. Four experts — veterinarians, flu scientists, and biosecurity experts — share their concerns about humans infecting cats with H5N1 avian influenza, instead of the reverse. Bird flu has killed more than 100 domesticated cats since 2022, from house cats to barn cats to feral cats. Even “great cats” like cougars and bobcats have fallen prey to the virus. Many likely were exposed to the virus in raw milk, raw meat pet foods, and wild birds. But a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Michigan health authorities tells us two indoor cats who lived with dairy workers died, despite no exposure to other infected animals. It’s hard to know the extent of the problem without public health oversight of pets. “Given the pandemic risk from H5N1, active surveillance of companion animals is needed to recognize the full scope of the problem and identify critical control points for intervention,” STAT First Opinion authors Meghan Davis, Ellen Carlin, Erin Sorrell, and David Stiefel write. But here’s the problem: coordinating government agencies to achieve this is like, well, herding cats. Read why. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7405a2.htm?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--hVHjJYo8LHietYZLVAKlbPocDuZCak087mzMvsMkOZF7Mx7UeUMrEDlmCsR8iFEu07HO21Fl05QL4TcDyp7ezseWH8A&_hsmi=349955347&utm_content=349955347&utm_source=hs_email