Founder & Medical Director at New York Cosmetic Skin & Laser Surgery Center
Answered 4 months ago
In clinic, I see how a cat changes breathing and skin flares. I found a study reviewing feline avian influenza reports from 2004 to 2024. It counted 607 infections and 302 deaths, and 62.6% were domestic cats. The PCR confirmed fatality rate was 71%. For domestic cats with H5N1, it was 52.8%. Most cat linked infections spread by scratches, bites, or litter, not by floating droplets. Still, the same review documented feline to human spread in an H5N1 tiger outbreak and in an H7N2 New York shelter, with culture positive air and surface samples from the cat quarantine space. Keep cats indoors away from sick birds, skip raw milk or raw meat diets, wash hands after litter, and run filtration with outdoor air.