House Cats With Bird Flu Could Pose a Risk to Public Health

A small but growing number of house cats have gotten sick from H5N1, the bird flu strain driving the current U.S. outbreak.

The strain of bird flu currently circulating has not adapted to efficiently spread among people.

There have been no known cases of cat-to-human transmission during the current outbreak.

People should not assume it's bird flu if their cat is sick -- even if their animal spends time outdoors.

Most people who have caught H5N1 are agricultural workers who had direct contact with infected poultry or cattle.

The more infections you have in animals, "the more your luck is potentially going to run out," says one virologist.

There isn't enough research to know for sure how much virus cats shed, or even how they shed the virus.

That includes limiting a pet's exposure to H5N1 by not feeding them raw food or unpasteurized milk, and trying to keep them from interacting with animals like rodents and wild birds that could be infected with the virus. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF -- an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF ..