For the reason that announcement by Oregon Division of Agriculture in late December 2024 {that a} uncooked pet meals was the supply of avian flu that triggered a cat loss of life (which turned out later the pet meals was NOT the supply of the cat’s an infection), the primary query I’ve acquired from pet house owners is: ‘ought to I cease feeding my cat uncooked meals?’
My response to those questions stays: I’m nonetheless feeding my very own pets (5 cats, 2 canines) each uncooked meals and cooked meals, half industrial and half house ready. I’ve not modified the way in which I feed my very own pets, and I’ve not modified the model of meals I give my very own pets – nor do I’ve any plans to alter.
For probably the most half, pet house owners have ONLY been instructed about avian flu being detected in cats when it was linked to uncooked pet meals or uncooked milk. However, once you have a look at what regulatory authorities have NOT instructed us…the information tells us a special story about avian flu.
Based on the USDA Animal Plant Well being Inspection Providers (APHIS), Extremely Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected in 105 home cats since Could 2022 (within the US).
Beneath is a USA map indicating the detection of HPAI in mammals (from Could 2022 by means of March 4, 2025).
If you look carefully on the above map, the varied icons on the map point out the species of animal detected to have been contaminated with HPAI. The small black field is the icon for home cat HPAI detections. Discover that these cat HPAI detections will not be uniform throughout the US. In truth, within the space of the map coloration coded as gentle blue (the japanese part of the US) – there is just one case of home cat an infection.
On the contrary, pet meals are distributed nationwide. IF pet meals was the supply of HPAI infections in cats – we must always see a map with a uniform distribution of instances throughout the US.
The majority of those 105 home cat instances (and maybe all of those instances) had been linked to: “An infection is believed to have occurred by way of publicity to contaminated birds or different animals. In late March and early April 2024, Texas reported detection of HPAI A(H5N1) in a number of cats from a number of dairy farms experiencing HPAI A(H5N1) virus infections in dairy cows, suggesting the virus unfold to the cats both from affected dairy cows, uncooked cow milk, or from wild birds related to these farms.”
Which aligns with extra info from the Facilities for Illness Management, confirming the danger of uncooked pet meals is minimal.
The Facilities for Illness Management (CDC) printed a steering doc outlining the company’s suggestions “for stopping human exposures to extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses and an infection prevention and management measures.” This steering from CDC shares a danger class by publicity desk, explaining the “classes of particular person danger for influenza A(H5N1) virus an infection by setting and publicity.”
This CDC steering states (be aware – this steering is directed in the direction of human publicity, not particularly pet publicity):
Thought of: “HIGH RISK OF EXPOSURE“.
- “Engaged on farms with poultry or cows with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection or sick poultry or cows uncovered to these with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection; recognized shut animal contact.”
Examples supplied for danger actions on farms embrace:
- Milking cows
- Getting splashed in face or eyes with uncooked milk from cows
- Feeding or watering poultry or cows
- Dealing with carcasses of useless cows, poultry culling, depopulation, butchering, evisceration
Thought of: “HIGH RISK OF EXPOSURE“.
- “Shut or extended contact with wild birds with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection or their contaminated environments; recognized shut chicken contact.”
Notice: “shut chicken contact” was expressed as inside 6 toes.
Examples supplied for danger actions of shut chicken contact embrace:
- Individuals in direct contact with sick or useless wild birds
- Individuals concerned in depopulation/culling of untamed birds
- Wildlife company workers in direct contact with sick or useless wild birds, together with defeathering, carcass elimination and disposal
- Hunters who deal with wild birds
- Touching surfaces or supplies (e.g., animal litter or bedding materials) contaminated by wild birds with saliva, mucous, or feces
Close to uncooked milk…
Thought of: “At the moment, degree of danger to people is unknown however excessive degree of concern based mostly on obtainable animal information.”
Instance supplied for danger of uncooked milk: “Ingesting, consuming or publicity to contaminated uncooked cow’s milk from cows with confirmed or suspected HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection or different merchandise created from contaminated uncooked cow’s milk.”
And considerably, the CDC’s perspective on consumption of uncooked meat/eggs…
Thought of: “LOW RISK OF EXPOSURE”.
- “Consuming probably uncooked or undercooked poultry merchandise or eggs from poultry with confirmed HPAI A(H5N1) virus an infection.”
Once more, this CDC steering is solely based mostly on human danger – not pet danger – however, the knowledge supplied appears very clear; the best danger of HPAI virus an infection is NOT consuming uncooked meat or eggs (uncooked pet meals). The best danger of HPAI virus an infection is with shut animal contact to contaminated wild birds and contaminated poultry and cattle.
Yet another statistic.
The AVMA states there have been 73.8 million cats in US in 2024. The class of uncooked pet meals is between 2-3% of the US pet meals market.
If 2% of US cats had been consuming a uncooked pet meals, that might be 1,476,000 cats consuming a uncooked pet meals day by day. IF the instances of HPAI at the moment being investigated take a look at to substantiate the pet meals was the supply (estimating 5 potential instances), the danger of uncooked pet meals exposing your cat to HPAI is an estimated 0.0003%.
The higher danger (to me)…feed grade pet meals.
In a FDA Warning Letter issued to Mid America pet meals, the company acknowledged “FDA Investigators noticed rainwater getting into your facility by means of the roof when you had been manufacturing a number of a number of pet food.“
Hen feces on the roof of this facility might contaminate the pet meals with HPAI.
In an inspection report of a Mars Petcare facility, the FDA famous this pet meals producer:
- Failure to examine, segregate, or in any other case deal with uncooked supplies and substances utilized in manufacturing below situations that can defend the animal meals towards contamination and decrease deterioration.
- Failure to take efficient measures to exclude pests out of your plant and defend towards contamination of animal meals by pests
In 2008, in a Petco distribution middle: “Throughout an FDA inspection of a PETCO distribution middle in April, widespread and energetic rodent and chicken infestation was discovered. The FDA inspected the power once more in Could and located persevering with and widespread infestation.”
Feed grade pet meals and feed grade manufacturing are NOT held to the identical security requirements as human meals. With recognized contamination dangers being excessive with wild birds, manufacturing and warehousing requirements have to be freed from chicken infestations to guard the security of the pet meals.
With relation to pets, the CDC states: “Sick animals could possibly transmit influenza virus to folks of their saliva, feces or droppings, and different physique fluids. Human infections can happen when the virus is inhaled or will get into an individual’s eyes, nostril, or mouth. This will occur when virus is within the air (in droplets or mud) and an individual breathes it in, or when an individual touches one thing that has virus on it after which touches their mouth, eyes, or nostril.”
Each pet proprietor has to make up their very own thoughts to what they really feel is protected for their very own pets. For me, I’m placing my belief in pet meals manufactured and warehoused to human meals security requirements.
Susan Thixton
Pet Meals Security Advocate
Writer Purchaser Beware, Co-Writer Dinner PAWsible
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