How do cats become infected? Can they spread the virus?
Top A: All natural H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infections in domestic cats reported to date appear to have been associated with outbreaks in domestic or wild birds and acquired through ingestion of raw meat likely infected with the H5N1 HPAI virus. Fortunately, there is no evidence to date that domestic cats play a role in the natural transmission cycle of H5N1 HPAI viruses. There have been no known cases of human avian influenza (AI) resulting from exposure to sick cats, and there have been no outbreaks of AI among domestic cat populations. Cats in a laboratory/research setting have been shown to be able to spread the H5N1 HPAI virus to other cats, but it is not known whether such spread occurs under natural conditions.
