By Ethan Covey
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene advised New Yorkers against feeding their pets raw pet food after the H5N1 avian influenza virus was detected in two cats and a suspected third cat over the past two months.
All positives were connected to Savage Cat Food poultry packets lot number 11152026. To date, no humans have developed bird flu in New York City.
Cat A became ill in March and was hospitalized with fever, loss of appetite and severe respiratory disease after consuming the raw food. Testing for H5N1 was performed at the Cornell Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and confirmatory testing by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) is pending. The cat died as a result of the infection.
Cat B was diagnosed with H5N1 and testing confirmed by the NVSL in February. The cat developed fever and severe respiratory and liver disease and also died. Additional testing recently performed at the NVSL suggests the cat was infected with an H5N1 strain related to that found in the same lot of cat food as the first cat. Cat B did not consume the raw food product but was exposed to a sick cat, cat C. Cat C became ill with fever after consuming Savage Cat Food lot number 11152026. Cat C survived but H5N1 testing cannot be performed because too much time has passed, the health department said.
“The current risk to New Yorkers of bird flu remains low,” said Michelle Morse, MD, MPH, the interim director of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
The FDA has been monitoring reports of H5N1 in cats in other states including California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington that consumed H5N1-contaminated food products. H5N1 can be transmitted to cats through raw pet food and treats, raw milk, and raw poultry if the food was made from infected poultry or cattle, according to the FDA.
In related news, a recent report from Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report may be the first to find cases of avian flu among domestic cats. Two indoor domestic cats belonging to dairy workers in Michigan also tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus, according to the report.
While the owners of both cats were dairy workers, they had no known exposure to HPAI A(H5N1)–affected farms (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2025;74[5]:61-65).
“Cat owners should remember that H5N1 bird flu is often deadly in cats and can also make people sick,” a CDC spokesperson told Infectious Disease Special Edition. “Owners are encouraged to consider their personal health, in addition to that of their pets.”
Each of the infections was identified in May 2024, and investigations were conducted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Mid-Michigan District Health Department (MDHHS/MMDHD). In both households, the cat owners declined testing for influenza A(H5) virus. While neither owner had directly reported exposure to HPAI A(H5N1) through the farms where they worked, they were employed in a county known by MDHHS/MMDHD to have HPAI A(H5N1) virus, clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype B3.13–positive dairy cattle.
“Ultimately, investigators could not confirm how the cats became infected,” the CDC spokesperson said. “Further research is necessary to evaluate the risk of fomite transmission and other types of transmission routes of H5N1 virus to cats.”
The CDC spokesperson noted that while it is very rare for humans to be infected with bird flu viruses through contact with infected wild, stray, feral or domestic mammals, it is possible—especially if there is prolonged and unprotected exposure to the animal.
“CDC experts continue to track the spread and impact of avian influenza viruses among animals and to people in the U.S. in order to inform guidance on how to best prevent and treat infections,” the spokesperson added.
