This is one recent example of how devastating it can be to felines— this big cat sanctuary lost over half their population to H5N1 over the course of weeks. Just as dangerous to house cats as it is to their bigger cousins. amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/12/... - ThreadSky

louisathelast.bsky.social • 66 days ago

This is one recent example of how devastating it can be to felines— this big cat sanctuary lost over half their population to H5N1 over the course of weeks. Just as dangerous to house cats as it is to their bigger cousins. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/12/25/us/bird-flu-washington-cats-cases

Comments

the1jill.bsky.social•66 days ago

I was listening to that story on the news and it breaks my heart. Poor babies, and I can only imagine their caretakers are devastated.

lalasrsly.bsky.social•64 days ago

😢

louisathelast.bsky.social•66 days ago

If their death rate isn’t reason enough for you to keep your cats inside, please consider— while there hasn’t yet been a reported case of feline to human transmission, there’s no real reason there can’t be, and the human fatality rate is 52%.

srednieel.bsky.social•66 days ago

That's the fun thing about any virus. Just because it's currently not human to human, it is livestock to human transmission right now. Los Angeles had its first case of livestock to human transmission this week.

louisathelast.bsky.social•65 days ago

It also seems that that 67% fatality rate for house cats was an underestimate for the current strain— newer data puts it around 90%. Please take this seriously. https://bsky.app/profile/drkristenkc.bsky.social/post/3lea4ibmckc2e

deeners.bsky.social•65 days ago

90%?! Jeeeeeeeesus

secretlentil.bsky.social•65 days ago

I just shared this on FB earlier ... trying to nudge anyone who has outdoor cats to figure out how to transition them into indoor life, now.

lizardky.bsky.social•64 days ago

Fuuuuuck....

My cats are 100% indoors, fortunately.

The neighborhood stray I've been feeding for several years still won't let me get within 5 feet of them, so I doubt there's a risk of transmission. Hopefully. (About 50% of the time, I don't even see them. The food is just gone next morning.)

mulletbraid.bsky.social•65 days ago

Damn. Thank you for the warning.

asarum-caudatum.bsky.social•66 days ago

should i be keeping my cat inside when im in a very rural area? our closest neighbor is a quarter mile away and our cat barely even leaves our property. he usually catches squirrels and on the rare occasion a bird

drspedinnv.bsky.social•65 days ago

Yes. The bird flu is in migrating species. So if your cat is outside & catches one …

marypcbuk.bsky.social•66 days ago

Birds can have avian flu

asarum-caudatum.bsky.social•66 days ago

yeah we're gonna get two bells on him and he definitely wont be catching any birds. we'll keep an eye on his hunt for squirrels and respond accordingly. he doesnt seem to want to catch the mice

popezebbidiexii.bsky.social•65 days ago

Cats learn very quickly to stalk without jingling the bells

louisathelast.bsky.social•66 days ago

Yes. This isn’t an urban problem.

quatoria.bsky.social•66 days ago

in general you should always keep your cats indoors. outside of houses, they’re an invasive species that wreak terrible harm on the local fauna.

they’re also snack sized for raptors, coyotes, and other rural predators.

quatoria.bsky.social•66 days ago

cats that are indoor only live several years longer, on average, than indoor / outdoor cats.

asarum-caudatum.bsky.social•66 days ago

theyre also more often than not extremely depressed. id rather my cat has a rich fulfilling life than be in a cage for his entire life never to see the world.

1/2

deannatheanalyst.bsky.social•66 days ago

That is a myth. I've worked with several shelters and vets, and it's sad how often that myth gets spread around as an excuse to let cats roam. It just isn't true.

jonsey-nuts.bsky.social•65 days ago

"I'd rather my cat wreak havoc on the local ecosystem and possibly be eaten by a coyote than entertain him inside"

asarum-caudatum.bsky.social•66 days ago

as ive said elsewhere in this thread that you evidently havent read through thoroughly the local fauna have been flourishing & he voluntarily stays inside while we're gone so he doesnt become a snack
2/2

starwards.bsky.social•65 days ago

Even if it kills YOU, huh?

Humankind is NOT ready for this.

lynperkinsart.bsky.social•65 days ago

Hawks especially, I lost a cat to a hawk--he was a barn cat and just did not do well inside, or I would have kept him in.

historysraven.bsky.social•66 days ago

YES! It's not just your neighbors. Cats are one of the worst invasive species around. Holy hell you're intentionally daft, aren't you?

asarum-caudatum.bsky.social•66 days ago

the local ecosystem has been flourishing despite his efforts.

hellishchildren.bsky.social•66 days ago

You will never see most of the animals he kills. They'll either escape him and die from injuries and/or a massive infection from the bacteria in his mouth or he'll play with them then abandon the corpse.

Then there's the ones he eats.

If there's a sick or dead bird, he'll find it.

riverofstars.bsky.social•66 days ago

Given that farm animals are at risk in rural areas, yes. Given animals and birds cross over into eachothers territories likely to have come in contact with diseases, yes.

riverofstars.bsky.social•66 days ago

Rural cats often go missing after they'e become a snack for local wildlife (like yotes) and feral dogs. They're also destructive to local/indigenous wildlife. If that wasn't enough already to convince you to keep your cat indoors idk what is.

asarum-caudatum.bsky.social•66 days ago

sounds like if the worry is just him catching bird flu from hunting we can just make it so he cant hunt using 2 bells. hes been safe around our area, he chooses to only be outside when we're home.

fire-walk-with.me•66 days ago

I have about 50 bells on my cat Cricket and he still manages to kill things occasionally even while I'm out with him on a leash.

alyssaharad.bsky.social•66 days ago

He is in danger from contact with dead birds who died of the flu so stopping him from hunting is useful but not a guarantee. We made our outdoor kitties into indoor ones when we moved bc our neighborhood is full of coyotes. They’re older and are fine with retirement. Supervised outdoor time helps.

doctoryuliya.bsky.social•66 days ago

Was coming here to say this. The more cats get it, the more likely it is to jump species eventually.

warmyellowlight.bsky.social•66 days ago

yep :( i remember reading about covid being transmitted between people and their cats so bird flu being transmitted at some point would not surprise me

subduction.bsky.social•66 days ago

“If their death rate isn’t reason enough for you to keep your cats inside”

It never has been for outdoor cat owners, to be fair

islandofreil.bsky.social•65 days ago

💯

starwards.bsky.social•65 days ago

People who are REALLY loyal to their pets... are gonna have to ask themselves some serious questions.

64% mortality ain't no joke, holy shit.

louisathelast.bsky.social•65 days ago

Unfortunately it seems to be even worse, based on newer data. https://bsky.app/profile/drkristenkc.bsky.social/post/3lea4ibmckc2e

starwards.bsky.social•65 days ago

NINETY PERCENT?!?!?!?

HOLY SHIT WE'RE FUCKED

Stay safe out there, please.

The world needs people like you, more than ever!

drspedinnv.bsky.social•65 days ago

This explains why we never saw cats on The Walking Dead. Just something I always wondered …

queenkatiemae.bsky.social•66 days ago

I was there in October and am extremely saddened by what happened. Those cats were beautiful creatures. And there were 2 bengals who were bonded and I can’t imagine what the surviving tiger is experiencing right now.

rockymountviews.bsky.social•66 days ago

How sad.

mhudson-illustration.com•66 days ago

This just scares the hell out of me. We're right near that big cat center. Both my cats are indoors but my dog isn't. How do I know my dog won't pick it up outdoors on a walk and bring it home to our cats?

precatlady.bsky.social•65 days ago

Follow along when the agency investigating says how they got the illness, but it was likely the food they eat which is often raw and bulk purchased meats. Source: I am long time friends with their kid and they talk about meat day and mortality and stuff so I've heard it a few times.

mhudson-illustration.com•65 days ago

Thank you so much for this, that's a weight off my mind. I just saw this morning that one of the indoor house cats that contracted it seems to have been infected from raw food too.

And I've been wanting to go visit that big cat rescue one of these days, I hope the worst is over for them. Tragic ❤️‍

justcherie.bsky.social•65 days ago

My husband was just telling me about this 😢

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