City health officials are investigating two bird flu cases in household cats, marking the first known infections in pet cats statewide.
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday that it is investigating cases in cats from two separate households, implying that the infections were not linked. It’s not clear how the cats caught the virus, and the agency is working with federal and state health officials to understand how the infections spread. But it warned pet owners not to give their animals raw food or milk or let them roam outside, where they could come into contact with wild birds or other animals exposed to the virus.
Acting City Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse said that the current risk of bird flu to New Yorkers remains low, as the virus has not spread from human to human during the current nationwide outbreak. Since the outbreak started in 2022, 70 people in the U.S. have contracted bird flu and one person has died, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cats have started coming down with the virus in other parts of the country, raising concerns among epidemiologists and public health workers that the outbreak might be more widespread in animals than previously known. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, the virus that causes bird flu, has been detected in at least 115 pet cats nationwide, according to data updated March 12 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new cases come as bird flu has ravaged New York’s poultry market, infecting 48 flocks across New York state to date. Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul shut down live bird markets in the city and surrounding counties after the virus was detected in seven of them.
