Freshly killed birds carry bird flu. Cats can catch it this way and the current strain, H5N1 is 67% fatal to cats. It’s a horrific death too. Cats should be kept inside where they belong.
This is likely airborne, huh? Any idea what the incubation period is for cats? I’m seeing mixed information, but read that symptoms seem to progress very quickly. My cats are indoor only, but we usually have some fosters around, and I’m worried that we may need to put that on pause.
This study suggests that this strain is capable of spreading via airborne water droplets. Right now there have been, to my knowledge, no cases of human to human infection confirmed, but that same study also suggests that it appears to be possible. As for cat to cat or human to cat transmission, nobody seems to know yet.
The influenza virus is capable of rapid mutation, though. That’s why we need a different vaccine for it every year. Plus, the more infections there are in a given population, be it people, cattle, or poultry, the more chances there are that the virus could mutate into a form that can spread more easily to other species. Right now, there is a massive outbreak in dairy and poultry farms in parts of the USA which means the virus is getting lots of chances to do that.
Thanks! In terms of fostering, my primary concern is cat to cat, although I probably should worry about cat to human also. My resident cats are otherwise healthy and I keep them up to date on their vaccinations, but at least so far, it doesn’t sound like that’s good enough.
The researchers next housed uninfected ferrets in cages next to infected ones to test whether the virus could spread through the air via respiratory droplets. They performed four separate experiments using ferrets infected with varying doses of the virus. Between 1 in 6 and 1 in 3 infected ferrets transmitted the virus to uninfected neighbors. Five of the six ferrets who became infected in this way died.
In my case, they would effectively be housed in separate cages (rooms of my home) for an initial quarantine period, but I would be going back and forth between those rooms without changing my clothes.
I am pretty sure cats dont “belong” inside at all.
They are wild animals, partially domesticated but much much more wild than dogs. Dogs don’t survive much without us, cats do, and even thrive in the correct climate (remember they come from warm climates, we brought cats all over the world).
Whether we messed up bringing a ferocious predator with superior physical capabilities all around the world and destroying local fauna (Australia, and such places…) It’s not cats fault and doesn’t mean they belong inside.
In fact, cats belong outside and just take advantage of our “inside” unless they are kept captives on purpose.
Whether we messed up bringing a ferocious predator with superior physical capabilities all around the world and destroying local fauna (Australia, and such places…)
This is exactly why they belong inside. If you are going to have a pet that is capable of damaging the local environment by killing off native fauna, then you need to keep that pet contained in order to protect the local fauna. Otherwise, the community will start doing things like offering a bounty on cat scalps. If you are going to have a pet, take proper care of it.
Not in Ottawa here… Cats lives outdoor normally and really doesn’t suffer from that.
As for local fauna, well, yeah, but again cats have been living here for centuries and its pretty difficult to say that cats are not “local fauna” at this point.
To be honest, I would like my cats to KILL rats and mice instead of bringing them inside alive to play and then forget about them… But this is another story.
Human hunters to much more harm than cats around here. They even kill people sometimes. I would like to stop them more than stop cats from going outside.
Note: I own 4 dogs and 2 cats. The cats have a catflap and spend most of their time outside, since they are big enough to avoid being eaten by crows or foxes. I have even seen one cat walk side by side with a fox once. The dogs also are hunters and far more dangerous thab the cats as they killed, so far: three young boars, two young deer’s, a couple of rabbit nests and I had twice already to jump in a dog-fox fight and separate the contenders letting the fox run away…
I’m not going to argue with you because you’re not going to be receptive to contrary evidence but I need you to understand that “centuries” does not even register on the scale of domestic vs introduced species. Your cat is an introduced species and you should keep it indoors.
People who let their cats roam are irresponsible owners and shouldn’t own pets.
Cats are domesticated animals, and they belong inside. If you can take your cat out on a harness and leash or a closed off patio, cool. Don’t let them out unsupervised.
Freshly killed birds carry bird flu. Cats can catch it this way and the current strain, H5N1 is 67% fatal to cats. It’s a horrific death too. Cats should be kept inside where they belong.
This is likely airborne, huh? Any idea what the incubation period is for cats? I’m seeing mixed information, but read that symptoms seem to progress very quickly. My cats are indoor only, but we usually have some fosters around, and I’m worried that we may need to put that on pause.
Full disclosure: I am not an expert.
This study suggests that this strain is capable of spreading via airborne water droplets. Right now there have been, to my knowledge, no cases of human to human infection confirmed, but that same study also suggests that it appears to be possible. As for cat to cat or human to cat transmission, nobody seems to know yet.
The influenza virus is capable of rapid mutation, though. That’s why we need a different vaccine for it every year. Plus, the more infections there are in a given population, be it people, cattle, or poultry, the more chances there are that the virus could mutate into a form that can spread more easily to other species. Right now, there is a massive outbreak in dairy and poultry farms in parts of the USA which means the virus is getting lots of chances to do that.
Thanks! In terms of fostering, my primary concern is cat to cat, although I probably should worry about cat to human also. My resident cats are otherwise healthy and I keep them up to date on their vaccinations, but at least so far, it doesn’t sound like that’s good enough.
In my case, they would effectively be housed in separate cages (rooms of my home) for an initial quarantine period, but I would be going back and forth between those rooms without changing my clothes.
I am pretty sure cats dont “belong” inside at all.
They are wild animals, partially domesticated but much much more wild than dogs. Dogs don’t survive much without us, cats do, and even thrive in the correct climate (remember they come from warm climates, we brought cats all over the world).
Whether we messed up bringing a ferocious predator with superior physical capabilities all around the world and destroying local fauna (Australia, and such places…) It’s not cats fault and doesn’t mean they belong inside.
In fact, cats belong outside and just take advantage of our “inside” unless they are kept captives on purpose.
This is exactly why they belong inside. If you are going to have a pet that is capable of damaging the local environment by killing off native fauna, then you need to keep that pet contained in order to protect the local fauna. Otherwise, the community will start doing things like offering a bounty on cat scalps. If you are going to have a pet, take proper care of it.
Whatever man. Cats are common local a round here, no reason to keep them as slaves.
Don’t get a pet like a cat to keep him/her confined.
Just don’t get a cat then. Your outdoor cat is going to die in its prime and decimate the local fauna in the process. .
Not in Ottawa here… Cats lives outdoor normally and really doesn’t suffer from that.
As for local fauna, well, yeah, but again cats have been living here for centuries and its pretty difficult to say that cats are not “local fauna” at this point.
To be honest, I would like my cats to KILL rats and mice instead of bringing them inside alive to play and then forget about them… But this is another story.
Human hunters to much more harm than cats around here. They even kill people sometimes. I would like to stop them more than stop cats from going outside.
Note: I own 4 dogs and 2 cats. The cats have a catflap and spend most of their time outside, since they are big enough to avoid being eaten by crows or foxes. I have even seen one cat walk side by side with a fox once. The dogs also are hunters and far more dangerous thab the cats as they killed, so far: three young boars, two young deer’s, a couple of rabbit nests and I had twice already to jump in a dog-fox fight and separate the contenders letting the fox run away…
So…
I’m not going to argue with you because you’re not going to be receptive to contrary evidence but I need you to understand that “centuries” does not even register on the scale of domestic vs introduced species. Your cat is an introduced species and you should keep it indoors.
People who let their cats roam are irresponsible owners and shouldn’t own pets.
Cats are domesticated animals, and they belong inside. If you can take your cat out on a harness and leash or a closed off patio, cool. Don’t let them out unsupervised.
Better don’t have cats then.
Agreed, it’s better to not have a cat than to have one that you let outside