Bird flu causes blindness in cats that drank milk from infected cows at Texas ... trends now
About two dozen farm cats were stricken with H5N1 bird flu after drinking milk from infected cows, leaving some blind and killing more than half.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the cases this week, revealing at least 24 cats on a Texas farm experienced depressed mental states, body stiffness, loss of coordination, blindness, circling, and excessive mucous from their eyes and noses.
A necropsy of the dead animals, some that died in as little as two days after they fell ill, revealed the virus had spread to their lungs, brains, hearts, and eyes.
Researchers said the infections on the Texas dairy farm raises more concerns about how bird flu is evolving as it jumps from mammal to mammal.
Cats at a Texas dairy farm became sick after drinking milk from cows infected with H5N1, a bird flu.
Microscopic examinations of cat tissues revealed the following: (A) inflammation and death of brain cells; (B) pneumonia and death of lung cells; (C) inflammation and lesions in heart tissue; and (D) detached retinas in the eyes.
The cows stopped eating as much as usual, and they produced less milk. In some cases, their milk got yellow and thick.
A few died, a few were euthanized, but most of them recovered. Their cat companions were worse off.
An estimated 24 cats at this one farm had been drinking the milk from the sick cows, and many of them began experiencing depressed mental states, body stiffness, loss of coordination, blindness, circling, and excessive mucous from their eyes and noses.
More than half of the cats died within just two to three days.
'While it’s unlikely that people would become infected with bird flu viruses through contact with an infected wild, stray, feral, or domestic cat, it is possible—especially if there is prolonged and unprotected exposure to the animal,' the CDC shared in the announcement.
'Sick animals may be able to transmit influenza virus to people in their saliva, feces or droppings, and other body fluids.'
The CDC obtained the bodies of two cats, as well as samples of milk from the cows.
The agency also examined tissue samples from six of the cows that had died - three were euthanized, and three had died from their illness.
Testing revealed that all of the
