Two house cats in Goleta died of bird flu, Santa Barbara County Public Health officials confirmed on Monday. The cats had been fed raw foods — raw milk, chicken, and eggs — and Public Health warned pet owners of the possibility of transmission of Influenza A H5 virus to pets through unpasteurized milk and uncooked foods.
Two of the household’s other cats had died before the county was contacted, said Sarah Aguilar, who directs county Animal Services. No certainty exists about the route of virus transmission, she said, and all the cats had been fed the same diet for many years without harm.
However, raw milk has come under scrutiny after herds of dairy cows became infected with H5N1, infecting some dairy workers in turn. During the investigation in March of the first human H5N1 case, veterinarians noted the death of multiple barn cats at the dairy in Texas. Raw milk containing H5N1 virus has been found for sale in grocery stores since November. No human infections linked to raw milk consumption are known to have occurred.
Avian flu has spread across the United States in the past three years, possibly by migrating wild birds, which seem to be unaffected by the virus, with the exception of geese. H5N1 is decimating domestic poultry flocks that become infected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.
Cats are susceptible to H5N1. In Washington State, 20 big cats have died at the Wild Field Advocacy Center rescue sanctuary since mid-November, including a cougar and half-Bengal tiger. The cause of those deaths was unknown, but wild bird droppings were noted in the cages, and the sanctuary disposed of 8,000 pounds of meat in its freezers.
In Los Angeles County, four house cats were confirmed on December 24 to have died of H5 after drinking recalled raw milk. Three cats who died in a different home were considered possible cases of avian flu. One of the cats tested positive for Influenza A, which the L.A. Public Health Department said was a rare result in a cat and indicated possible H5 infection. The three cats had not drunk raw milk, but Public Health was investigating raw meat consumed.
L.A. County also recalled on Tuesday a raw meat brand of cat food — two-pound packages of Northwest Naturals Turkey Recipe raw and frozen cat food — after an H5-positive house cat in Oregon died. The food is sold in California and carries use-by dates of May 21, 2026 B10 and June 23, 2026 B1.
Upon infection with H5, cats can develop respiratory illness, neurological symptoms, or liver disease, which can progress rapidly to death, L.A. PHD stated in a press release. The viruses and bacteria in raw milk or meats can be harmful to both pets and humans, but the risk is “especially concerning” with the ongoing spread of bird flu virus among dairy cows.
S.B. PHD advised there was no evidence of cat-to-cat, cat-to-human, or human-to-human contagion with bird flu currently. Questions about symptoms or potential exposure can be phoned to the county’s 24-hour disease control line: (805) 681-5280, or emailed to dc@sbcphd.org.
