A tragic case of a cat’s death reveals the dangers of raw pet food contaminated with bird flu. Learn how rising H5N1 cases pose risks to pets and humans, sparking concerns about raw diets.
This was a heart-wrenching incident, in which Villain, a 4-year-old Maine Coon cat, died due to bird flu after eating infected raw pet food, an increased risk caused by the H5N1 virus. Jamila Acfalle is a dog trainer from Oregon.
She chose to feed raw because she believed that was the healthiest way for her animals to eat. In reality, it proved fatal to the cat because the raw, untreated turkey meat carried the lethal virus.
Acdfall’s tale is a wake-up call for pet owners increasingly attracted to raw pet diets. Though these foods are marketed as natural and nutritious, experts say they can contain lethal pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, and now H5N1.
The virus, which has infected a variety of animals over the past two years, is especially dangerous to cats, attacking their brains and causing severe neurological symptoms.
The FDA, among other federal agencies, has urged the manufacturers of pet foods to strengthen safety measures while urging pet owners to rethink feeding raw diets. Safety steps, including high-pressure processing, are still ineffective because the virus survives as experienced in the case of Villain.
The sadness Acfalle expresses resonates with others whose pets succumbed to the same kind of attacks. People start arguing over whether raw diets are safe. While others will remain confident about the raw food, others switch to the heat-treated.
As bird flu continues to spread, experts emphasize the need to protect both pets and humans from this emerging health threat. For pet owners, this may mean rethinking the risks of raw food in a world where safety isn’t guaranteed.
