Sixty-five million American households contain dogs and 45.6 million contain cats, yet few of us know the threat the escalating bird flu outbreak poses to our pets. 

This column only addresses the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus. It ignores the low pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus. Simply put, both are bird flu viruses but the former is deadlier than the latter and has made its way from birds to humans, cows and other mammals.

Dr. Amber Itle, State Veterinarian at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Katie Haman, Wildlife Veterinarian at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in interviews conducted Jan. 31, answered questions many dog and cat owners have about (HPAI) H5N1.

For starters, can cats and dogs get bird flu? Yes. Cats can become infected from uncooked meat, infected birds, and unpasteurized milk and eggs, and as of Feb. 2 cats infected with bird flu had been identified in more than a dozen states. 

To date, there has been no evidence of transmission from cat to cat, Itle said. An infected cat cannot sneeze on or rub noses with a healthy cat and infect it, Haman said. 

Both experts agreed that a cat with symptoms that include but are not limited to coughing, sneezing, runny nose, pink eye, tremors, diarrhea or vomiting should be examined by a veterinarian.

Currently there is no commercially available vaccine against avian influenza viruses, including H5N1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, seasonal flu vaccines that humans get are not designed or intended to protect against bird flu.

As for dogs, they can contract bird flu, but they usually exhibit mild clinical signs and low mortality compared to cats. At present, not a single case of bird flu has been detected in dogs in the United States, Itle said.

Carnivorous mammals including cats and dogs are dead-end hosts, Haman and Itle said. That means that bird flu can only be passed from one infected carnivorous mammal to another mammal if it is eaten.

Are you putting yourself at risk cuddling with a potentially infected cat and at times perhaps inhaling its breath? Itle said she hadn’t seen studies that addressed those risks, but she did not believe cats could transmit bird flu to humans.

“However, if your cat is sick, it’s always advised to wear personal protective equipment,” Itle said. And don’t cuddle with a cat that has any of the symptoms mentioned above.

Dog owners who let their pets off leash aren’t always aware of what their pups are doing. They could sniff, paw or bite an infected bird without their owners knowing it.

Would the dogs’ behavior likely infect them? Both experts agreed that dogs —even hunting dogs that pick up infected carcasses — are not particularly susceptible to bird flu because there have been no reported cases in the U.S. So, the answer to the question is no.

That said, “it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on your pet and have it under control. The biggest risk I see with dogs is that they often run in parks or areas where there are a lot of migratory waterfowl overwintering. In those environments, there are risks of a lot of environmental contamination, which a dog could bring home on its paws and put a backyard flock at risk,” Itle said. 

Continuing, she added, “I’ve never seen this actually happen or documented, but we know the environment is heavily contaminated with virus due to waterfowl, especially around lakes, ponds, and other standing water.” 

Bird flu virus has been found in the fecal matter of infected birds, but cat owners needn’t fear contracting bird flu when cleaning their pets’ litter boxes because, like dogs, they are viewed as dead-end hosts, Itle said. Likewise, dog owners who pick up after their pets shouldn’t feel a need to handle their pets’ poop any differently than they did prior to the outbreak.

What if a cat is infected with bird flu and nips you, are you at risk of being infected? No evidence supports that a cat bite would cause human infection of bird flu. But, Itle said, “bites in general are a public health risk, especially when considering rabies.” So, avoid rough play or other activities that could lead to being bitten.

Furthermore, she said the risk of a cat or dog getting bird flu at a veterinary clinic is extremely small, so a pet owner should not fear Lassie or Tabatha getting bird flu at the vet. If your pet is due for a vaccine or an examination, don’t let the risk of bird flu stop you from taking your pet to the vet. 

In 2024, a study found that hunting dogs in Washington state had antibodies to the H5N1 virus. You may have read this. The study’s findings suggest that dogs can become infected with H5N1 from waterfowl, but it does not mean that the hunting dogs were infected. It means that they were merely exposed to the virus.

Bird flu is constantly mutating and, sadly, we won’t likely know if it has evolved into a virus that poses a great new threat to us or to our pets in a timely manner because efforts have been undertaken to keep the truth from us.

We know this because President Trump has put a hold on all government documents intended for publication until political appointees can review them. Among the documents were CDC studies on the status of bird flu that were slated for publication in February.

Scott Doggett is a former staff writer for the Outdoors section of the Los Angeles Times. He and his wife, Susan Englen, live in Port Townsend.