Michigan Officials Fear Bird Flu Transmission from Humans to Cats

Internal emails from Michigan health officials have sparked concern over the potential for bird flu transmission from humans to household cats. The communications, released via public record requests, reveal suspicions that cat infections may have occurred indirectly through their humans’ clothing or environments.

“If we only could have gotten testing on the [REDACTED] household members, their clothing if possible, and their workplaces, we may have been able to prove human-to-cat transmission,” officials wrote in a July email obtained by KFF Health News. Another message encouraged publishing a report to alert others about the risk of such transmission.

The emails highlight ongoing efforts to understand the spread of the H5N1 virus in cats. They suggest that cats may pick up the virus from their humans through droplets, known as fomites, carried on clothing or hands.

These findings come amid several bird flu cases in domestic cats across the U.S., most notably in Colorado, where six infections were documented in 2024. The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association confirmed that two cases involved indoor-only cats with no apparent exposure to sick birds, raising questions about how the virus reached them. Meanwhile, the other four cats were indoor-outdoor pets, often hunting small animals or spending time around infected livestock.

Bird flu has largely impacted poultry and cattle since its outbreak, but infections in household pets signify a concerning shift. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there have been 53 detections in cats since the outbreak began in 2022, spanning states like Texas, Ohio, and Oregon. Will Clement, a USDA senior advisor, noted that except for two indoor-only cases, most affected cats lived near farms or spent time outdoors.

Kristen Coleman, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, has been tracking the rise in feline infections. “As companion animals, domestic cats provide a potential pathway for avian influenza viruses to spillover into humans,” she said. Her research found that cat infections increased sharply in 2023, correlating with the rapid spread of H5N1 among mammals.

Coleman advises cat parents to be cautious. She recommends against feeding cats raw meat or dairy and urges limiting their outdoor exposure. Infected cats may experience respiratory distress and, in some cases, vision loss.

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