In a report published earlier this year, the CDC says there have been rare instances over the last decade where bird flu viruses have spread from mammals to people. Examples include the spread of bird flu from a cat to a human in 2016 and from cows in 2024.

The study provides growing evidence of the threat it poses even when cats have no direct exposure to sick dairy cows or poultry.

More than 80 domestic cats, among many other types of mammals, have been confirmed to have had bird flu since 2022 — generally barn cats that lived on dairy farms, as well as feral cats and pets that spend time outdoors and likely caught it by hunting diseased rodents or wild birds.