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

The CDC study highlights the alarming potential of bird flu spreading between humans and cats. It discusses cases in Michigan where indoor cats fell severely ill and died due to bird flu, raising concerns about the virus's increasing complexity and transmission risk.

Two indoor-only house cats died after contracting the bird flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The cats lived in the homes of dairy workers.The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Mid-Michigan District Health Department (MMDHD) launched an investigation in May 2024 after the bird flu was detected in two domestic cats living in different households that were reportedly exclusively living indoors and had respiratory and neurologic illnesses,