The first case of bird flu was confirmed in New Orleans last week after the H5N1 virus was detected in a house cat on Jan. 14, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
The agriculture department listed the case among other instances where the virus has turned up in mammals since May 2022. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the state health department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the case.
An Oregon house cat died last month after eating cat food that contained raw turkey. The cat food, which contained a variant of bird flu, matched the illness that infected the cat and was later recalled. Officials have not shared what might have affected the Orleans Parish feline nor the animal’s current condition…