PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Five more possible cases of bird flu in cats all came from the same home in Portland, officials said. Two of those cats have died, while three are waiting on a second round of testing to confirm the diagnosis.
The cats awaiting testing are at DoveLewis.
NewsNation affiliate KOIN spoke with the owner of the four cats infected with bird flu. She said she’s heartbroken that two of them died.
“I can’t believe she’s not coming home. I miss her so much,” said Christine “Kiki” Knopp. She said she’s “hoping for the best” for the other cats still in the hospital.
Knopp currently has a GoFundMe account dedicated to helping her cats recover from the illness.
“It’s a two-stage testing process,” said Oregon Department of Agriculture Veterinarian Ryan Sholz. “So we had preliminary results last week on three cats. We are fully expecting they will be confirmed. They haven’t been confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Lab, though because of the disease we’re dealing with, they have to be confirmed by NVSL.”
Last week, two Multnomah County cats were euthanized after the Oregon Department of Agriculture said they contracted the illness from eating raw pet food. The ODA is advising people to keep their cats safe by not feeding them raw food or milk and preventing them from eating dead birds or animals. In addition, they said people should wash their hands after touching raw meat.
This is the latest in a string of bird flu cases in cats around Oregon.
Stay with KOIN 6 as we keep you updated on the ongoing illness.
