Polish veterinary officials are looking into reports of several cats passing away from an unidentified ailment and have advised pet owners to confine their animals indoors.
The chief veterinary inspectorate’s preliminary examinations revealed that some of the dead animals had avian flu.
In Poland, there have been several reports over the past two weeks of seemingly healthy cats suddenly and unexplainably being unwell, and in many cases passing away.
Z przebadanych jedenastu próbek pobranych od martwych zwierząt w przypadku dziewięciu potwierdzono wirusa ptasiej grypy.https://t.co/zENdTgkM8N
— tvn24 (@tvn24) June 27, 2023
According to reports, the afflicted animals had neurological and respiratory problems, such as convulsions and breathing difficulties.
Concerns about the spread of a contagious sickness have arisen as a result of this.
The sickness manifests suddenly and advances quite quickly, according to Paulina Grzelakowska, head of the Tri-City Veterinary Clinic in Gdask, Poland.
She shared via broadcaster TVN24 that “The animals die in a short time, cats of all ages are affected, both pedigree and non-pedigree, those kept indoors and outdoors, those vaccinated against infectious diseases and those that have not been vaccinated.”
Grzelakowska pointed out that the symptoms displayed by the animals, such as thrombocytopenia and elevated blood levels of liver enzymes, may not always indicate the precise disease they may be experiencing.
“We are trying to introduce various treatment schemes, but none of them are effective.”
The main veterinary office for Pomerania province, where Gdask is located, has disclosed that 25 of the 28 cats with these symptoms that were brought to clinics in the area in the previous two weeks have subsequently passed away.
Similar allegations have been made in other locations, according to GIW, the nation’s top veterinary inspectorate, which said it was “closely observing the situation’s evolution.”
Nine of the 11 samples from these cats that have been analyzed so far, according to GIW’s announcement yesterday, tested positive for the avian flu subtype H5N1.
GIW said that “Further detailed testing of the genetic material of the viruses is ongoing,” adding that the virus’ origin, which “has caused illness in seagulls in recent weeks,” is still not known at this point in time.
According to Krzysztof Rypua, a professor who specializes in epizootiology, domestic cats have only been exposed to bird flu three times in the past twelve to fourteen years.
GIW also announced in the statement that “work is underway to establish a protocol for monitoring the disease in cats in order to collect more detailed data on its course and incidence.”
The domestic cat has been classified as an invasive species by Poland's leading scientific body.
However, the environmental protection agency reassured concerned pet owners that cats have not been added to the official Polish and EU invasive species lists https://t.co/5Ozf4tiPYy
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 19, 2022
It encourages cat owners to keep their pets indoors, completely wash balconies and terraces where cats have access to with detergent, restrict interaction between cats and wild animals, feed cats exclusively from known sources, and wash their hands and footwear when coming back home.
In the meanwhile, cat owners have come together to try to learn more about the sickness.
Just six days after it was created, the Facebook group “Mystery cat disease – investigation group,” had accumulated almost 5,300 members.
The group requests information from “anyone who may have encountered a new mystery sickness in their cats” including their location in Poland, what they fed their sick cat, the symptoms displayed, and the care they got.
The group’s description states that “The more data we have, the sooner we will know what is going on. It is possible that linking cases will shed new light. There has to be a common denominator.”