Bird flu and cats

This is bad: Twenty big cats die of bird flu at sanctuary in Washington state | Bird flu | The Guardian

Twenty big cats, including a Bengal tiger, four cougars, a lynx and four bobcats, have died after contracting bird flu at an animal sanctuary in Shelton, Washington.
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The big cats died between late November and mid-December at the Wild Felid Advocacy Center, according to the center’s director, Mark Mathews.

“We’ve never had anything like it; they usually die basically of old age,” Mathews told the New York Times. “Not something like this, it’s a pretty wicked virus.”

Three other cats recovered from the virus, and one remained in critical condition on Tuesday. Last week, the center announced on Facebook that bird flu had affected more than half of its wild cats.
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Just in time, any comments about public health policies and staff changes would be redundant.

Bob Wilson

 

Started "Public health and Bird Flu" in Fred's House of Politics. Let's try to keep this thread technical.

Per Google:

As of December 24, 2024, there have been 61 reported human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the United States since April 2024:

• California: 34 cases, including the first case in a child in the U.S.
• Colorado: 10 cases
• Louisiana: 1 severe case, the first in the U.S.
• Michigan: 2 cases
• Missouri: 1 case
• Oregon: 1 case
• Texas: 1 case
• Washington: 11 cases

Here are some other details about the H5N1 bird flu in the U.S.:
The majority of cases have mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, coughing, eye redness, and inflammation.

• No deaths have been reported in the U.S.
• The risk to the general public is low, as long as they aren't exposed to infected animals.
• The CDC is working with states to monitor people who have been exposed to animals.
• The CDC recommends avoiding exposure to sick or dead animals, including wild birds, poultry, and other domesticated birds.
• People should also avoid exposure to animal poop, bedding, unpasteurized milk, or materials that have been touched by birds or other animals.

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Bob Wilson

ps. Perhaps more details about "22A" as Google references a discontinued S&W 22 cal pistol and an obscure VA form.

 

The article was about big cats but there are articles about cat food recalls due to pets getting sick.

As for zoos, at least the Trumps haven’t treated them like shooting ranges.

Bob Wilson

 

Interesting. I still plan to capture rain water for gardening and gray water. However, I am aware of UV water purification systems.

Instead of chloride salts, a small pump passes the pool water by a strong UV source both killing any small critters as well as generating a dose of ozone which is also toxic to biology. But I had not considered how well a UV pool sanitizer would work with H5N1.


Bob Wilson

 

I always anticipated a circulation pump. But the cost of pool units is too high and over capacity. Might have to build my own if a rain barrel size is not available.

Bob Wilson

 

Good news, rain barrel sized, UV systems:


Nice range of prices. Water usage is charged and used to calculate the sewage rate. This is the second highest part of the utility bill.

Collect the rain water in a two stage system. First, mosquito net covered dome for gray and garden water. Overflow feeds into a second tank closest to the UV zone. Co-locate outside of the bathrooms:

• Gray water - toilet flush and garden.
• Potable water - sink and shower
  • Feed line to kitchen sink

Bob Wilson