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Bird flu can infect cats. What does that mean for their people?

Raw milk, raw meat and dead birds may all be sources of infection

A calico kitty holds a dead bird in her mouth and doesn't look like she's one bit sorry about it.

Cats are well-known predators of birds, but catching a wild bird may expose kitty to H5N1 bird flu, which can be deadly to felines.

Mariia Siurtukova/moment/getty images plus

By Tina Hesman Saey

Cats are getting — and dying of — bird flu. That’s sparking worries about the risk that the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza poses for these feline furballs and their owners.