It is also possible for people to get infected from contact with a sick cat, Troisi said. The situation with the virus is somewhat complicated by the fact that the Trump administration has ordered federal health agencies like the CDC to pause public communications.

Bird flu cases are still rising in the U.S. as the virus continues to devastate poultry farms. More than 145 million chickens, ducks, turkeys and other fowl have been slaughtered across the United States since the outbreak began in January 2022. As for humans, 67 people have been infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The H5N9 strain of avian influenza is much more rare than the H5N1 which has been responsible for most of the reported human cases and the first human death.

A pandemic is not inevitable, scientists say. But the outbreak has passed worrisome milestones in recent weeks, including cattle that may have been reinfected.

The United States has reported its first outbreak of H5N9 bird flu in poultry on a duck farm in California, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Monday.