Netherlands: Kittens die from H5N1 bird flu

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.blikopnieuws.nl/nieuws/3...ogelgriep.html

2,980 / 5,000
Monday, December 1, 2025 - 6:26 PM Update: December 1, 2025, 6:30 PM
Kittens die from bird flu

The Hague

On November 19, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) reported that a kitten had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at a location where dairy goats are also kept. The strain was the H5N1 variant of the HPAI virus. "The kitten in question was found dead by the owner," Minister Wiersma stated in a letter to the House of Representatives on Monday.

Animals examined and sampled

On November 20, the NVWA specialist team visited the location to conduct an inventory and examined the animals and took samples. No other kittens from the litter were present at the farm, but three adult cats, including the mother cat of the deceased kitten, were still present. Other cats and goats tested negative for avian influenza

Both the cats and the dairy goats present were examined by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). None of these animals showed clinical symptoms. WBVR tested the samples from the cats and dairy goats for avian influenza. Fortunately, no avian influenza was found in the samples.
Seven other kittens from the litter also died

The other seven kittens from the litter also died after going to different new owners, likely also from avian influenza. How the kittens became infected with avian influenza is uncertain.

Bird carcass found near kitten nest

The owner reported that the mother found a wild bird carcass on October 27 and brought it back to the nest. It is suspected that this bird was infected with avian influenza, and the kittens became infected by eating this bird.
Kitten owners monitored

The NVWA informed the local Municipal Health Service (GGD) about the situation, and they have contacted all the kittens' new owners. Where necessary, due to the incubation period, the owners were offered a bird flu test. Active monitoring has been initiated for several of them. So far, none of the individuals involved have developed any symptoms.

Known that cats can get bird flu

It is known that cats, like other mammals, can get bird flu. For example, a fox was recently found with HPAI, and bird flu has previously been detected in animals such as polecats, stone martens, and seals. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has also previously demonstrated antibodies against the bird flu virus in Dutch stray cats and domestic cats that go outdoors.

First time cat in the Netherlands dies from bird flu

This is the first time that the bird flu virus has been detected in a Dutch cat and the animal has died from it. In other countries, there have been previous reports of cats exhibiting symptoms consistent with bird flu and dying from the virus, such as in France, Poland, Italy, Canada, the United States, and South Korea.

[sharon sanders]

Source: https://www.blikopnieuws.nl/nieuws/3...ogelgriep.html

2,980 / 5,000
Monday, December 1, 2025 - 6:26 PM Update: December 1, 2025, 6:30 PM
Kittens die from bird flu

The Hague

On November 19, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) reported that a kitten had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at a location where dairy goats are also kept. The strain was the H5N1 variant of the HPAI virus. "The kitten in question was found dead by the owner," Minister Wiersma stated in a letter to the House of Representatives on Monday.

Animals examined and sampled

On November 20, the NVWA specialist team visited the location to conduct an inventory and examined the animals and took samples. No other kittens from the litter were present at the farm, but three adult cats, including the mother cat of the deceased kitten, were still present. Other cats and goats tested negative for avian influenza

Both the cats and the dairy goats present were examined by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). None of these animals showed clinical symptoms. WBVR tested the samples from the cats and dairy goats for avian influenza. Fortunately, no avian influenza was found in the samples.
Seven other kittens from the litter also died

The other seven kittens from the litter also died after going to different new owners, likely also from avian influenza. How the kittens became infected with avian influenza is uncertain.

Bird carcass found near kitten nest

The owner reported that the mother found a wild bird carcass on October 27 and brought it back to the nest. It is suspected that this bird was infected with avian influenza, and the kittens became infected by eating this bird.
Kitten owners monitored

The NVWA informed the local Municipal Health Service (GGD) about the situation, and they have contacted all the kittens' new owners. Where necessary, due to the incubation period, the owners were offered a bird flu test. Active monitoring has been initiated for several of them. So far, none of the individuals involved have developed any symptoms.

Known that cats can get bird flu

It is known that cats, like other mammals, can get bird flu. For example, a fox was recently found with HPAI, and bird flu has previously been detected in animals such as polecats, stone martens, and seals. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has also previously demonstrated antibodies against the bird flu virus in Dutch stray cats and domestic cats that go outdoors.

First time cat in the Netherlands dies from bird flu

This is the first time that the bird flu virus has been detected in a Dutch cat and the animal has died from it. In other countries, there have been previous reports of cats exhibiting symptoms consistent with bird flu and dying from the virus, such as in France, Poland, Italy, Canada, the United States, and South Korea.

Link to original source:

https://open.overheid.nl/documenten/111f9e44-a979-44c4-b0d1-db6e6fcd24f6/file

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

Letter to Parliament about kittens with bird flu and other bird flu topics

Parliamentary document | 01-12-2025

Minister Wiersma is updating the House of Representatives on kittens infected with avian influenza and the new risk assessment for humans from the RIVM Risk Assessment Group. She will explain what cat owners can do if their pet exhibits symptoms consistent with avian influenza and will provide information and advice for people who come into contact with wild birds.
Letter to Parliament about kittens with bird flu and other bird flu topics

Attachments

• Decision note on letter to Parliament about kittens with bird flu and other bird flu topics
  
  A decision memorandum contains background information that ministers use when making decisions about a parliamentary document. Decision memorandum ...
  Policy Note | 12-01-2025

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwe...ieponderwerpen
-----------------------------------------------

The letter from the link above:

The Speaker of the House of Representatives
of the States General
Prinses Irenestraat 6
2595 BD THE HAGUE
Date December 1, 2025
Subject: Parliamentary letter regarding kittens with avian influenza and other avian influenza topics

Dear Chair,
With this letter, I am informing Parliament, also on behalf of the Minister of
Health, Welfare and Sport, about, among other things, kittens with avian influenza and
the new human risk assessment by the RIVM's Risk Assessment group.
In this letter, I explain what cat owners can do if their animal
shows symptoms consistent with avian influenza and I provide information and advice
for people who come into contact with wild birds. I am doing the latter in
response to the increased presence of avian influenza virus in live wild
ducks, about which I informed Parliament on November 13th (Parliamentary document 28807, no. 310).
The current avian influenza situation is very worrying. I have
therefore tightened the visitor ban for commercial poultry farms
as mentioned in this letter.

Kittens with avian influenza

On November 19th, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) reported that
a kitten had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at a location
where dairy goats are also kept. This concerns the H5N1 variant of the
HPAI virus. The kitten in question was found dead by the owner.
On November 20th, the NVWA specialist team visited the location
to conduct an inventory and examined and sampled the animals. At
the farm, no other kittens from the litter were present, but there were still
three adult cats, including the mother cat of the deceased kitten. Both
the cats and the dairy goats present were examined by the NVWA. None of
these animals showed clinical symptoms. WBVR tested the samples from the
cats and dairy goats for avian influenza virus. Fortunately, no
avian influenza virus was detected in the samples. The other seven kittens from the litter have also died after being taken to
different new owners, likely also due to the bird flu virus.

It is not certain how the kittens became infected with the bird flu virus. The
owner indicated that the mother cat found the carcass of a wild bird on October
27th and took it back to the nest. It is suspected that this bird was infected
with the bird flu virus and that the kittens became infected by eating this
bird. The NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) has
informed the local public health service.

They were informed about the situation and have been in contact with all the new
owners of the kittens. Where it was still useful, given the incubation period,
the owners were offered a test for avian influenza. Active monitoring has been
implemented for a number of them. So far, none of those involved have developed
any symptoms.
It is known that cats, like other mammals, can contract avian influenza.
For example, a fox was recently found with HPAI, and avian influenza has also
previously been detected in animals such as ferrets, martens and seals. The
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has also previously demonstrated antibodies
against the avian influenza virus in Dutch stray cats (Parliamentary document
28807, no. 2936) and domestic cats that go outdoors (Parliamentary document
28807, no. 306). This is the first time that the avian influenza virus has been
detected in a Dutch cat and that the animal has died from it. In other countries,
there have been previous reports of cats showing symptoms consistent with avian
influenza and dying from the avian influenza virus, such as in France, Poland,
Italy, Canada, the United States and South Korea.

The detection of avian influenza in kittens is consistent with the existing understanding that the
virus can occur in mammals. This is the first time that the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has received a
report of a domestic cat testing positive for highly pathogenic
avian influenza. The chance of a cat or other mammals becoming infected is small.
Nevertheless, it is important that cat owners remain vigilant. If a cat
shows symptoms consistent with avian influenza, after the animal may have been in
contact with an infected bird, it is advised to consult a
veterinarian immediately and take appropriate hygiene measures. Possible
symptoms include: fever, panting or shortness of breath, lethargy,
eye inflammation, runny nose, redness of the eyes, mucous nasal or eye discharge
and neurological symptoms such as tremors or an unsteady gait.
Information for cat owners is available on the website of the
Dutch government. In addition, there is a reporting obligation for positive
laboratory results of HPAI in mammals, including cats. For the time being,
the risk of transmission of avian influenza between animals and humans is low; it has
occurred sporadically abroad through close contact between people and
infected animals. However, given the potential zoonotic risk, the situation is
closely monitored.

Human risk assessment

The Risk Assessment group (RA group) for avian influenza of the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) together with
other knowledge organizations monitors avian influenza in the Netherlands and other countries and
assesses the risk of infection with the HPAI virus for public health.
This expert group met on November 11th. For their assessment, they use publicly available information from
scientific articles, reports by governments, and information
available within the various (international) project groups in which the experts are
involved. They still estimate the risk at this moment as very low
for the general Dutch population. However, the expert group now estimates the risk
for people who come into contact with infected animals as part of their work as
medium. This risk was previously low-medium. Due to the high number of
infections in wild birds and poultry farms, the chance of

Exposure for people who come into contact with (potentially) infected animals
in their work is now higher than before.1

Given the increased presence of avian influenza virus in live wild ducks, as I
indicated in the parliamentary letter of November 13th (Parliamentary document
28807, no. 310), and the fact that a significant proportion of these ducks show
no symptoms, the RA group has asked additional questions about this signal. The
main question was to what extent professionally involved persons (duck decoy
operator, hunter, poultry dealer) and consumers may be unknowingly exposed.
It was found that approximately 25% of the live wild ducks examined now test
positive for avian influenza virus. These wild ducks showed no symptoms
consistent with avian influenza. These types of birds may currently also be
shot or caught and slaughtered for consumption. The transport and especially
the slaughtering process poses a risk, in particular the plucking and skinning
of the animals. The risk of eating sufficiently heated duck meat is negligible.
Following this, I have informed the parties involved (duck decoy operator,
hunter, poultry dealer) about the risks and advised them on the use of
personal protective equipment and what to do in case of symptoms.

Because previous studies had already shown that duck species can carry avian influenza without showing clear symptoms, a stricter reporting obligation has been in place for duck farms for some time. This includes, for example, reporting even early symptoms such as reduced food intake. In practice, this has led to the rapid detection of outbreaks at duck farms in previous avian influenza seasons. Therefore, there appears to be no increased risk of (unnoticed) exposure for people working on duck farms compared to other poultry farms. However, there is an increased risk for people who come into contact with potentially infected live wild birds through their (volunteer) work, such as bird ringers and people working at animal ambulances or in animal shelters.
These individuals have also been informed of the increased risk, the importance of using personal protective equipment, and what to do in case of symptoms.

Be alert when in contact with wild birds

For anyone who comes into contact with wild birds, it is important to be aware that wild birds may be infected, especially wild ducks. When handling live wild birds or carcasses, it is therefore important that the safety measures described in the Guidelines for handling wild animals with avian influenza are observed. I also want to (reiterate) the importance of (human) flu vaccination to reduce the chance of a new hybrid form of human flu and avian influenza developing.

Stricter visitor ban and exhibition ban

As of November 26, the visitor ban for commercial poultry farms has been further tightened due to the current avian influenza situation. Visits are only permitted if they are necessary for public health, animal health, animal welfare, or the health of persons present in the stable. These necessary visits also include supervisory tasks related to compliance with regulations in the areas of the aforementioned interests.

In addition, the exhibition ban will also be tightened in the short term. Previously, an exhibition ban already applied to high-risk birds (Parliamentary document 28807, no. 309), with this tightening the ban applies to all birds.

In conclusion,

The infections in kept and wild birds are a matter of concern for many. I am
very worried about the developments. It is very disruptive for poultry farmers, but also
for other stakeholders in the field, such as municipal employees,
animal welfare organizations, land management organizations and the Dutch Wildlife Health
Centre, which investigates wild animals for avian influenza. Employees of the
Wageningen Bioveterinary Research laboratory, the Animal Health Service,
the culling teams, the NVWA and many others are working day and night to
combat avian influenza on farms. Partly because farmers report suspected cases quickly, we can
combat new infections quickly. I would like to express my appreciation for the
efforts of all involved.

Due to the short lines of communication between the NVWA, RIVM and GGD and the proactive surveillance
by the GGDs, including possible testing in case of complaints from the farmer and
employees of an infected farm, I also keep track of any unforeseen human
infections. I therefore call on all affected farmers to make use of the
(voluntary) offer from the GGD to be tested if they experience symptoms.
The fact that kittens, like other mammals, can become infected with the
avian influenza virus is not new. However, I would like to call on cat owners to remain
vigilant and to contact their veterinarian immediately if they experience symptoms
consistent with avian influenza. In addition, I call on everyone who comes into contact with wild birds
to observe the safety measures. Together with the Minister
of Health, Welfare and Sport, I will continue to inform you about relevant developments
regarding avian influenza.

Sincerely,
Femke Marije Wiersma
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature