HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (KMGH) – Bird flu is more than just a threat to livestock; it’s also a threat to pets.
According to Colorado officials, 11 cats recently tested positive for the virus. All died, except for one.
The single feline is a hairless cat named Leonardo DiCaprio who lives with his family in their Highlands Ranch home.
Leo even has his own social media.
At the end of January, Leo’s owners, Camille, JJ and Steve Werfelmann started to worry about his health.
“And I put him in a new sweater, and he was acting really weird about the new sweater,” Camille said.
Leo was lethargic and seemed to have a fever, so his family took him to the vet twice.
“We both just kind of looked at each other and went, ‘Oh my gosh,’” JJ said.
JJ said Leo ate raw chicken from the pet food company Savage Pet.
“They ran a test, immediately sent it off to CSU, and that’s how we found out that he had bird flu,” she said.
The family said reports from Colorado State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic labs, which confirm the samples from Leo tested positive for the H5 Influenza A virus known to cause bird flu.
A preliminary report showed the virus was detected in the bags of food in Leo’s case.
“I couldn’t believe it,” JJ said. “But we hear it on the news, but you don’t think that this house cat, who never goes outside … would have bird flu.”
Now, Leo holds a new title in the house and the state, where the Colorado Department of Agriculture confirms he is the only house cat known to have had the virus to survive.
On March 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported that Savage Pet recalled a certain lot number of the chicken cat food because of a possible bird flu health risk.
That announcement said that, in February, Savage Pet learned of one cat in Colorado who contracted the virus and recovered.
Savage Pet said in a statement that all of their products are USDA inspected and passed for consumption.
“I felt some anger when I found out that it was from the food,” Camille said.
Leo is now off the raw food diet and eating cooked food.
“He loves it almost more than he loved his raw food. Like he’s so excited,” JJ said.
It’s a survival tale, with Leo as the star of the show.
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