A California man whose two cats died after drinking raw milk it has been recalled due to the risk of bird flu she says she wanted to keep her beloved pets healthy, but her efforts backfired tragically.
“It’s scary when you realize you’re the one who actually gave them the milk that killed them,” said Joseph Journell, 56, of San Bernardino.
Journell lost her 14-year-old tabby, Alexander, and Tuxsie, a 4-year-old tuxedo cat, in late November. A third cat, 4-year-old Big Boy, was hospitalized for a week before tests showed the animal was infected. H5N1 bird flu virus.
The cats drank unpasteurized milk from batches recalled by Fresno’s Raw Farm, its dairy they pulled After health officials found the virus on sale in milk from California store shelves in December, he said. Animal deaths were confirmed by state and county health officials. The cats were kept indoors, without access to potentially infected birds, and fed regular, not raw, pet food, the owner said.
Journell said she had been drinking Raw Farm milk for several months because she heard it had “better immunity and healing properties” than pasteurized milk. She thought she would be able to help Alexander who was losing weight.
“I was trying to get healthier and live longer,” Journell said.
Instead, Alexander died on Thanksgiving. Two days later Tuxsie followed.
Big Boy was hospitalized and treated with antiviral medication, Journell said. The veterinary team collected urine samples from the cat, which were confirmed positive for H5N1 at laboratories run by the US Department of Agriculture and Cornell University, records show.
Big Boy came home blind and without the use of his back legs, although he is recovering, Journell said. A fourth cat, Cleo, did not drink the milk and remained healthy.
Journell is seeking compensation from Raw Farm owner Mark McAfee for more than $12,000 he spent treating the cats, Seattle food safety attorney Ilana Korchia, who is representing him.
In an interview, McAfee disputed that the virus was capable of making animals sick days after being bottled and sold, citing preliminary research.
But Richard Webby, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital flu expert, said that the survival of the flu virus probably varies greatly depending on the amount of milk. Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously confirmed that cats drinking raw milk from infected cows he developed neurological disease and died.
“I think the poor cats are the best indicator!” Webby wrote in an email.
Nearly a dozen cats have died in California since early December after consuming raw milk or raw pet food contaminated with bird flu, health officials said.
The infections follow a massive outbreak of the avian flu virus in dairy cattle, affecting more than 900 US dairy herds in 16 states. About 80% of these herds are in California.
Federal and state health officials are warning people not to drink raw milk because of the potential for infection with bird flu and a host of other germs. Officials also warned pet owners to avoid feeding unpasteurized milk and raw meat to their animals.
“Cats should not be fed products from affected farms unless those products have been thoroughly cooked or pasteurized to kill the virus,” the FDA warned last month.
After the cats got sick, Journell said she got sick herself and sought care at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Fontana, California. He said they had not tested for bird flu because medical staff had not, despite known exposure to the virus. have detection tests available.
A Kaiser spokeswoman declined to comment specifically on Journell’s case, but said the hospital system follows CDC guidelines for testing for bird flu.
Journell has recovered physically, but said she continues to suffer the “mental anguish” of losing her pets. Despite the emergency, he said he believes raw milk offers some health benefits.
He won’t be drinking anytime soon, though.
“Not right now,” he said. “And not in the near future.”
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