#BC cat raw food H5N1 exposure Articles

H5N1 can cause severe respiratory and neurologic disease in cats, and foodborne transmission through raw animal products is documented. This September 2026 B.C. emergency guide removes an unverified WAVES/Canada West/BCSAVA March 2026 raw-food ban and unsupported claims of two Metro Vancouver raw-food H5N1 cat cases. It focuses instead on what to do after a plausible raw-food or bird exposure, which symptoms need urgent care, how suspected HPAI is reported and tested through B.C./CFIA authorities, household precautions, and why freeze-dried or HPP-labelled raw food should not be treated as automatically H5N1-safe.