Health
Dairy Workers May Have Passed Bird Flu to Pet Cats, CDC Study Suggests
Two dairy workers in Michigan may have transmitted bird flu to their pet cats last May, suggests a new study published on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In one household, infected cats may also have passed the virus to other people in the home, but limited evidence makes it difficult to ascertain the possibility.
The results are from a study that was scheduled to be published in January but was delayed by the Trump administration’s pause on communications from the C.D.C.
A single data table from the new report briefly appeared online two weeks ago in a paper on the wildfires in California, then quickly disappeared. That odd incident prompted calls from public health experts for the study’s release.
The new paper still leaves major questions unanswered, including how the cats first became infected and whether farmworkers spread the virus to the cats and to other people in the household, experts said.
“I don’t think we can say for sure if this is human-to-cat or cat-to-human or cat-from-something-else,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health.
Officials in Michigan began investigating two households last May when exclusively indoor cats showed respiratory and neurological symptoms and, after death, tested positive for the virus, called H5N1. The officials interviewed the cats’ owners and household members and offered to test them for the virus.
The owners of both cats were dairy workers. The first farmworker did not work with cows directly, and the farm was not known to have infected herds. But the worker reported that many of the barn cats on the farm’s premises recently died. The worker also reported having experienced vomiting and diarrhea before the first household cat became ill.
The second farmworker reported being splashed in the face and eyes with milk and experiencing eye irritation. Both workers declined to be tested.
“This study provides yet more concerning evidence that farmworkers with high-risk exposures may refuse testing,” Dr. Nuzzo said.
“In order to protect people and stay ahead of this virus, we need to remove disincentives for patients to get tested,” she added. “People should not fear that testing positive will cause financial distress or other personal harms.”
In the household of the first farmworker, the first cat to become ill showed decreased appetite, lack of grooming, abnormal gait and lethargy, and quickly deteriorated. She was euthanized on the fourth day of illness.
A second cat in the household developed watery eye discharge, rapid breathing and decreased appetite four days after the first cat became ill. This cat recovered and was not tested for the virus. A third cat had no symptoms and tested negative for the virus 11 days after the first cat became ill.
Neither the cats nor the humans in the household drank unpasteurized milk. How the cats might have become infected is unclear, but experts said that the farmworkers were likely to have become infected with H5N1 at their workplace and to have brought the virus home to their cats.
“If you love your cat, you probably give it head kisses if it lets you,” said Kristen K. Coleman, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Maryland.
Three people in the household — an adult and two adolescents — tested negative for H5N1. Six days after the first cat became sick, one of the adolescents became ill with a cough, sore throat and body aches, and the other reported a cough that was attributed to allergies.
But because the adolescents were tested late — 11 days after the first cat became sick — it was not impossible that they became infected with H5N1 that they picked up from the cats, Dr. Coleman said.
Later in May, a pet cat in the second household developed severe neurological symptoms, including anorexia and minimal movement, and died within a day; the cat tested positive for bird flu after its death.
The cat’s owner transported unpasteurized milk, including from farms with known bird flu outbreaks. According to the study, the owner “did not wear personal protective equipment (PPE) while handling raw milk; reported frequent milk splash exposures to the face, eyes and clothing; and did not remove work clothing before entering the home when returning from work.”
The cat that became ill was known to “roll in the owner’s work clothes,” the study noted.
Virus in raw milk splattered on those clothes may be the source of infection in the cat, said Dr. Keith Poulsen, the director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
“At this point, I think the higher risk is their exposure from raw dairy products,” he said. “There’s so much virus in the milk.”
Of 24 veterinary staff members who were potentially exposed to the infected cats, seven reported symptoms such as nasal congestion and headache. Only five agreed to testing; all were negative.
Dr. Coleman recommended that veterinarians remain alert to the possibility of bird flu infections when they see sick cats. “Pet owners should not have to rely on postmortem sampling to get a diagnosis,” she said.
new video loaded: Wii Bowling Takes Over Tulsa Retirement Homes
transcript
transcript
Wii Bowling Takes Over Tulsa Retirement Homes
Retirement communities in Tulsa, Okla., compete against one another in a Nintendo Wii Sports bowling league.
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“That’s how you win.” “There you go, Ron.” “Way to go.”
By Nick Oxford, Alisa Shodiyev Kaff and Alexandra E. Petri
June 19, 2026
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As the popularity of GLP-1 drugs continues to climb, significant weight loss associated with the medications has been linked to a growing list of cosmetic concerns.
Some surgeons report that more patients are seeking treatments for so-called “Ozempic earlobes,” which reportedly appear thinner, longer or more sagging after the loss of facial fat.
“The use of semaglutides causes you to lose fat across your body, including the small, fat pads of the earlobes,” facial plastic surgeon Sachin S. Parikh, MD, told NewBeauty.
OZEMPIC, OTHER SEMAGLUTIDES LINKED TO HAIR LOSS: HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW
“It’s important to note that semaglutides do not damage ear tissue or affect hearing in any way, so any intervention would be purely cosmetic,” added the California-based doctor.
Some of the potential treatments for “Ozempic earlobes” may include dermal filler, fat transfer, laser treatments or surgical earlobe reduction, according to the report.
As the popularity of GLP-1 drugs continues to climb, significant weight loss associated with the medications has been linked to a growing list of cosmetic concerns. (iStock)
Dr. Mohammed Asif from Duly Health and Care in Naperville, Illinois, said that while he hasn’t personally noticed an uptick in ear surgeries, he has seen a rise in other procedures due to GLP-1-triggered weight loss.
Some of those include panniculectomies (Ozempic skin removal surgery) and abdominoplasties (tummy tucks).
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“There has been a significant increase in body contouring procedures among patients with GLP-1 weight loss,” Asif told Fox News Digital.
“In my practice, I’ve seen a significant surge in breast lifts, panniculectomies (skin removal surgery), abdominoplasties (tummy tucks), brachioplasties (arm lifts) and thighplasties due to weight loss.”
TOP COSMETIC PROCEDURES REVEALED IN NEW REPORT: WHAT’S TRENDING AND WHY
Healing and recovery are “far greater and less complicated” than with bariatric surgery weight loss, Asif noted.
“This is due to the gradual weight loss achieved over time with GLP-1s.”
“Ozempic breast” is another common complaint, according to Dr. Michael Omidi, a double board-certified plastic surgeon practicing in Beverly Hills.
“There has been a significant increase in body contouring procedures among patients with GLP-1 weight loss,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“Women in their 30s and 40s would not typically need a breast lift, but when you’re taking drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy that cause rapid weight loss, women can see gravity take its toll on their breasts,” he told Fox News Digital.
“When women, especially younger ones, lose fat too fast, it causes the breasts, which are comprised of fat, glandular tissue and skin, to lose volume,” he went on. “The skin and supporting ligaments don’t always bouce back at the same rate as the weight loss, resulting in breasts that can appear saggy and deflated.”
NEW OBESITY TREATMENT MAY HELP PRESERVE MUSCLE DURING WEIGHT LOSS
Dr. Samuel Golpanian, a double board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, said he has seen “dozens” of patients – men and women alike – seeking treatments for so-called “Ozempic butt” after significant weight loss.
“This is an unintended consequence of taking GLP-1s,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“Such dramatic weight loss in a short period of time causes the skin not to tighten quickly enough to keep up with the body’s changes. Our buttocks have a large amount of fat, so when that volume disappears quickly, you’ll develop a flatter, saggier behind.”
“Such dramatic weight loss in a short period of time causes the skin not to tighten quickly enough to keep up with the body’s changes,” a surgeon said. (iStock)
Kristy Hamilton, MD, a Houston-based surgeon who is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), agreed that a growing number of patients are seeking skin-tightening procedures after losing large amounts of weight with GLP-1s.
“We’re absolutely seeing more of those patients, and I expect that trend to continue,” said Hamilton in an ASPS report.
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“People are losing as much as 100 pounds on this medication – and when you’re losing that amount, that’s significant. You’re certainly going to have excess skin afterward.”
The ASPS lists the following body-contouring procedures as the ones most frequently performed after substantial weight loss.
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- Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty): Removes excess abdominal skin and fat
- Lower body lift (belt lipectomy): Addresses the abdomen, buttocks, hips and thighs
- Arm lift (brachioplasty): Removes hanging upper-arm skin
- Thigh lift: Tightens excess skin of the inner thighs
- Breast lift (mastopexy): Addresses sagging, deflated breasts after weight loss
- Facelift/neck lift: Addresses facial volume loss and skin laxity after major weight loss
“People are losing as much as 100 pounds on this medication – and when you’re losing that amount, that’s significant. You’re certainly going to have excess skin afterward.” (iStock)
Experts say adequate protein intake and resistance training can help minimize the loss of lean muscle mass that often accompanies rapid weight loss, which could reduce some of the cosmetic concerns.
Golpanian also emphasized the importance of eating enough protein.
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“It can be harder since your appetite is suppressed, but it’s so important to consume at least 110 grams of protein a day while taking a GLP-1 drug,” he advised.
“Also, I say this to my patients all the time: You have to lift weights to keep your muscles from atrophying. Strength training can help build muscles and preserve your glutes.”
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