Texas cats die on dairy farm after drinking raw milk contaminated with bird flu, CDC warns [Video]

A cluster of cats on a Texas dairy farm died after drinking raw milk from dairy cows affected with bird flu, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The felines developed “fatal systemic influenza infection” after drinking the unpasteurized colostrum and milk from cows that tested positive for the virus.

Initally, the cats developed signs of sickness that included “a depressed mental state, stiff body movements, ataxia (impaired coordination), blindness, circling and copious oculonasal discharge,” the report said.

AMID BIRD FLU SPREAD, EXPERTS REVEAL IF IT’S SAFE TO DRINK MILK: ‘INDIRECT CONCERN’

The felines also showed neurological effects during exams.

Of some 24 cats that were given the raw milk from the diseased cows, around half of them died between March 19 and March 20, said the report, which was released on Monday.

Most cats became sick within two or three days after exposure.

Tissue samples from two of the deceased cats tested positive for HPAI …