NEW ORLEANS, La. (Louisiana Illuminator) – The State of Louisiana identified a case of a domestic cat with bird flu in New Orleans, according to a spokesperson from the city’s Health Department and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

The first case of bird flu was confirmed in New Orleans last week after the H5N1 virus was detected in a house cat on Jan. 14, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.  The agriculture department listed the case among other instances where the virus has turned up in mammals since May 2022.

A number of bird flu cases have been reported in the Chicago area in recent weeks, leading to many questions about how quickly the virus is spreading and how worried residents should be.

The cases have spurred new pet food safety rules and poultry surveillance efforts. Federal officials who spent the last year grappling with a surge of bird flu infections in cows and people are now confronting a spate of new cases in cats,

The FDA has investigated bird flu outbreaks linked to raw pet food, which have sickened or killed over a dozen cats in several U.S. states. Reports include 13 domestic cats, one exotic cat, and animals at two big cat sanctuaries.