H5 bird flu in Australia: what it means for pets and wildlife

How does H5 bird flu affect pets?

While H5 bird flu has been reported in domestic cats and dogs overseas, the risk to pets has so far been low. 

Bird flu can be serious in cats. A May 2026 review Avian Influenza and Feline Patients, describes infected cats as being at risk of severe respiratory and neurological illness that is often fatal.  Infections are almost entirely a result of close contact with infected birds — particularly hunting, catching or eating them.  The review is a good resource for cat owners and vets wanting information about symptoms and protocols for suspected cases.  No vaccines are available for H5N1 in cats.

Dogs can also be infected. Overseas cases indicate that dogs are infected less often than cats and usually show milder signs, but the risk is real for dogs that eat or scavenge dead birds. Dogs that are drawn to picking up or mouthing birds — which includes many working and retrieving breeds — should be kept well away from sick or dead wildlife.

A note on ferrets. Ferrets are highly susceptible to influenza viruses, but like cats, kept indoors their exposure risk is very low.

Infographics & posters: Bird flu & pets

Help keep our pets safe and reduce the spread of H5 bird flu - download and share on social media, website, or print for your clinic, rescue or community noticeboard.

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Is it true that half of infected cats die?

The short answer: the real figure is higher than half, but it is widely misread.  Studies of cats infected with H5N1 have reported very high death rates.  A systematic review of two decades of cases found a fatality rate of around 90% for the strain now circulating, and the Cornell Feline Health Center reports that up to 70% of infected cats die. These are serious numbers, and they reflect that the illness is often severe once it takes hold.

Its important to understand that in almost all of those recorded cases, the cats were tested because they were already gravely ill or had died. Milder infections often go untested and uncounted, so researchers note the true fatality rate is likely lower than these figures suggest — they are, in effect, an overestimate.

So the key takeaways are that infection rates are not high, but can be very serious, even deadly, for cats that contract the illness.  Keeping cats away from sick or dead birds is what matters the most.

How can I protect my pets?

The following steps are drawn from Australian and veterinary guidance and reduce the chance of a pet being exposed:

• Keep pets away from sick or dead birds and other wildlife. Don't let dogs approach or mouth them, and don't let cats hunt or scavenge them.
• Keep cats indoors or in a secure enclosure. This prevents hunting and scavenging — the main exposure route for cats — and protects native wildlife at the same time.
• Keep dogs on a lead in areas where wildlife are present.
• Don't leave pet food or water outside where wild birds and animals can reach it. Anything that gathers wild birds in one place — bird baths, water dishes, feeding stations — can help disease spread between them.
• Wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling birds or other animals, and after handling bird feeders. If you have had contact with birds, livestock or wild animals, change your clothes and footwear before contact with your pets.

One further precaution is worth knowing about for the future. In countries where the strain is circulating in poultry and dairy — such as the United States — cats have been infected through raw or undercooked poultry, freeze-dried raw diets, or raw (unpasteurised) milk, and authorities there advise against feeding these to pets. Cooking and pasteurising inactivate the virus. This isn't a documented route in Australia at this stage, but if H5 becomes established here the same precaution would apply.

For most pets the practical risk remains low — indoor cats without these exposures are unlikely to be infected — but these simple steps remove the main avoidable risks.

If you keep backyard poultry or pet birds

Pet birds, aviary birds and backyard poultry are more exposed than cats or dogs, because H5 bird flu spreads most readily between birds. There are no reports of infection in pet or aviary birds in Australia at this stage. The main risk is contact with wild birds — especially waterfowl — and contamination from their droppings. Birds housed in enclosed aviaries, where feed and water cannot be reached by wild birds, are at low risk.

• Keep wild birds out. Cover aviaries and runs where you can, using mesh fine enough to keep even small wild birds out, and keep feed and water where wild birds cannot reach or foul them.
• Store feed securely in sealed containers, and clean feed and water containers regularly.
• Give clean, fresh water. Provide drinking water from a mains or tank supply rather than from a dam or other source that wild birds use, and site it where wild birds cannot foul it.
• Practise good hygiene. Wash your hands before and after handling your birds, clear droppings and waste promptly, and avoid sharing equipment between aviaries unless it has been cleaned and disinfected. Keeping a dedicated pair of shoes for the coop — worn only there and not brought inside — is a simple extra precaution, especially if you also have a cat or dog at home.
• Quarantine new birds for at least 30 days before introducing them to your flock, and tend to them last. Source birds from reputable breeders rather than markets.

Signs of H5 bird flu in birds can include sudden death, lethargy, laboured breathing, swelling around the head, and a sudden drop in egg laying. If you suspect it, do not move your birds — call your veterinarian, and report it on 1800 675 888. Avian influenza is a nationally notifiable disease.

How do I report a sick or dead bird?

The most useful thing the public can do is report sick or dead wildlife. A bird can carry and spread this virus before it looks sick, so unusual sickness or deaths in wild birds or other animals are worth reporting even before numbers grow.

What has happened so far?

What is H5 bird flu?

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a viral disease that mainly affects birds but can infect other animals. The strains are grouped as either low pathogenicity (LPAI), which usually causes little or no illness, or high pathogenicity (HPAI), which can cause severe illness and death in poultry and, sometimes, in wild birds.

H5 bird flu is high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1. It includes the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b strain, which has spread around the world since 2021 through the movement of wild birds, with an impact not seen before. It has now been detected in over 400 species of birds, and has crossed into many wild and domestic mammals as well — seals among the hardest hit. Millions of wild birds have died, and some species have seen sharp falls in their global numbers.

How did it reach Australia?

One likely route is through the sub-Antarctic. H5 bird flu was confirmed in June 2026 on Heard Island — a remote sub-Antarctic Australian external territory roughly 4,000 kilometres south-west of Perth — where it has been linked to the deaths of an estimated 13,000 elephant seal pups. The virus has been moving steadily through the sub-Antarctic, and seabirds reaching the Western Australian coast from that region is one way it could be carried closer to the mainland.

More generally, the most likely way for H5 bird flu to reach Australia has long been considered the movement of wild birds. The annual spring migration of shorebirds from the northern hemisphere — roughly August to November — is the highest-risk period for that northern pathway. It is also possible for the virus to arrive at other times of year through waterfowl entering from regions to Australia's north, or through seabirds travelling from Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions, as appears to be the case here.

What would it mean for Australia's wildlife?

Based on what has happened overseas, an outbreak in Australian wildlife would likely cause illness and death in a range of wild birds and some mammals. Overseas, the wild birds most often affected include waterfowl such as ducks, swans and geese, shorebirds, seabirds such as gulls and terns, and predatory or scavenging birds such as eagles. Among mammals, infections have been most likely in predatory or scavenging animals and in marine mammals that have close contact with seabirds, such as seals and sea lions.

The scale of loss overseas has been severe. In South America alone, around 650,000 wild birds were reported dead, and about 40% of all Peruvian pelicans died. Years of work to bring Californian condors back from the brink of extinction suffered a setback when the virus reached them in 2023. Some populations and even entire species may never fully recover.

The particular concern for Australia is our wildlife. Speaking to ABC News on 19 June 2026, an avian influenza expert said Australia may see activity similar to other parts of the world, and warned that mass mortality events could have serious consequences for our native species. Australia's wildlife already faces many pressures; a disease of this severity arriving on top of those existing threats is what has researchers most worried.

This is why early reporting matters so much. Surveillance — built on reports from the public as well as formal monitoring — is one of the few tools available to track the virus and respond. There is no treatment for H5 bird flu in wildlife, and wild animals that become infected and show signs of illness generally die within a few days.

Is there a risk to human health?

H5 bird flu is primarily a disease of wild birds and mammals, and the risk to the general public is low. Western Australian authorities were explicit that simply being in the area where the bird was found is not a risk to people. Human infections are rare, usually mild, and are generally associated with close contact with infected animals or their environments. There is no evidence of sustained spread between people. Because influenza viruses can change over time, health authorities monitor the situation closely and are working with experts to make sure Australia is prepared — but this reflects caution, not a current threat to people going about their day.

The practical advice is the same as for protecting wildlife and pets: avoid contact with sick or dead birds and animals, keep your distance, and report what you see. It is safe to eat properly handled and cooked poultry, eggs and egg products.

How can we help?

The single most valuable thing the public can do right now is to be the eyes on the ground. Researchers and biosecurity authorities depend on reports of sick and dead wildlife to track where the virus is and respond quickly. Every report — using the steps above — genuinely helps.

References

Updated 10 July 2026 — reviewed by Maria Arnold, BSc (Hons), ANU — Founder, Perfect Pets. This page covers a developing situation and the information may change — please check the official sources listed above for the current status, and contact your veterinarian if you are concerned about your pet's health.  If you believe any information is out of date, please contact us.