Conference misery::feline_v1

2236.0. "Songbird Fever" by CIMNET::GLADDING (Exactly the same but different) Thu Feb 16 1989 12:53

    Just read this in March's Ladies Home Journal under the PET
    NEWS section:
    
    	"The cat who swallows the canary may get quite sick, 
    	 according to the newsletter Perspective on Cats.  Last
    	 spring a number of domestic cats in the Northeast
    	 contracted a condition known as songbird fever when
    	 they preyed on infected birds flying north for the 
    	 annual migration.  Some cats were affected after just
    	 being near bird feeding sites.  All the cats recovered
    	 in a week, but the symptoms were grim:  high fever,
    	 loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting.  And the
    	 disease may strike again this year.  Researchers aren't
    	 sure what causes the illness, but some believe the
    	 infected birds carried a salmonella virus.  Prevention:
    	 Keep your kitty indoors, and if you have a bird feeder
    	 in your yard, disinfect it."
    
    So, if your any of your outdoor kitties come down with these 
    symptoms, this may be the cause!
    
    Pam
    

    for related information, also see note 1386.
    
    Deb