Bird flu is on the move—spreading among wild birds, poultry, dairy cows and, occasionally, humans. As cases in cats rise, the Cornell Feline Health Center (FHC) has mobilized its Rapid Response Fund (RRF), awarding nearly $400,000 to establish the Cornell Feline Health Center Feline H5N1 Consortium, a team of Cornell researchers focused on investigating the virus’ spread and impact on the species. 

The grant is the latest of over a dozen supporting urgent, high-impact research on emerging threats to feline health that cannot await submission through the annual Cornell Feline Health Center grants program, which has provided over $7,000,000 in funding to feline -focused Cornell researchers in the past 25 years. Since its inception in 2012, the RRF has disbursed nearly $1,000,000 to Cornell researchers investigating emergent threats to cats. “This is all made possible by the kindness of our donors,” said FHC director Bruce Kornreich, D.V.M. ’92, Ph.D. ’05.

Read the rest of the story at the College of Veterinary Medicine site.