San Bernardino County man says his cats died after drinking raw milk contaminated with bird flu
With concern over the bird flu continuing to mount across the country, one Inland Empire man says that his beloved pets fell victim to the virus after drinking contaminated raw milk.
Joseph Journell has had cats for 15 years, and knows the unconditional love that one can share with their pets. It's for this reason that he's trying to raise awareness so no one else will have to go through what he has.
He says that two of his four cats, Tuxsie the Tuxedo and Alexander the Great, both died after they drank a batch of raw milk that was contaminated with the bird flu virus, which has also impacted humans both in California and throughout the United States.
"After a couple days I noticed they weren't eating their wet food and also not drinking the milk I offered to them after that," Journell said. "My oldest cat Alexander, he jumped up on the bed and put his head down and that's when I knew something was wrong."
Journell says that he has the tests to prove that his cats had become infected with the virus, and the receipts to prove when he bought raw milk that he believes led to their infection.
Since last month, 11 cats have died after consuming raw milk and raw pet food in California alone, according to California state officials. Seven of those cats were from Los Angeles County, and two — Tuxsie and Alexander — were from San Bernardino County.
In an effort to figure out how the virus is spreading, the United States Department of Agriculture has issued a federal order mandating the collection of unpasteurized milk samples from dairy farms for further testing.
Raw Farm, the Fresno-based company that produced the raw milk that Journell says killed his cats, posted a video message online regarding the state quarantining their herd and temporarily suspending their milk production. The video came with an accompanying message that reads in part," There are no illnesses associated with H5N1 in our products, but rather this is a political issue. There are no food safety issues with our products or consumer safety."
Journell says he's still trying to come to terms with his loss.
"I'm gonna have to live with that," he said. "That I actually gave the milk to my kitties and killed two of them."
He says that Big Boy, one of his other cats, was wheelchair-bound and had to re-learn how to walk after a long and costly hospital stay after he drank the same raw milk.
Despite it all, Journell still believes that raw milk has plenty of health benefits for both humans and pets, and that pure batches helped his cats become healthier.
"I think it's beneficial, so I'm not gonna say it's bad for people. But, of course we need more testing on every lot of milk," he said.
Journell is requesting that Raw Mlik reimburse the costs of his veterinary bills, which were nearly $12,000. Though unsure, he says he would consider litigation if it came to that point, which he has not yet reached.
