A handful of cats in the United States have been found dead due to avian influenza, a viral disease that historically only affected domestic poultry and wild birds, though some variants have been capable of infecting mammals including humans.

The recent bird flu outbreak in the United States has not yet resulted in any positive human tests in Maine, although public health officials are closely monitoring the virus. The virus has swept through populations of poultry and dairy cows and was detected in backyard poultry in York,

Gov. Newsom declared a state of emergency as the virus continues to infect dairy herds across the country — including more than 600 in California.