My cat ate bird seed or a bird from the feeder: is it dangerous?

The short answer

• A small amount of fresh, plain, dry seed is low risk. None of the veterinary sources on this page lists sunflower, millet or safflower as toxic to cats.
• Moldy seed and raisin blends are a call to your vet. Mold on corn and peanuts can carry aflatoxin, a liver poison you cannot see, and raisins have harmed cats' kidneys, though rarely.
• The bigger risk is the bird. Songbird fever is Salmonella infection a cat gets by eating a sick or carrier bird, most often finches at feeders in late winter and early spring.
• A cat with songbird fever can shed the germ for three to six weeks after it recovers, and people have caught it. Wash hands, scoop litter daily and keep a sick cat away from children.
• If birds are dying around your feeder, keep the cat indoors, take the feeders down and clean them. Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for anything you are unsure of.

Usually not, if your cat ate a little fresh, plain, dry seed. Moldy seed and raisins in a fruit blend are reasons to call your vet. The bigger risk is the bird. A cat that eats a sick finch from the feeder can catch songbird fever, a Salmonella infection that can make it ill and can spread to the people in your home.

Two answers go around online. One says bird seed is poison to cats. The other says cats do not eat seed, so there is nothing to worry about. The first is wrong about seed. The second misses the point: the feeder's real risk to a cat walks on two legs. Pet sites that answer this question stop at the seed. This page covers both halves.

What "songbird fever" means#

Salmonellosis is an infection with Salmonella bacteria. In birds at feeders it spreads through droppings, and Cornell's Wildlife Health Lab says the best known form "occurs in songbirds during the winter months (songbird fever) when the bacteria are shed through the sharing of birdfeeders." It adds that people and pets have been infected through contact with infected songbirds.

In a cat, songbird fever is the same infection, caught by eating an infected bird. PetMD's Dr. Jennifer Coates explains why feeders matter: "Sick and dead birds are easy prey for cats." A cat that eats one takes in a large dose of the germ. Dr. Scott Weese of the Ontario Veterinary College adds that healthy birds carrying the germ can infect cats too. Our glossary has the short form of salmonellosis.

A carrier is an animal that has the germ and sheds it in its droppings without looking ill. The Merck Veterinary Manual says dogs and cats "are usually subclinical carriers," which means infected with no signs. That matters later, because a cat that looks fine can still pass it on.

A case walked through#

Take a cat let out on a late February morning. A flock of pine siskins has been crowding the nyjer tube for a week. Suppose you saw two of them sitting fluffed up under the feeder two days ago, and found one dead. Now your cat comes in with a siskin.

First, ask how it caught the bird. A siskin that sat still on the ground for a cat is the kind of bird the PetMD article warns about. Sick birds sit still, and cats catch what sits still.

Next, look at the yard. Fluffed and dead finches around a feeder in late winter are the classic picture of salmonellosis, set out on our bird diseases at feeders page.

Worked through, this cat needs a call to the vet today, even if it seems fine. Tell the vet about the dead birds. Keep the cat in, take the feeders down, and wash your hands after the litter box. If the bird had been a healthy sparrow in a quiet yard, you would watch the cat instead.

What your cat ate, sorted by risk#

Each row is explained below, with its source.

Songbird fever: what it does to a cat#

The signs. Dr. Coates lists "fever (obviously), lethargy, loss of appetite, diarrhea that may have blood in it, and vomiting." Weese adds that not every infected cat gets diarrhea. Some have a mild illness with fever and low energy. Some get a serious infection of the bloodstream, called septicemia. Some show no signs at all.

How long, and how bad. Coates says cats are sick "for a couple of days to a week or more." Care is fluids, anti-nausea drugs and, where the vet thinks they are needed, antibiotics. She writes that "up to 10% may die, especially if they are very young, very old, or otherwise immunosuppressed." Merck notes that sick cats tend to be weak already, or kittens that took in a lot of the germ.

How common it is. Not common, but it comes in bursts. In April 2009 Weese reported that a vet in International Falls, Minnesota, had seen about 20 cases in two weeks. "Most of the infected cats had known contact with wild birds or areas around bird feeders."

The best numbers come from Sweden. Söderlund and colleagues traced a finch strain of Salmonella in birds, cats and people from 2009 to 2016. In early 2016, Swedish labs found 448 positive cat samples between January and March. Of 116 cat samples typed in detail, 106 matched the strain in the birds. Cases in birds, cats and people all peaked in March. The authors concluded that the outbreaks in cats come "most likely via predation on weakened birds."

When to watch hardest#

Late winter into spring. The Swedish cases peaked in March. Weese's report was in April. In North America, a 1998 Cornell report tracked a feeder outbreak in redpolls, pine siskins, evening grosbeaks and American goldfinches across ten states, from late January into March. That report does not discuss cats, but it shows which birds and which weeks to watch. Siskin years are the bad years, since big flocks crowd nyjer feeders and tube feeders.

Your family's risk#

Songbird fever is not only the cat's problem. Coates says a cat can shed the germ for "three to six weeks after a cat has recovered." Merck says human cases have been traced to pets that shed Salmonella while looking healthy.

Sweden counted it. The study found 86 human cases from 2009 to 2016 with the finch strain, about 6% of the Salmonella Typhimurium cases caught in the country. In a 1999 outbreak in Värmland county, four people fell ill. Two had sick cats at home, and the other two had been feeding wild birds. Sweden's advice during the 2016 outbreak was hygiene with bird feeders and litter boxes, cleaning under feeders, and keeping sick cats away from children.

Other things a bird can carry#

Toxoplasma. The CDC says cats are infected with this parasite by eating rodents and birds, and can shed millions of parasites in their feces for up to three weeks. Its prevention advice is to change the litter box daily, because the parasite does not become infectious until one to five days after the cat sheds it.

Bird flu. Cornell's vet school says cats have caught H5N1 from raw food, raw milk, and contact with wild birds and cattle. It lists loss of appetite, low energy, fever, heavy eye or nose discharge, trouble breathing and nerve signs: poor balance, circling, tremors, seizures or sudden blindness. Its advice is to limit your pet's access to wild birds and to seek care at once if those signs appear.

The seed half#

Plain seed. None of the veterinary sources on this page lists sunflower, millet, safflower or nyjer as toxic to cats. A cat that chews a little dry seed off the deck needs watching, nothing more.

Moldy seed. Aflatoxin is a liver poison made by molds on corn, peanuts and other grains. Merck names cats among the pets it affects and says there is no specific antidote. The FDA warns that "toxins can be present even if there is no visible mold." The FDA has not confirmed any cat cases from its 2021 pet food recall, but it says aflatoxin can cause liver damage and death in pets. Pet Poison Helpline lists cats among the animals harmed by moldy food in general, with vomiting, tremors, seizures, fever and liver or kidney injury. The ground spill is the wettest, oldest seed in the yard, as our moldy seed page explains.

Raisins. Some blends add raisins for robins and bluebirds. PetMD's Dr. Sandra Mitchell writes that grape toxicity "is uncommon in cats, but it has been documented," including kidney damage. She advises calling a vet if a cat eats even one grape. The ASPCA's work on the toxic part, tartaric acid, was done for dogs, so no safe number exists for cats either.

How the same foods rank for a dog, where bulk and suet matter far more, is on the sibling page, dog ate bird seed.

What to do right now#

1. Take what is left away from the cat. If it is a bird, use gloves or a bag over your hand.
2. Look for go-now signs. Trouble breathing, tremors, seizures, circling or sudden blindness mean the nearest vet, now.
3. Call if any risk applies. A sick or dead bird, birds dying around the feeder, moldy seed, raisins, or any doubt. Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
4. Tell the vet about the birds. Weese notes that a stool test is how vets confirm Salmonella, and the dead birds are why they would think of it.
5. If none applies, watch. In the days after, look for fever, low energy, a cat off its food, vomiting or diarrhea, and call if any start.
6. Protect the household. Scoop the litter daily, wash your hands after, and keep a cat that is unwell away from young children.

Keeping the cat out of it#

Weese and Coates give the same first answer: keep the cat indoors. Cornell's bird flu advice points the same way, to limit a pet's access to wild birds. "At a minimum," Weese writes, cats should stay in during a Salmonella outbreak in local birds, "or if dead birds are found around your bird feeder." A catio and timed outdoor access are on our cats and feeders page, which covers the bird's side of the same meeting.

On the feeder side, Cornell's Wildlife Health Lab says removing feeders and seed waste during outbreaks may help slow the spread. Take them down, clean every feeder, and rake up the spill, as seed waste and mess sets out. Skip ground feeders in a yard a cat hunts. Keep seed in a sealed can, as in storing birdseed, so a bored indoor cat has nothing to tear open.

What this page does not cover#

This page is not veterinary advice. It sorts what a cat can get from a feeder so you know when to call, but it cannot tell you your cat is safe. Kittens, old cats and cats with weak immune systems have less margin, and a vet should decide for them. No source here measured songbird fever in North American cats. The best figures are from Sweden, and the Minnesota count is one vet's report. No source we read covers a cat eating suet or bird jelly, so this page makes no ruling on either. It does not cover cat bites to people, sick pet birds, or seed treated with pesticide. Bird flu advice changes as outbreaks move, so check your state's animal health notices. If you are in doubt, the call is the answer.

Other feeder troubles are matched to their cause on the problems hub.

Frequently asked questions#

Is bird seed toxic to cats?

Fresh plain seed is not on any toxic list in the veterinary sources we checked. The risks come from mold on old or wet seed, which can carry aflatoxin and other poisons, and from raisins in some fruit blends. Most cats eat very little seed, so for a cat the bird at the feeder is the bigger concern.

What is songbird fever in cats?

It is salmonellosis, an infection with Salmonella bacteria, that a cat catches by eating an infected bird. Finches at feeders are the usual source, in late winter and early spring. Signs include fever, low energy, poor appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes with blood. Some cats show no signs and still shed the germ.

My cat ate a bird. Should I worry?

If the bird looked healthy and no birds are dying nearby, watch your cat in the days after for fever, low energy, vomiting or diarrhea. Call your vet now if the bird was slow, fluffed up or found dead, or if other birds have been dying near your feeder. Those are the birds that carry songbird fever.

Can I catch songbird fever from my cat?

Yes, it can pass to people. In Sweden, 86 human cases from 2009 to 2016 were traced to the strain carried by finches and cats. PetMD says a cat can shed the germ for three to six weeks after it recovers. Wash your hands after handling the cat or the litter box, and keep a sick cat away from young children.

Can my cat get bird flu from eating a bird?

It can. Cornell's vet school lists contact with wild birds among the ways cats have caught H5N1 bird flu, along with raw food and raw milk. Signs include fever, poor appetite, trouble breathing and nerve signs such as circling, tremors or sudden blindness. Any of those means a vet now.

Sources and further reading

1. Songbird Fever: Salmonella in Birds and Cats Worms & Germs Blog, Ontario Veterinary College (Scott Weese, 22 Apr 2009) About 20 cases in 2 weeks in International Falls, Minnesota; most cats had contact with wild birds or areas around feeders; mild to septic to no signs; spreads to people; keep cats in during outbreaks or when dead birds are found
2. Is Songbird Fever a Threat to Your Cat? PetMD (Jennifer Coates, DVM, 17 Apr 2015) Sick and dead birds are easy prey; signs; sick a couple of days to a week or more; up to 10% may die; shedding three to six weeks after recovery; supportive care
3. Linked seasonal outbreaks of Salmonella Typhimurium among passerine birds, domestic cats and humans, Sweden, 2009 to 2016 Eurosurveillance 24(34), Söderlund et al. 2019 (open access) 448 positive cat samples Jan to Mar 2016; 106 of 116 typed cat isolates matched the bird strain; 86 human cases 2009 to 2016; March peak; 1999 Varmland outbreak; public hygiene advice
4. Salmonellosis in Animals Merck Veterinary Manual Dogs and cats usually subclinical carriers; clinical cases linked to debilitating conditions or exposure to large numbers of bacteria; human cases traced to shedding household pets
5. Salmonella Disease Fact Sheet Cornell Wildlife Health Lab Songbird fever in winter spread at shared feeders; people and domestic animals infected through contact with infected songbirds; removing feeders and seed waste in outbreaks
6. Songbird salmonella tracked by Cornell Cornell Chronicle (30 Mar 1998) Feeder outbreak in redpolls, pine siskins, evening grosbeaks and goldfinches in ten states, late January to March 1998; signs in birds; does not discuss cats
7. H5N1 Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Baker Institute for Animal Health Cats infected through raw food, raw milk, wild birds and cattle; signs including neurologic signs; limit access to wild birds
8. Toxoplasmosis: causes, and Prevention US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cats infected by eating rodents and birds; shed millions of parasites for up to 3 weeks; prevention page: change litter daily, infectious 1 to 5 days after shedding
9. Aflatoxin Poisoning in Pets US Food and Drug Administration Corn, peanuts and other grains; toxins present without visible mold; signs; no confirmed cat cases in the recall though some recalled food was for cats
10. Aflatoxicosis in Animals Merck Veterinary Manual Aflatoxins affect companion pets (dogs and cats); peanuts, nuts, corn; no specific antidote
11. Moldy Food (Mycotoxins) Pet Poison Helpline Cats among species affected; vomiting, tremors, seizures, fever, liver or kidney injury; (855) 764-7661
12. Can Cats Eat Grapes? PetMD (Sandra C. Mitchell, DVM, 23 Apr 2023) Grape toxicity uncommon in cats but documented; about 15% of dogs and cats that eat grapes or raisins show signs; call a vet even for one grape
13. People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Grapes and raisins; poison line (888) 426-4435