The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is advising Iowa pet owners to keep their cats and dogs away from sick or deceased wild birds and animals.

Cats in particular are at risk of contracting the bird flu virus, according to veterinarians at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital in New Jersey.

Authorities say they’ve identified the cause of a carbon monoxide leak in New Hampshire that killed a Newton family on Christmas Day. Five Massachusetts college students appeared in court Thursday, accused of plotting to lure a man to their campus through a dating app and then seizing him as part of a “Catch a Predator” trend on TikTok.

If you have a backyard birth feeder and bird bath, it’s a good idea to take them down. That’s according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The agency also recommends not feeding ducks and other waterfowl that flock at area parks.

Samples taken from the first patient who died from bird flu show that a strain of the virus has “mutated” to infect humans more effectively. A patient - hospitalised last month in Louisiana - died after the H5N1 strain of avian influenza infected the individual.