songbird fever

an acute, febrile illness with vomiting and hemorrhagic diarrhea, observed in cats in the Northeastern United States during periods of seasonal bird migration; believed to be caused by Salmonella typhimurium.

References in periodicals archive ?

Q Recently I learned about a disease that cats can get from eating birds, songbird fever.

Songbird fever is an uncommon disease of cats, that results from eating Salmonella-infected birds or from spending time in bird feeding areas (and ingesting contaminated bird feces).

By convincing Bruiser to remain indoors, you could protect him from songbird fever and many additional hazards that outdoor cats face (including car accidents, parasites, deadly viral infections and poisons).