The US embassy in Jakarta warned its citizens this week to avoid cats in Indonesia following reports that they may carry the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

An Indonesian scientist recently discovered that 20 percent of live cats in areas that had been affected by bird flu, in poultry or humans, were infected with the virus.

“While there have been no documented cases of feline-to-human transmission of H5N1, it is important to avoid contact with wild and stray cats, and to ensure that domesticated cats do not eat or interact with sick or dying poultry,” the embassy said.