Nearly two dozen big cats died after bird flu swept through the sanctuary where they lived.

The Wild Felid Advocacy Center near Shelton, Washington said the first animals died last month but the cause was just recently confirmed, KIRO reported. In all 20 cats died, more than half of the sanctuary’s big cats.

Melinda Mathews told KIRO the first cat, Hannah Wyoming, a cougar, got sick in mid-November. Vets originally it was cancer. An African Caracal named Crackle then got sick. The doctors thought Crackle also had cancer.

Both died and then more succumbed.

“Basically, we’ve lost a cat every day for about two and a half weeks,” she said.

“They’re drowning, basically, in their own lungs.”

On Dec. 17, the Washington State University determined that the cats had contracted bird flu.

Mark Mathews founded the sanctuary in 2006 and he and his wife live on the property. He told KIRO that he felt like he let the cats down.

“In a way. I feel like I could have done something better. But I’m not sure what that would have been besides testing the food source,” Mark Mathews said.

They are not sure how the cats were exposed to the bird flu, but it may have come from the food. They’ve had to throw out about 8,000 pounds of food. It may also have come from wild bird droppings, The New York Times reported.

The sanctuary is under quarantine as they still care for the 17 cats who live there. The Mathews have to wear masks and gloves and disinfect their shoes. If they’re close to the cats, they have to wear gowns.

Three cats had the virus, but recovered, The New York Times reported. One other was in critical condition on Tuesday.

Bird flu has infected most of the dairy cattle in California and at least 61 people in the U.S. have tested positive, the Times reported.

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