BOSTON -- For months, scientists have been tracking and testing birds as they migrate into the United States. Bird flu is not in this country, but many residents are wondering what steps they can take to protect their pets.

NewsCenter 5's medical editor Dr. Timothy Johnson reported Sunday that if bird flu comes, the head veterinarian at Boston's Franklin Park zoo said protecting your house cat is as simple as keeping it indoors.

"Because the way they get infected is eating infected carcasses," Dr. Hayley Murphy said. "If they don't feed on an infected bird carcass, they're safe."

Pet owners should keep an eye on their animals for signs of sickness.

"The cats would be very lethargic, high fevers, sneezing, coughing, runny nose," Murphy said.

But don't worry about your cat passing bird flu to your family.

"The risk to you from the cat is really low," Murphy said. "If you keep a bird in your home, a pet parrot or parakeet, just keep it inside. The worst thing you can do is panic and try to find those birds new homes."

You might be surprised that there are backyard flocks all over Massachusetts. There are more than 2,500 places where birds susceptible to avian flu are living. There, the potential risk is higher.

"They are extremely sensitive to the bird flu, so chickens and turkeys may be the first sign that we have a problem," Murphy said.

If you and your children feed birds at the park, it's perfectly safe to continue because to date, there is no avian flu in the United States. Murphy predicts that if there were an outbreak here, cities and towns would ban bird feeding -- more for the animals' health than ours.

"The more birds in one area, the easier that virus is going to spread," Murphy said.

There is one important thing to keep in mind.

"Don't panic. Your animals aren't at a huge risk. If you don't have backyard flocks of birds, if you don't let your animals out to feed on carcasses, they're really at low risk, and we do not have H5N1 in this country at this point," Murphy said.

Until that changes, residents should just be vigilant, watch pets closely for signs of sickness. The Franklin Park Zoo has a plan to protect its birds, too. Officials said right now, there is no reason to avoid taking your family to the zoo.