Dozens of cats across the U.S. have tested positive for avian flu, federal officials say. The west coast has been hit especially hard.

The Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington announced it is under quarantine amid a devastating bird flu outbreak that has killed 20 big cats.

Bird flu has been on the rise in Washington state and one sanctuary was hit hard: 20 big cats – more than half of the facility’s population – died over the course of weeks.

A big cat sanctuary in Washington is temporarily closed and quarantined after bird flu killed 20 wild cats there, including cougars, bobcats and a tiger.

Twenty big cats, including a half-Bengal tiger and four cougars, died between late November and mid-December at a sanctuary in Washington State after becoming infected with bird flu, according to the facility’s director.

Bird flu ripped through a Washington state wildlife sanctuary, killing 20 big cats, the center said in a Facebook post, calling the deaths a "significant loss."

Veterinarians and animal advocates are urging pet owners to keep their cats inside and not to feed them raw pet food to protect them from bird flu. A handful of cats in the United States have been found dead due to avian influenza,

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