A 13-year-old, domestic shorthair, indoor cat in Iowa was recently confirmed to have contracted the swine flu/H1N1 virus. The cat lives with three people, two of whom where sick for about a week before the kitty showed signs of illness. While it is not definitively known if the people in the house had swine flu, tests by both Iowa State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed that the feline did have the H1N1 virus. The cat has since recovered and is reportedly doing just fine.
What do concerned cat parents need to know and do to protect their precious pussycats? Here are important facts and tips:
• This is the first—and only--confirmed case of the H1N1 virus (or any other strain of flu) jumping from a human to a cat.
• The number of other animals confirmed to have the H1N1 virus is very small.
According to the USDA, the list includes several pigs in Minnesota and South Dakota, and a pet ferret in Oregon. The ferret’s owner had swine flu before his pet developed the disease.
• For some perspective, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as of October 24, 2009, there have been close to 25,000 confirmed cases of swine flu in people in the U.S.
• The cat in question most likely contracted the disease from the people she lives with. This point is worth stressing: it is extremely unlikely that you will catch the swine flu from your cat. There is no evidence that pets can pass the disease to people.
• Since it appears that you can transmit the swine flu to your pet, you should take the same precautions around her as you would around other people: wash your hands; wear a mask around others if you’re sick; keep contact to a minimum if you’re not feeling well; avoid others who do not feel well. You should also consider getting the vaccine if you had not previously planned on doing so.
• There is currently no vaccine available for pets to protect them from the swine flu.
• Remember, the disease is called the swine flu, not because the disease originated in pigs, but because, according to the CDC, laboratory tests showed that the H1N1 virus had many similarities to a strain of flu that does frequently present in pigs.
• The USDA will be posting results for domestic animals infected with H1N1.
• You should take your cat to the vet to be tested for the virus if she exhibits the following symptoms: lethargy; loss of appetite; breathing problems; sneezing and/or coughing; nasal discharge; fever.
• According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners, your vet will collect a respiratory secretion sample and send it off to a special diagnostic lab.
The most important thing to remember is that you are in little or no danger of getting swine flu from your cat. Exercising a little common sense and extra precautions if you should come down with the virus, will keep your cat in the pink.
source: examiner
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