Don't give your pet swine flu!
Don't give your pet swine flu!
A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, and it is believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a cat that was infected by its owner.
The domestic shorthaired cat was treated last week at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames and has recovered, officials said. The virus also has been confirmed in two ferrets — one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska — but they died.
"This may be the first instance where we have documentation that transmission occurred involving cats or dogs," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner.
The veterinarian who treated the cat said two of the three people in the cat's Iowa home had flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill. Other influenza strains have been known to cross species, but Sponseller cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from the cat including whether other pets could also get the swine flu.
"It's well documented in influenza in general, but this is the first highly suspected case of H1N1 going from humans into a cat," he said.
The indoor cat was lethargic, had a loss of appetite and appeared to have trouble breathing after it became infected, Sponseller said. Its owners declined to comment.
Officials said pet owners should take the same precautions against spreading swine flu to pets as they would with humans.
Getting children vaccinated for swine flu can also help prevent the illness from spreading to pets. There is no swine flu vaccine for pets.
Dr. Ann Garvey, Iowa's state health veterinarian, said it is not yet known how sick cats or other pets could get from swine flu.
"Because we haven't seen that many cases, it's difficult to give a blanket assessment on how sick it can make an animal," she said.
Officials also stressed that there is no evidence that swine flu can be passed from pets to people.
"But it's so early in the game we don't know how it's going to behave. But that doesn't appear to be the concern. There's no sense of them passing it on to people," said Michael San Filippo, spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association.
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- Posted on November 10, 2009
Animals
Art
How can animals have the swine flu. That's just weird. And how could the swine flu be passed from pets to people. And how can it be passed from people to pets.I never knew animals could get sick. Now i know. So now people know not to carry pets when they are sick.
I did not now that the cat can swine flu? The cat needs help to keep it alive. The cat needs medcal. The cat can go back home.
this cat looks so sad but i would be sad too if i was a cat that had the swine flu people can get it but not cats and cats can die much flasher them people so the cat mite die
I hope no one around me g ets the flu . Poor cat its owner could have avoided his cat until he or she was filling better . EVAN IF THE OWNER DIDN'T KNOW HE COULD GIVE HIS CAT THAT.
Aww poor cat. I hope it okay and gets better. I know if I gave my dog swine flu I would feel awful. I didn't know it could be passed to pets.
thats not good i hope it gets better and i had no idea animals could get swine flu i thought only people could get the swin flu
That is really bad for the cat. I hope it gets better. I wander if it got better. I wander how it happened. I don't get how the swine the flu spread to a cat.
That's sad that cat got the swine flu, but at least it got better. Too bad for the ferrets that died from the swine flu.
I knew that humans could get the swine flu, but I never really knew that animals could get it. You never really think that animals can get sick with the same things humans can until it is too late. Since people can cure people of H1N1 I wonder if they can use a very similar vaccine to cure the ill animals. I also wonder if they have made a cure yet for these sick animals. I don’t think I have anything to worry about my cats getting sick, due to the fact that I don’t know anyone who has been infected with this disease including me.
This is truly an interesting topic.I never would have thought that a cat could get H1N1 that really stinks for the cat. I hope he doesn't die like the ferrets.Poor cat!