H1N1 confirmed in cat
By Christie Keith
November 4, 2009
A cat in Iowa contracted the H1N1 influenza virus — the so-called “swine flu” — from his stricken family members. This is the first confirmed feline case of the disease, previously thought to affect only humans, birds and pigs.
There has also been a confirmed case in at least one ferret. While the ferret case isn’t too surprising — ferrets are notoriously susceptible to influenza viruses — the cat’s illness is causing concern among veterinarians and cat owners.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) sent out a letter to its member veterinarians an hour and a half ago, informing them of the feline case. They also posted a public announcement on their website:
A cat in Iowa has tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, state officials confirmed this morning, marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza.
The cat, which has recovered, is believed to have caught the virus from someone in the household who was sick with H1N1. There are no indications that the cat passed the virus on to any other animals or people.
Prior to this diagnosis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus had been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) are reminding pet owners that some viruses can pass between people and animals, so this was not an altogether unexpected event. Pet owners should monitor their pets’ health very closely, no matter what type of animal, and visit a veterinarian if there are any signs of illness.
The AVMA is actively tracking all instances of H1N1 in animals and posting updates on our Web site at www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus.
Pet Connection’s Dr. Tony Johnson acknowledges the concern that many people may feel about this, but asks them not to over-react. “The humans who gave the virus to their cat, and the cat, all recovered,” he said. “And there is no evidence H1N1 goes from cats to people; it was the other way around.”
I asked him why, if a virus can be passed from humans to cats, we shouldn’t be worried it can pass the other way, too.
“The answer is, we don’t know for sure,” he told me. “But sometimes a virus can make a host sick, but not reproduce and become infectious in that host. So far there is no evidence that this virus can be passed from cats to humans, although that doesn’t mean it can’t.”
The bottom line: “Think about this critically, and don’t make knee-jerk reactions,” he said. “Common sense and a cool head are better than flipping out and putting your cat out with the garbage.”
The AVMA said that owners who have the flu should try to avoid close contact with their cats. If your cat shows signs of respiratory illness, seek immediate veterinary care.
We’ll update as more information is available.
This news sure makes Dr. Becker’s appearance on “The Dr. Oz Show” pretty important and very timely.
Reduce the risk and keep the pet!
Simple, common sense precautions. Amen.
Dr. Becker has already been contacted by the ABC-TV news folks for help as well. We’re trying to get them hooked up to Dr. Tony.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 4, 2009 @ 12:31 pm
It took me awhile to find it - my memory is a bit like a sieve - but there was a WHO news release back a few years on H5N1 in cats:
http://www.who.int/csr/don/200.....print.html
Not the same virus, of course, but it likely has some similarities given that H1N1 appears to be a hybrid of avian, human and swine flu.
Comment by Eucritta — November 4, 2009 @ 2:23 pm
Oh, for the love o’ Mike, if I hear of even ONE case of someone tossing their cat over this, my head will explode. The worst part about this for me? If I come down with the damn flu, I’ll hesitate about snuggling with my pups while I’m miserable, because by then dogs may be catching it and I don’t want to put THEM at risk.
Comment by Susan — November 4, 2009 @ 3:17 pm
So what were the symptoms? Just general URI symptoms?
Comment by CathyA — November 4, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
I’m wondering if attempting to isolate ourselves from our pets would do all that much good, given that folks with the flu are usually infective for a day or so before they become symptomatic.
Comment by Eucritta — November 4, 2009 @ 3:29 pm
I don’t own cats but I think it would be difficult to isolate me from my dogs. They sleep on my bed and would never understand breaking a time treasured routine. Cats can be like that too - try training a cat not to come visit as soon as you get home - it would never work with my dogs so I’m just hoping I stay healthy.
Comment by Snoopys Friend — November 4, 2009 @ 3:45 pm
I am worried more about my kitty than myself…she has some immune system problems and Im wondering if this virus can be harder for those types of kitties just as it seems to be in humans with immune system problems? Do they anti-virus meds for cats like they do for humans if for some reason she does get sick? I would love to know more how they treated this cat that got sick or was treatment even needed, did it get better on its own without medical help?
Comment by Sandi K — November 4, 2009 @ 7:02 pm
I had a nasty flu a few weeks ago. Completely flattened me for five days. I have no idea if it was H1N1 or not as I didn’t go to the doctor.
About the time I was turning human again, Audie started coughing, sneezing and having a runny nose. Since he hand’t been around any other dogs (and only one other human) during this period, I suspect he caught the bug I had - but we both got over it, so no big deal.
Hey - we catch bugs from husbands, wives, children, parents, friends, lovers and strangers - why get freaked out about sharing them with pets?
Take reasonable precautions, get vet or md care when you need it and turn the stinking teevee off when they start hyping the current bug as pandemic.
Comment by Janeen — November 4, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
I’m guessing that because the report says “a cat tested positive” that an actual test for H1N1 was performed, although I wonder if that’s true. I’ve heard from some parents that actual tests to find out what strain of flu a child might have are NOT being done - they are just told that because the treatment is the same, it’s being reported as H1N1. When a parent asked why it was being handled that way (“don’t know for sure, but let’s call it H1N1”), she was told the test costs too much and takes too long and that almost no tests are being done by hospitals or doctor’s offices.
Comment by KateH — November 5, 2009 @ 7:33 am
Just saw the cat’s vet on the news. He said that yes, there were two people in the household who had H1N1, and the cat’s symptoms fit, but he was very skeptical when they did the initial test. When the initial test was positive, though, he did send it off for a definitive test for H1N1, and was not surprised when it was in fact positive.
Comment by Lis — November 5, 2009 @ 7:46 am
Oh my gosh, thank you! I’ve had what I think is H1N1 and I’ve been coughing and sneezing around my cats, never thinking they could catch it. What an eye opener, I’ll be sure to watch for respiratory symptoms.
Comment by Social Mange — November 5, 2009 @ 6:56 pm