A 13-year-old indoor cat in Iowa has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health, which is urging people to take precautions to avoid spreading illness to their pets.
This is the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of swine flu, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The 2009 H1N1 virus has also been diagnosed in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets, according to the association.
In a statement, Dr. Ann Garvey, public health veterinarian for the Iowa health department, said two of the three members in the family that owns the cat had flu-like illnesses before the cat became sick. "This is not completely unexpected, as other strains of influenza have been found in cats in the past," Garvey said.
The cat and its family members have all recovered, according to the health department.
Because some viruses can pass between people and animals, the cat diagnosis was not unexpected, the veterinary medicine association said in a statement.
Typically, flu viruses remain within one species, but there are cases in which a particular strain jumps from one species to another. Such cases are potentially worrisome because the flu virus could reconfigure itself and become more virulent or affect people in a different way, said Michael San Filippo, a spokesman for the veterinary medicine association.
But San Filippo said the fact that one cat has gotten the H1N1 virus should not be cause for alarm.
"Cat owners shouldn't be overly worried about this," he said.
People can protect their pets from flu by washing their hands, covering coughs and sneezes and minimizing contact with pets while ill, according to the health department. People whose pets show signs of a respiratory illness should call their veterinarian.
"Indoor pets that live in close proximity to someone who has been sick are at risk and it is wise to monitor their health to ensure they aren't showing signs of illness," Iowa State Veterinarian Dr. David Schmitt said in a statement.
The veterinary medicine association is tracking cases of H1N1 in animals and posting them on its website at www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus.
This is the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of swine flu, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The 2009 H1N1 virus has also been diagnosed in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets, according to the association.
In a statement, Dr. Ann Garvey, public health veterinarian for the Iowa health department, said two of the three members in the family that owns the cat had flu-like illnesses before the cat became sick. "This is not completely unexpected, as other strains of influenza have been found in cats in the past," Garvey said.
The cat and its family members have all recovered, according to the health department.
Because some viruses can pass between people and animals, the cat diagnosis was not unexpected, the veterinary medicine association said in a statement.
Typically, flu viruses remain within one species, but there are cases in which a particular strain jumps from one species to another. Such cases are potentially worrisome because the flu virus could reconfigure itself and become more virulent or affect people in a different way, said Michael San Filippo, a spokesman for the veterinary medicine association.
But San Filippo said the fact that one cat has gotten the H1N1 virus should not be cause for alarm.
"Cat owners shouldn't be overly worried about this," he said.
People can protect their pets from flu by washing their hands, covering coughs and sneezes and minimizing contact with pets while ill, according to the health department. People whose pets show signs of a respiratory illness should call their veterinarian.
"Indoor pets that live in close proximity to someone who has been sick are at risk and it is wise to monitor their health to ensure they aren't showing signs of illness," Iowa State Veterinarian Dr. David Schmitt said in a statement.
The veterinary medicine association is tracking cases of H1N1 in animals and posting them on its website at www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus.
