H1N1 Confirmed in Iowa Cat

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

I received the following news release this morning. Please note that the mode of transmission appears to be from human to cat NOT cat to human.



2009 H1N1 influenza virus confirmed in Iowa cat

November 4, 2009 – A 13-year old cat in Iowa developed signs of a respiratory infection after several people in the household were ill. Preliminary testing was positive for 2009 H1N1 on October 29, and the results were confirmed on November 2. This is the first report of a cat infected with H1N1. The cat has recovered from its illness.

To date, this is the first cat confirmed infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus. Two ferrets, one in Oregon and one in Nebraska, have also recently been confirmed infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus. The Nebraska ferret died, but the Oregon ferret has recovered. To date, there is no evidence that the ferrets or the cat passed the virus to people.

The American Veterinary Medical Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners are reminding pet owners that many viruses can pass between people and animals, so this was not an altogether unexpected event. We are advising pet owners to monitor their pets’ health very closely, no matter what type of animal, and visit a veterinarian if there are any signs of illness.

[Deb]

There is also the thread about the ferret having H1N1. I'm just waiting to hear about a dog getting it.

[EINblondeSTEIN]

H1N1 is actually NOT swine flu. Swine flu is a completely different virus that has not been seen in years. It's actually a bird/human transmitted flu. We can, however, pass it on to swine, thus being why the media misrepresented it in the beginning. It was found in domestic swine, but what they didn't realize until further testing of it, is that it generates from birds and people and we can then pass it on to domestic animals. This was accurate about the feline, indeed. So many people actually know little truth about H1, even the extent to its severity. The CDC has down played it because of concern to a Nation/Worldwide panic. The reasoning makes sense, however, they have caused many lives to be lost because of this and people thinking it was no big deal. The best thing all can do is to truly educate yourselves, protect your children and use very good sterilization. It breeds heavily in low temps/humidity, so for those who would live in an area of that climate, you would certainly need to take more precautions.