Cat swine flu: H1N1 latest illness shared by owner, pet

News Type: Event — Seeded on Mon Nov 9, 2009 3:24 PM EST

Article Source: Chicago Tribune

health, pets, swine-flu, iowa, cat, h1n1, influenza, surprise, transmission

A 16-pound orange cat in Ames, Iowa, did something last month that will now and forevermore have a lot of cat lovers taking care to sneeze into their sleeves. The 13-year-old tabby came down with H1N1 swine flu, proving that humans ill with the flu virus should take pains not to spread it to cats as well as humans.
The case surprised human and animal health authorities, who hadn't seen a human flu virus passed to a cat before, though passionate cat lovers were shaking their heads when it was reported last week.

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MinnieApolis's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Alternative Health & Wellness, Animal Lovers, HealthVine, Reigning Cats & Dogs
Regions: Des Moines/Ames, Chicago

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The Iowa tabby is an indoor cat never allowed outside, said a report from the Illinois Department of Public Health. It had not been around any humans other than its owners, and in the last week of October, the owners came down with the flu, assumed to be H1N1.

On Oct. 27, the cat fell ill too. The owners called friends who are veterinary researchers at Iowa State University in Ames. The researchers brought in the cat to be studied, and it tested positive for H1N1. It has since recovered and is back home.

Cats now join a small list of other animals known to be susceptible to H1N1, including ferrets, domestic turkeys and pigs. Though sometimes called swine flu, the current strain does not come from swine.

They're just like kids, then, hunh??

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#1 - Mon Nov 9, 2009 3:26 PM EST

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Cat swine flu: H1N1 latest illness shared by owner, pet

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