Cat catches swine flu in America

Reuters are reporting the first case of swine flu in a cat in Iowa.

The 13-year-old short-haired cat has tested positive for H1N1 swine flu, the first time a cat has been diagnosed with the new pandemic strain, the American Veterinary Medical Association confirmed.

The animal likely contracted the virus from its owners, veterinarians say, since two of the three family members living in the cat's household had recently suffered from influenza-like illness.

The cat, a 16-pound orange tabby, began acting lethargic and lost his appetite.

He is the only pet in the house and never goes outside. The cat, described as "large framed but not chubby," stopped eating and drinking and stopped cleaning himself.

He also rested by hunching on all four feet, rather than sprawling out on his side as usual, a sign of respiratory discomfort. A few days earlier, two out of three family members in the home had developed flu-like symptoms, with fever and body aches.

His owners brought him to Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine for treatment.

The family mentioned to the vet that they had also recently battled illness, which led to testing the pet for H1N1.

Pigs are the original source of the H1N1 virus and it has been found in several herds, as well as in a pet ferret. Ferrets are especially susceptible to human influenza viruses.

"Two of the three members of the family that owns the pet had suffered from influenza-like illness before the cat became ill," Iowa Department of Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Ann Garvey said in a statement.

"This is not completely unexpected, as other strains of influenza have been found in cats in the past." Both the cat and its owners have recovered from their illnesses.

It's not yet clear how vulnerable cats, dogs and other household animals may be to the new virus, but the Iowa cat's case reinforces just how different H1N1 is from seasonal flu viruses.

Although some household cats and certain wild cats in zoos have gotten ill with avian influenza, and dogs have their own canine version of the flu virus, pets don't normally get sick with the regular human flu.

"There has never been a report of human seasonal influenza affecting cats or dogs." says Dr. Julie Levy, director of Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Florida.

It's possible that the Iowa cat's case may be a bellwether of future pet disease, but it's also possible it was just a fluke event.

At the cat's advanced age, its immune system may not have been as adept at fending off influenza as that of a younger animal - similar to the vulnerability seen in aging humans.

Dr. Ann Garvey Garvey notes that despite nearly 25,000 cases of positive, lab-confirmed H1N1 in people reported in the U.S. since last spring, the Iowa cat is the first pet to be documented with the virus.

But before pet owners start suspecting Fido and Fluffy of being H1N1 hotbeds, Garvey stresses that so far, no cases of influenza of any kind in pets - including cases of bird flu - are known to have moved from animals into people.

And even among the animals, the virus does not appear to spread easily, which may further suggest that pets are not ideal reservoirs for influenza.

That's good news for pet lovers and flu worriers.

And so is the fact that the cat seems to be recovering well from its bout with H1N1.

As for anyone else who is worried about spreading H1N1 flu to their pets, wash your hands frequently, cover your coughs and try to avoid close contact with your furry friends until you're well.