Posts tagged "CatSwineFlu"

A cat in Iowa has the unlucky distinction of becoming the first feline to catch the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA) reported.

The 13-year-old orange cat became lethargic and stopped eating, drinking, and cleaning himself, the New York Times reported.

The kitty's vets at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Iowa State University initially suspected pneumonia, AVMA spokesperson Michael San Filippo told Paw Nation. But after ruling out other common cat diseases -- and discovering that two of the human family members had recently been sick -- the vets decided to test for swine flu. They confirmed that the cat had swine flu.

"As far as we know, this is the first case of H1N1 in cats," San Filippo said. The case is especially surprising, he said, because cats aren't usually susceptible to influenza.

Cats have been known to develop H5N1 bird flu after eating infected birds, but until now they've never picked up a flu virus from infected people. "There's really no evidence that they've gotten regular seasonal flu that humans get," he said.