Avoiding H1N1: wash your hands; don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth; stay home if you’re sick. But what if you happen to be a cat? Since few cats enjoy a 20-second paw wash…the advice? Stay away from people!
According to a press release issued by the American Veterinary Medical Association, a 13-year old tabby in Iowa has tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus–marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza. How does a cat get swine flu? Since the cat is exclusively an indoor cat who has zero contact with other animals, it is believed to have caught the virus from one of two members in the household who were sick with H1N1.
The cat joins pigs, turkeys and several ferrets that have been diagnosed with H1N1. Although many assume the opposite, it appears that in general, the disease spreads from people to animals, rather than the other way around.
It’s fascinating how different strains of flu infect a wide variety of animals including seals, whales, horses, tigers, cats, dogs, ducks, and chickens. (And I’m still scratching my head about how a seal gets the flu.) As evidenced in the health blogs of The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, the world of animal flu is a nimble one. When ducks get the flu, they may not show symptoms (lucky ducks!), but the virus replicates itself in their intestinal tracks and is then excreted into the wastewater where it may be a pathway for transmission to other animals (like seals, I suppose). When pigs get the flu, they sneeze, have a fever and stop eating. Because pigs can be infected with both human flu strains and bird strains, they may serve as mixing bowls for new strains.
Companion animals have been known to contract flu from other species: canine influenza (H3N8) originated in horses (a dog with the flu may have a cough, a runny nose and a fever. And did you know you can get a flu shot for your dog?); and cats can get avian influenza (H5N1) from eating birds. But this is the first confirmed case of a cat getting H1N1 from a human.
The symptoms of the cat’s H1N1 were lethargy, loss of appetite and trouble breathing–he had stopped cleaning himself, and also rested by crouching on all four feet rather than sprawling out on his side as usual–a sign of respiratory discomfort. Fortunately, the cat has fully recovered; he was given fluids for dehydration and put on antibiotics to prevent a secondary bacterial infection.
Officials say pet owners should take the same precautions against spreading swine flu to pets as they would with humans. (Again, washing a cat’s paws???) Dr. Ann Garvey, Iowa’s state health veterinarian, said it is not yet known how sick cats or other pets could get from swine flu. “Because we haven’t seen that many cases, it’s difficult to give a blanket assessment on how sick it can make an animal,” she said. It is also as yet to be determined whether or not a companion animal with H1N1 can then infect a healthy person. It serves as a poignant reminder that we really are all part of one big animal family…
For more on H1N1, visit the Care2 Swine Flu Project, a collaboration between Care2 Causes and Healthy & Green Living.
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