Cat Had 2009 H1N1 Swine Flu Say US Officials

Animal health officials in the US have confirmed that a cat has tested positive for 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus, and while this is the first report of a cat being diagnosed with this flu strain, animal health experts say this should not come as a total surprise.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reported on Wednesday that health officials in the state of Iowa confirmed that morning that a cat had tested positive for swine flu.

The 13-year old cat may have caught the virus from two members of the family it lives with, who according to state officials had suffered "influenza-like illness" before the cat got sick, reported the Washington Post. The cat and the family members have since recovered.

There are no indications that the cat passed the virus onto other people or animals, said the AVMA in a statement.

The 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus has already been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets.

The AVMA and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) took the opportunity of this news to remind pet owners that some viruses can pass between people and animals and they should keep a close eye on their pet, no matter what type of animal it is, and take it to the vet if there are any signs of illness.

To date there have been confirmed reports of 2009 H1N1 swine flu in pigs in Canada, Argentina, Singapore, the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland), Ireland, Norway, the US and Japan.

A recent report in late October suggests that commercial swine in Iceland have also being infected.

And there have also been reports of the virus being found in turkeys in Chile and Canada.

Based on the evidence so far, it appears that the infection spread from human to animal.

The AVMA said that "swine flu" is not an accurate name for the virus since genetic analysis reveals that it contains pieces of four different virus strains: North American swine influenza viruses, North American avian influenza viruses, human influenza viruses and swine influenza viruses found in both Asia and Europe.

The AVMA and other bodies have dropped the term swine flu and now call it 2009 H1N1 flu virus as recommended by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acting chief Richard Besser and other US officials, they said.

While the symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu in people are very similar to human respiratory flu, and may also be accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting, and in severe cases turn into pneumonia, reports to date suggest that in animals it appears to produce only mild respiratory illness or no illness at all, said the AVMA.