A 13-year-old cat has been infected with swine flu, and it's believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a feline, according to veterinary and federal officials.
"Having a cat diagnosed with H1N1 raises some concerns, but it shouldn't go to a panic," Monroeville veterinarian Sean Smarick told Channel 4 Action News. "We know influenza is a virus that can cross species and adapt, so this is something that will definitely need to be monitored."
The domestic shorthaired cat from Iowa was treated last week at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames and has recovered, officials there said.
"We've known certainly it's possible this could happen," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner. "This may be the first instance where we have documentation that transmission occurred involving cats or dogs."
Symptoms to watch for in pets include lethargy, loss of appetite, coughing, sneezing and breathing with the mouth open.
The best way to prevent spread is to use good hygiene. Health officials said pet owners should take the same precautions against spreading swine flu to pets as they would with humans.
H1N1 In Pa. - Go to the state's health information Web siteDr. Brett Sponseller, who treated the Iowa cat, said two of the three people in the animal's home had flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill. The case was confirmed at both Iowa State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"It's well documented in influenza in general, but this is the first highly suspected case of H1N1 going from humans into a cat," he said.
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.
Officials also stressed that there is no evidence that swine flu can be passed from pets to people.
"But it's so early in the game we don't know how it's going to behave. But that doesn't appear to be the concern. There's no sense of them passing it on to people," said Michael San Filippo, spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association.
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