World first as swine flu found in US cat

Posted November 05, 2009 06:59:00

Carlos Hamann

Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON – Vets in the US state of Iowa said Wednesday that a household cat had tested positive for swine flu -- the first known case in the world of the new pandemic strain spreading to the feline population.

The domestic shorthair, a 13-year-old castrated male, apparently caught A(H1N1) off its owners -- two of the three members of the family had previously contracted the deadly virus.

"This is the first cat that we are aware of with the pandemic H1N1," said Brett Sponseller, an assistant professor of veterinarian microbiology who helped treat the pet at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

After ruling out most common causes of respiratory diseases, a team of university and state vets looked at the family history of the owners and guessed swine flu might be the cause.

After five days of tests, their fears were confirmed.

"This was a big deal and everyone involved understood that," said Sponseller, adding that the owners had since recovered and that the cat had been given extra fluids and antibiotics and was "doing very well."

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