Cat Tests Positive For H1n1

The second case of an H1N1 infected cat surfaced in Utah last week

. The cat's owner tested positive for H1N1 swine flu, also. This is believed to be the second case of an H1N1 infected cat in the area. There is now cause for concern, as it is feared that infected cats can transmit swine flu to not only other cats, but to human beings as well. Preventing the spread of this virus might prove more difficult that we first thought if house pets such as cats (and perhaps dogs) can carry and pass the strain.

Like the first cat reportedly diagnosed with H1N1 (in Iowa), this most recent situation involved an older female cat - a spayed female, much like the one from the first case. Dr. Carl Prior, owner of the Park City Animal Hospital, was one of the people who initially treated the cat. He stated that the cat presented heavy breathing issues and that its apparent illness seemed quite serious; "I was thinking pneumonia or cancer of the lungs," he said. "It (the cat) looked so sick."

Upon arrival, blood work was performed on the cat. It was then placed in an oxygen chamber set to about 50%. Over the next four to five hours, the oxygen percentage was decreased. The veterinarian later took X-rays of the cat's blood samples - which showed low white blood cell counts. An influenza A/B type test (typically used on humans) also came back positive, according to Prior. Prior didn't immediately assume H1N1, but began thinking about the first Iowa cat that had been infected; at least one of the cat's owners was suffering from influenza and another occupant of the house had contracted the H1N1 virus.

A test conducted at Iowa State University came back seropositive, so more samples were sent in for screening (including a PCR test - which came back negative). Iowa State veterinarians were surprised at the negative result, but, indicated that the first cat had tested the same way. More testing will be needed before any definite conclusion can be released.

Dr. Carl Prior suggested that the virus is probably not shed for very long, adding that a second blood test confirmed an H1N1 infection in the cat. The cat's health improved after several hours of antibiotics and oxygen care, and it did not have to be hospitalized overnight. Park City Animal Hospital vets will continue to monitor the cat, and test another cat from the same household to see if there is a link. "It hasn't shown any signs on illness," Prior explained, though he does plan to monitor the animal and stay alert to the possibility of a cat-to-cat and cat-to-human H1N1 transmission.

by: Paul Guenther

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