First Case of H1N1 found in a house cat from Iowa | Bismarck Mandan KXNet.com North Dakota News Talk Forums

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Main said household pets are most likely to become ill with diseases that are specific to their species. However, he said, they sometimes become sick from human diseases. Some flu viruses have been known to mutate into more dangerous forms after infecting pigs or birds, but Main called such a scenario in a cat "extremely unlikely."

Dr. Ann Garvey, Iowa's public health veterinarian, said it's unlikely that a person could catch the flu from a pet. She also said officials don't expect to see many cases of pets becoming ill with the new flu. But she said pet owners who suspect they have the disease should wash their hands often and minimize contact with their animals until 24 hours after the illness subsides.

"We're just encouraging people to take the same kind of common-sense measures they're taking to protect their families," she said.

The health department, which has released little information about human H1N1 patients, said the cat is 13 years old and is an indoor pet. The department didn't identify the pet's owner or say where the family lives. Both the cat and its owners have recovered from their illnesses, officials said.

Physicians generally have stopped testing suspected human cases of H1N1 unless patients are hospitalized or die. Medical authorities decided there was little need to continue broad testing of humans because the virus had been confirmed throughout the U.S. population. But Main said it was worthwhile to test the cat because the virus had not been confirmed in the species.

The disease previously had been confirmed in pigs, birds and ferrets.

There is no H1N1 vaccine for pets, but officials said veterinarians could offer supportive treatments while the animals recover.