Cat swine flu: H1N1 latest illness shared by owner, pet

A 16-pound orange cat in Ames, Iowa, did something last month that will now and forevermore have a lot of cat lovers taking care to sneeze into their sleeves.
The 13-year-old tabby came down with H1N1 swine flu, proving that humans ill with the flu virus should take pains not to spread it to cats as well as humans.
The case surprised human and animal health authorities, who hadn’t seen a human flu virus passed to a cat before, though passionate cat lovers were shaking their heads when it was reported last week.
“The guy talking on the television news acted so surprised by the story,” said Judy Coffey, who runs Catworld, a Berwyn business that sells carpeted “cat trees” for felines to climb on, “but I think knowledgeable cat owners are well aware that our cats catch things from owners all the time…. Read more…

