Officials: Swine flu confirmed in Iowa cat

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Story Published: Nov 4, 2009 at 12:41 PM MDT

Story Updated: Nov 4, 2009 at 12:41 PM MDT

By Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The swine flu virus has been confirmed in a cat treated at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Officials said Wednesday it's the first known case of the virus to be diagnosed in a cat. Veterinarians say the virus has also been confirmed in two ferrets, one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska.

The 13-year-old cat was treated in Ames, Iowa, and is recovering.

The veterinarian who treated the cat, Dr. Brett Sponseller, says two of the three people in the same house had flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill.

The case was confirmed at both Iowa State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sponseller says the flu is known to spread from humans to pets, but this is the first case of swine flu to spread to a cat.

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