The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine data shows that the latest canine flu (H3N2) has infected cats.
A group of cats at a Northwest Indiana shelter tested positive for H3N2 canine influenza virus. The cats tested had shown unusual signs of respiratory disease. Dogs in the shelter had the virus at the same time but had been housed in a separate area. The cat area had been cleaned before the dog area but it appears that this form of the virus is highly contagious.
In South Korea, it was discovered that cats were infected with the H3N2 canine virus when it was initially identified. In the United States last year, one cat was known to test positive for the virus, but now, the University of Wisconsin says that the virus “can replicate and spread from cat to cat.”
Although it is not definite whether the outbreak of H3N2 canine influenza is a limited event or not, if your cat shows any signs of respiratory distress – stuffy or runny nose or eyes, difficulty breathing, lethargy and more – please take him/her to your vet for examination and diagnosis.
[[Category:Cat Diseases]
