Bird Flu is spreading to Cats

[ck4829]

"The deadly strain of bird flu was confirmed Tuesday in a cat in northern Germany, the first time the virus has been identified in a mammal in the 25 nations of the European Union.

The cat was on the northern island of Ruegen, where most of the more than 100 wild birds infected by the H5N1 strain were found, the Friedrich Loeffler institute said.

The cat was found dead over the weekend and then tested positive for H5N1, laboratory leader Thomas Mettenleiter said."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/germany_bird_flu;_ylt=AvVHzaoZ2xqr17vWAOtwEmeTvyIi;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. REVENGE OF THE BIRDS!!!! n/t

[FearofFutility]

26. That's a good one

:rofl:

[bluethruandthru]

2. Noooooooo!

Not the cats!!!

[iconoclastNYC]

3. Better declare martial law!

[xultar]

4. OK NOW I'M WORRIED!

[dysfunctional press]

7. why?

what's the big deal about a cat getting it...? in asia people have gotten the flu from contact with infected birds.

[xultar]

11. Yeah but people get on my nerves. I loves me some kitty cat.

[SoCalDem]

29. Indoor kitties will be just fine..

For the ourdoorsies, it's just another added to the arsenal of hazards they face daily..

fleas & ticks
dog attacks
mean children
cat-hating drivers
non cat-hating drivers who just don't see your kitty in time
deadly cat illnesses left behind by other cats
serious injuries from cat fights
neighbors who don't like cats' bathroom habits in their yards
poisoned "bait"
spoiled food from garbage cans
gutter water laced with anti-freeze/paint/oil/whatever washed off driveways & roads
coyotes/pumas (in some areas)

and others I'm sure I forgot..

versus the life of an indoorsie

couch or chair?
human bed or cat bed
water from this AM or yowl until Mom gets fresher/colder water
catnip mouse or loosened wallpaper
sponge ball or errant spool of thread
nap or food?

[dysfunctional press]

5. probably from eating an infected bird?

people have gotten in the same way, at least in asia- haven't they?

[Critters2]

8. No, that's not what the experts are saying

On fact, they keep saying you CAN'T get it from eating chicken. The people who get it work with chickens, live with them, handle them on a daily basis. It's not food borne.

Not that it matters to me....one more advantage of veganism--I don't need to worry about the many diseases you get from eating meat.

[dysfunctional press]

21. it's safe to eat COOKED poultry. cats don't normally cook their food-

although i was mistaken about people, in general, getting it from food- i'd be willing to bet that some have- most likely from undercooked eggs or such.


http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/#poultry

Is it safe to eat poultry and poultry products?

Yes, though certain precautions should be followed in countries currently experiencing outbreaks. In areas free of the disease, poultry and poultry products can be prepared and consumed as usual (following good hygienic practices and proper cooking), with no fear of acquiring infection with the H5N1 virus.

In areas experiencing outbreaks, poultry and poultry products can also be safely consumed provided these items are properly cooked and properly handled during food preparation. The H5N1 virus is sensitive to heat. Normal temperatures used for cooking (70oC in all parts of the food) will kill the virus. Consumers need to be sure that all parts of the poultry are fully cooked (no “pink” parts) and that eggs, too, are properly cooked (no “runny” yolks).

Consumers should also be aware of the risk of cross-contamination. Juices from raw poultry and poultry products should never be allowed, during food preparation, to touch or mix with items eaten raw. When handling raw poultry or raw poultry products, persons involved in food preparation should wash their hands thoroughly and clean and disinfect surfaces in contact with the poultry products Soap and hot water are sufficient for this purpose.

In areas experiencing outbreaks in poultry, raw eggs should not be used in foods that will not be further heat-treated as, for example by cooking or baking.

Avian influenza is not transmitted through cooked food. To date, no evidence indicates that anyone has become infected following the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products, even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus...

[Critters2]

27. I was replying to post #5,

which asked whether people have gotten H5N1 from eating poultry. The answer, as you and I both pointed out correctly, is "no"....even if that is how the cat got it.

[dysfunctional press]

28. that was my post as well-

and although properly cooked food poses no risk- it's still possible to get it from undercooked chicken/eggs- or even from properly cooked poultry- if it comes in contact with uncooked and infected poultry or run-off(i.e.- putting the cooked food down on the counter you used to prepare it, without first cleaning the counter.)

[Stephanie]

10. probably from killing a bird

right?

[TomInTib]

6. So a cat ate part of a sick bird...

If you see a sick bird that you do not know well, please do not eat it raw.

Think with some degree of logic.

[snooper2]

19. Well, cats play with their food before they kill it..

so maybe the close contact while the bird was still alive?

[liveoaktx]

35. Thats exactly what I thought too when I heard this on NPR earlier

It's too much hysteria to blow that up into something else.

[Warpy]

9. It's another good reason to keep the kitty indoors

even if protecting Kitty from getting hit by a car and protecting the song birds from Kitty weren't good enough reasons.

Cats do just fine when confined indoors. Just don't have more than two or three in an average sized tract house, it's too stressful for solitary animals.

[AndyA]

12. I agree - Cats should be kept indoors

They live longer, they're happier, and they're protected from so many things when confined. Provide lots of toys for them to play with, and before long they will be quite content.

My Cats sit on the windowsill and watch what goes on outside, it's like Pay Per View for Felines. Every time I see a dead Cat at the side of the road, I'm thankful that my Cats are safe inside.

[noonwitch]

24. I keep my cat inside

Cars on my street go by too fast, she's very small, and there are a lot of strays in my neighborhood that could infect her with something like FPV. I do feed some of the strays, because I feel bad for them, but I wish the city would catch them and put them in a no-kill shelter.

Miranda may want to escape, but she never will!

[soothsayer]

14. "confine" and "cats" just don't go together for me

Some cats are happy indoors but some are truly not.

[TomInTib]

20. My doors are always open....

and my cat owns the hillside on which I live.

She may be a psychotic killer, but she is living the way cats evolved to live.

Something tells me that vertical walls and conditioned air aren't the environment cats were intended to enjoy.

[Lindacooks]

22. Don't you know that indoor cats live an average of 18 years

and outdoor cats live an average of 3 years?

Evolution is a moot point in this discussion. Humans didn't 'evolve' to live in houses with air conditioning, walls, and windows either, but we do much better and live longer when we are in safe, well built homes.

We found one of our cats, Truman, outside huddled by the dryer vent on a cold day in December. He was 'living outdoors' and almost died. Now, when we have the door to our fully enclosed, screened porch open for the cats to enjoy, he goes to the other side of the house and curls up in a blanket. What happened to his 'evolution' that he doesn't enjoy the great outdoors?

[TomInTib]

25. Our last one only made it to 24 and had free passage in and out.

Our present cat is 13 and has same access. She sleeps in our bed.

People that live in town or subdivisions should not let their cats out.

We, however, live on a hillside over S F Bay. Moderate weather, and, even if there was any traffic, the cat is afraid of cars.

I would trade places with our cat in a heartbeat.

[Lindacooks]

32. Yeah, good for you. I'm glad you've had good luck with your cats.

But even though you've been lucky, that doesn't alter the statistics. That's one of the great limitations to human logic - statistics of large groups of people are meaningful. Personal anecdotes are not. Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't alter the statistics.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

34. Average Of 3 Years? LOL LOL LOL

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Lindacooks]

36. It's stupid to laugh when you don't know the facts.

As you obviously don't.

http://www.petplace.com/cats/the-great-debate-indoor-versus-outdoor-cats/page1.aspx

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/cat_behavior_tip_sheets/your_cat_indoors_or_out.html

When cats are left outside unsupervised, their freedom to roam comes at a cost because they have a vastly increased chance of being injured, becoming ill, or even dying. The estimated average life span of a free-roaming cat is less than three years—compared to 15–18 years for the average indoor-only cat.

Feel stupid enough now?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

38. LOL LOL LOL 3 Years! LOL LOL

:rofl: Please, :rofl:

[Lindacooks]

39. You certainly prove the saying that ignorance is bliss.

Now you're on ignore.

[helderheid]

33. mine truly is not and would kill me if I kept him in. Well, if a human can

get it from a bird and a cat can get it from a bird, can cats now get it from cats and could they pass it on to humans? THAT would be frightful.

[Lindacooks]

37. Yes, that probably will happen.

One more reason to keep your cat inside.

And I doubt you cat would 'kill you if you kept him in'.

If that's the case, you must have a puma or mountain lion, not a domestic cat.

[savemefromdumbya]

13. sounds like we're doomed

[Jemmons]

15. Important in so many ways: Keep the kitten clean!

On a more serious note: Humans have been infected with bird flu, but that is not the big worry. That would be an mutation that would spread from human to human through inhalation. You can forget about your worries about the ozone layer and any pending currency crisis: When a virus quite like the present one made such a mutation back in 1918 some 50.000.000 died.

[pocket]

16. insert random cock/pussy joke here

.

[CornField]

17. I also heard there was a sick dog, being tested to confirm virus strain

Question to those more biologically inclined than I am:

Because the virus did not mutate, this would be contamination from direct contact/ingestion of an infected bird, correct?

[WeRQ4U]

18. Captain Trips n/t

[jsamuel]

23. Correction, "Spread to A cat" not "cats"

Cat probably ate an infected bird.

[tammywammy]

30. I was watching a show on

Discovery Times I think Sunday night about the Bird Flu. They reported that in an asian zoo (I don't remember the exact town) that 20 of their tigers had died from bird flu. The WHO then did a test on regular domesticated cats and found that not only can cats get it, but they transfer the virus amongst themselves (inter-species spread).

It was an interesting show, I'd recommend anyone catching it. It was called something like "The Killer Bird Flu"

[Lone_Star_Dem]

31. Well, hell

That does it! I'm not feeding my cats anymore raw bird treats. Oh, wait, I don't do that anyway. :eyes:

What's the total of feline infections now, six in the past two years? Considering that they eat the infected birds (raw) this isn't anything alarming.