AVMA just emailed me today about the first reported feline death due to H1N1 (swine) influenza. This comes on the heels of the first reported case in cats just last week (that cat, in Iowa, recovered uneventfully). Confirmatory testing in this feline death is pending.
This just reiterates how serious some human diseases can be if they infect our pets. PLEASE, if you are at all able to get the H1N1 vaccine, do so if for no other reason than to possibly save your cats life. If you think you have flu,PLEASE practice good hygiene (handwashing, covered cough, use tissues only once then toss where kitty can't get) and DO NOT LET YOUR CAT SLEEP WITH YOU.
Additionally, because I have not had the H1N1 vaccine yet (I cannot get access because I am not in a priority group), I am at risk of catching it and then possibly spreading what is now proven to be a deadly disease on to my patients. So I DO NOT wish to be unnecessarily exposed. If you think you have the flu, or are not well on the road to recovery from it, PLEASE refrain from coming into the clinic for non-emergencies (obviously if you have a sick cat this does not apply).
