Turns out, pets actually get the flu regularly — and they can even get it from their owners! — Click to Tweet.
Yes, it’s true. And it has been confirmed by a recent study of cat blood samples in Ohio. Researchers found that over 30 percent of the cats had been infected with seasonal flu, and an alarming 20 percent had been infected with the H1N1 strain infamous for causing a global pandemic.
It turns out that researchers have known since the 70’s that cats can get the flu, and since about the year 2000 that dogs can get the flu as well. But what doctors didn’t know is how often it happens. Until recently, very few detailed reports had been made.
The Unanswered Questions
These few samples and the studies reported on them can only give us so much information. For one thing, there needs to be a broader collection from samples across the country, which could lead to much greater insight.
It’s also completely impossible to know how sick these cats and dogs were: the blood samples just tell us they were sick at one point. In addition, it’s not clear whether the cats and dogs usually caught the flu from other animals or their owners.
Mutational Virulence
Another concern for epidemiologists is that cross-species transmission could encourage the virus to mutate in novel ways, increasing its danger to both people and pets.
One important way to prevent this possible disaster is to get flu shots when advised, which will prevent human-to-pet transmission. It’s currently unknown whether a sick pet can infect a human, but research is trying to answer these questions.
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