Cat dies from H5N1 in Europe

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First cat dies from the terrible H5N1 in Rügen Island, NE of Germany.
In 2004, Asia detected these deaths among cats.

According to the Friedrich Loeffler from Riems I. the cat was found last weekend (death) close to the Wittow Port in the Rügen Island, the most affected area of the H5N1 in Germany.

It is known that cats feed from birds and this could have caused the cat from being infected. Meanwhile, the German authorities have forbidden cats to leave their homes and walk out in the streets.

Source: El Mundo (in spanish)

BBC report below:

news.bbc.co.uk...

Very worrying species jump IMO.

BTW love the fact the Germans have laws that cats obey (only trying to spread a little humour as we watch the possible end of the World as we know it)

Well, you know? German are known to be very strict.

Jokes apart.
A jump like these to pets happened already in Asia. It seems that Germany is the focus of it and I would say there is a high probability for it to spread from there...

No need to worry, article 2004
In 2004 an article mentioned not to worry about cats having Avian Influenza and added that a cloud leopard had died in a Zoo (in Thai) of the virus causing bird flu. (the first mammal) Besides, they also mentioned that a white tiger affected earlier by the disease had recovered.

On the other hand, in relation with this previous mentioned information, Thijs Kuiken and colleagues at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, did the study after the three cats and the zoo leopard living in Thailand who were confirmed in February 2004 to have died of H5N1 and mentioned: “Cats have never been observed to get sick from flu infection before,” Kuiken told New Scientist.
www.newscientist.com...

According to the previous mentioned link:

The team infected three laboratory cats with H5N1 taken from a human case in Vietnam. All got very sick with flu symptoms, and post mortems showed they had the same lung damage as people.

The results mean pet cats might give people H5N1 after eating one of the many wild birds or poultry still infected across East Asia. But more worrying than cats spreading the existing virus, says Kuiken, is how cats might change its evolution.

And we should not worry about it? Just look around in the web, you will find many information with regard to domestic cats getting the Avian Influenza and the importance of it...
I honestly think it is NOT a good news that domestic cats can get the virus, as Tigers, etc.

It shows that H5N1 is able to infect other species. Many of us live with cats, others have cats in their surroundings. What about Zoos?
And do not forget those lovely parks where you usually have a walk with your family and feeds the birds...

This is more important than we ever thought.
Don´t you think so?

you cannot miss reading the following link:
Effect measure

H5N1 is a Type A influenza virus.

Type A flu has been known for a VERY long time to infect a variety of species without needing to acquire new genetic material - jumping species is part of its natural ability. This is why microbiologists have been screaming for decades that it is so dangerous.

...and H5N1 first was documented in chickens in Scotland in 1959. It infects birds and whales - both migrate.

Wonder what that could mean?

It seems that mammals are easily infected.

I always thought that humans had been infected in Asia, I mean, human to human...

Of course, I do not think they would confirm such a news.
How do you think people would react in Europe if they "knew" that they could be infected by H5N1 very easily?
What it can provoke?

That it infected a domestic cat is worrying. It also infects swine which is from a viral aspect very similar to us as far as transmissions go.

A number of wild cats were also infected as a result of eating infected birds at a zoo in Jakarta some time ago. Making a species jump only gives the virus more chance to acquire new genetic material.

Remember it's only 2 mutations away from becoming sustainable in us and in a few weeks these birds will be migrating back through which they came.

Yes, they will.

In fact, Spain is an "obliged" visit for all these birds...

Just wait and see.

In 2004 at least 147 Thai tigers died from bird flu (I think the final death toll ended up higher). But these tigers had been fed chickens which were infected. This cat in Germany probably ate a bird with bird flu. Sick birds get imobilized and are easier for the cat to catch than other birds, increasing the chance that the cat choose a bird carrying the virus. We haven´t seen the virus jump from cat to cat yet, but I can imagine that a cat fight (bites and claws) might give the other cat the virus. Cat to human? You might want to be careful with the litterbox if your cat is running outdoors and can catch a sick bird.

Two more cats found with H5N1 in Germany! Rügen Island where the other cat died from bird flu...