It was only a matter of time until we saw this.  In Northern Germany where more than 100 birds have been found thus far infected with the H5N1 strain of avian flu, a cat tested positive for the virus.  This is the first time in Germany that the deadly strain was discovered in an animal other than birds.

I suspect this sort of thing is more common than has been reported thus far, and certainly it must be more widespread than just Europe.  Predation of and exposure to infected birds likely mean that many animal species have been exposed to the virus throughout the areas where outbreaks are detected.  While the immediate predator would be exposed, it’s also possible that the infection chain rises higher than that.  Animals preying upon, competing with or exposed to the original predator may also be infected, not to mention the birds themselves.

It’s suspected that almost any mammal can be infected, so I strongly suspect that avian flu is far more prolific than we have thus far realized.  With infections crossing species boundaries, it’s only a matter of time until there are enough human infections for the virus to join forces with a normal human flu.  Therein lies the greatest concern.  Those concerns are doubled in light of infections such as this one since they represent new exposure vectors for humans.  It may become impossible to ascertain precisely where all of the infection vectors are and how to address them since birds now are not the only carriers.

Update [12:58 PM CST]: “Four European countries today imposed restrictions on the movements of cats after a dead cat in Germany was discovered to have been infected with bird flu.”  Don’t be daft!  It would be equally inane to restrict the movements of all mammals, especially carnivores, in order to attempt unsuccessfully to control the spread of this virus.

[via IMAO]