Pet shop owners pay the price as avian flu hits the headlines

Dubai/Abu Dhabi: Animal experts have told pet owners not to panic following reports that a cat in Germany has died from bird flu.

Veterinary surgeons and pet shop owners say people should not worry that they will catch bird flu from felines.

Some pet shop owners have said sales of all pets not just of birds have declined since bird flu started to hit the headlines.

Dr Max Spicer from The Veterinary Hospital in Jumeirah, Dubai, said it was "a worry" that bird flu was crossing the species barrier and infecting cats.

"However, at present there is no major reason to be alarmed. So far there have not been any reports of bird flu in the UAE, so theoretically there is no risk.

"Also, there is no proof so far that if a cat has avian flu it can spread it to humans. If a cat does get bird flu it is a terrible thing for the cat, but if it cannot pass it to humans, people need not be worried."

He said that veterinary authorities had not told vets to give warnings to cat owners and so there was no reason for people to "scaremonger".

Susan Nilson from cat welfare group Feline Friends said: "This is a concern but at this stage a fairly minor one. There have been no cases of bird flu reported in the UAE and I don't think cat owners should become worried."

Mohammad Shareef, a pet shop owner in Abu Dhabi's Mina Pet Souq, said he will be extra careful after hearing about the cat's death in Germany.

He added: "I don't think there's a need to be afraid of this disease in the UAE. The authorities are well aware of all the precautions that have to be taken."

Mustafa K., another pet shop owner, said, "I don't believe there's a need to be afraid of bird flu reaching cats, I don't even think it can go from cats to humans.

"But the fear of bird flu has affected the sales percentage, not only of birds, but all other pets too."