Rome was forced to issue a statement Wednesday insisting its famous 300,000-strong feline population poses no health threat, following the discovery that a German cat has died of bird flu. "No case of bird flu has ever been detected in (the region of) Lazio or Rome - not in birds, nor in any other animal," said Monica Cirinna', the city councillor responsible for animals.
"The case of the cat with avian flu in Germany is unique. It was detected via tests of a food ball in its
stomach in which there were the remains of a whole bird with the virus".
Cirinna' was backed up by Health Minister Francesco Storace, who moved to calm citizens' alarm, stressing that there is "no concern for domestic cats".
"Advice is not needed because no change of behaviour is called for," he added.
Rome's huge cat population, made up of around 180,000 pets and another 120,000 strays, is one of its distinctive features. Many of the feral felines live at famous sites like the Colosseum, the ancient Roman Forum and the Protestant Cemetery, home to the remains of poets Keats and Shelley.
They are often cared for by the 'gattari' or 'cat ladies'.
These are traditionally older women who feed the strays, although in recent years the 'gattari' have diversified, becoming an increasingly international breed of students, professionals and retirees of both sexes.
Cirinna' pointed out that the regional government and Rome provides veterinary services to ensure that these cats do not spread diseases that are harmful to humans. She claimed that the chance of a cat contracting bird flu here is even smaller than elsewhere because, unlike northern Europe, "there are no major wet areas that could be frequented by birds carrying the virus".
"The chance of a cat eating a water bird killed by this disease is extremely remote," she continued, "and it is impossible in the territory of the City of Rome".
On Wednesday the World Health Organization said that none of the human cases of H5N1 virus contagion were linked to bird flu in felines and that there is no evidence that cats have a role in the disease's transmission.
