Alarm spreading after bird flu kills cat

Alarm is spreading across Europe after the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu apparently killed a cat in Germany, the first time the virus has jumped species on the continent.

Scientists said they did not believe the case of the German cat increased the risks to human health from a virus which is known to have killed at least 93 people since late 2003.

However, one expert advised cat owners to keep their pets indoors in affected regions. Germany's Federal Research Institute for Animal Health said it was still conducting tests to see whether the virus was the deadly H5N1 strain.