Werner Schnappauf, Bavarian Minister for Environment, speaks about new cases of bird flu in Bavaria in front of a map during a news conference in Munich, southern Germany, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006

German health officials say a dead cat has tested positive for the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu, the first case found outside of birds in Europe.

Authorities say the cat was found on the island of Ruegen, where dozens of birds died from the virus earlier this month.

Experts note that cats in Asia have been infected by eating contaminated birds.  But there have been no cases of humans acquiring the illness from cats.

Meanwhile, Russian officials quarantined a poultry farm, where more than 100,000 birds died from the H5N1 strain.

In Paris, the World Organization for Animal Health warned that the H5N1 virus will likely spread across Europe, after the deadly strain was found on a French poultry farm.

Several nations, including the United States, have banned poultry imports from the affected Ain region of France.

And Pakistani authorities slaughtered at least 15,000 chickens infected with the H5 strain in North West Frontier province.