CAT-owners have been urged “not to panic” as there is still “zero evidence of pets transmitting coronavirus to humans”, an expert has reassured.
Human outbreaks are driven by person-to-person contact, while evidence of pets contracting Covid-19 from their owners “remains extremely rare, with only two cases in cats reported globally”, says Battersea.
Can cats get coronavirus?
Last month, it was reported that just two cats had tested positive for the new coronavirus:
- One cat in Belgium was infected with Covid-19, the government’s FPS Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment announced on March 27
- In Hong Kong, a cat tested positive for the new virus after its owner was diagnosed with the bug, reported the Agricultural and Fisheries Department
In regards to the Belgian case, the cat was owned by a woman with coronavirus, and had developed symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea and breathing difficulties.
A “type of coronavirus was detected in the cat’s faeces and vomit. This might be the first possible case of human-to-cat transmission and if so, is extremely rare,” says Cats Protection.
Dr Sarah Caddy, veterinarian and research fellow at the University of Cambridge, writes in The Conversation that vets testing the cat in Belgium for Covid-19 found the viral genome – a virus particle – in vomit and its poo.
“Many people are asking if the coronavirus detected in the cat really is [Covid-19] or whether it could be the completely different cat-only coronavirus, which has been infecting cats worldwide for decades.
“It is possible that the cat ate contaminated food and the virus simply passed through its gut.
“This explanation is less likely if large quantities of genetic material were detected in the cat, but this data has not been released.
“Thankfully, there is still zero evidence of pets transmitting the virus to humans,” she adds.
In Hong Kong, vets swabbed the cat’s mouth, nose and bottom after it was sent to quarantine on March 30, says Reuters.
After it was found positive for Covid-19, it remained in quarantine for further monitoring, but was reported as showing no symptoms.
Can cats spread the virus?
“There have been a tiny number of cases of Covid-19 in animals and in all cases, it is likely that the transmission was human to animal,” according to Daniella Dos Santos, president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA).
She added: “There is no evidence that pets can pass Covid-19 to their owners.
“From the small number of cases it appears that dogs do not show symptoms, but cats can show clinical signs of the disease.”
Small scientific studies suggest cats might be susceptible to the coronavirus, “and they might be able to transmit it to other cats”, reports International Cat Care.
“This finding is not surprising to scientists and veterinarians.
“We do not have evidence that cats can pass Covid-19 to people.
“We think cat owners should be informed, but not concerned, and certainly you should not stop interacting with or caring for your cat, particularly if you are well,” the organisation adds.
This is backed by the World Health Organisation for Animal Health, and the findings of a US-based veterinary diagnostic lab, IDEXX, which recently said it has now tested thousands of cat and dog samples for Covid-19, with no positive cases.
Dr Sarah Caddy said that as nearly 1.5million people around the world have now been diagnosed with the bug, “it is safe to assume that if this virus readily caused disease in pets, we would know by now”.
Should I keep my cat indoors during lockdown?
There has been confusion among cat owners on how best to care for their felines during the current coronavirus lockdown.
The British Veterinary Association has clarified its position in light of a report on the BBC news website relating to cats and coronavirus.
It explained in a press release today: “The headline of the article suggested that veterinary advice was to keep all cats indoors.
“But BVA has explained this advice is only in relation to cats in infected households or where people are self-isolating.”
Its president Daniella Dos Santos added: “It’s incredibly important that information and advice for the public is clear and we regret that this news story will have caused worry and upset amongst cat owners.
“We are not advising that all cats are kept indoors.
“Only cats from infected households or where their owners are self-isolating, and only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors.
“Some cats cannot stay indoors due to stress-related medical reasons.”
As a precaution, “for pet owners who have Covid-19 or who are self-isolating we are recommending that you keep your cat indoors if possible, during that time,” she said.
The reason for this advice is that it’s still unclear as to whether animals can act as ‘fomites’.
These are objects or materials which are likely to carry infection, such as clothes, utensils, and furniture.
When people sneeze or cough on these objects or transfer virus onto their hands and then touch things, the virus can remain there to be touched by another person who can then transfer it to their mouth, or nose.
That’s why the main advice for pet owners continues to be to practise good hand hygiene.
Battersea adds that during the lockdown: “You should also avoid kissing your dog or cat, or being licked by them, or sharing food with them.
“Even though there is no evidence that coronavirus can be carried by pets, washing your hands thoroughly in this way can help protect you against common infections that can pass between pets and humans.”
