By Tony Winterburn • Published: 23 Apr 2020 • 8:05
“OMG, I didn’t know cats could get it, surely that means it could happen here”? said one worried cat owner in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol, Spain. She (Sue Keargan) went on to say: “I’ve got friends in Alicante who have three cats, I better tell them to keep them all inside, this is really worrying.”
New York Feline Covid-19
Two cats in New York have become the first pets in the United States to test positive for the new coronavirus, as yet no evidence exists that pets can spread the virus to humans, according to US health authorities.
The cats, from separate areas of New York state, had mild respiratory illness and are expected to make a full recovery. It is believed that they contracted the virus from people in their households or neighbourhoods, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Animals, pets, can get infected… There’s no evidence that the virus is transmitted from the pet to a human,” Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at the daily coronavirus briefing.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are few known Covid-19 infections of pets globally, one cat in Hong Kong tested positive without displaying symptoms, while another cat in Belgium recovered nine days after falling ill.
Five tigers and three lions at the Bronx Zoo in New York have also tested positive for Covid-19, including one tiger who never developed a cough, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, the non-profit organisation which runs the zoo.
“Our cats were infected by a staff person who was asymptomatically infected with the virus or before that person developed symptoms,” the WCS said on Wednesday. “All eight cats continue to do well. They are behaving normally, eating well, and their coughing is greatly reduced.”
None of the zoo’s leopards, cheetahs, puma or serval are showing any signs of illness, it added.
New York City is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, which like much of the world is taking extraordinary measures to prevent the spread, but authorities indicated owners did not need to fear for their pets.
“There is no evidence that pets play a role in spreading the virus in the United States,” the CDC said in a statement. “Therefore, there is no justification in taking measures against companion animals that may compromise their welfare. Further studies are needed to understand if and how different animals, including pets, could be affected.”
The agency recommends that owners not let their pets interact with people or other animals outside the household. Cats should be kept indoors and dogs should be walked on a leash, maintaining at least six feet (1.8 metres) from other animals and people, it said.
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