Authorities ask for vigilance but composure following isolated cases of cat Covid
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has told owners to avoid letting their cats into contact with pets and people after two cases of feline coronavirus.
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Published on the 29/04/2020, 10:00
The CDC and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said owners should be vigilant after two cats in New York State presented coronavirus symptoms.
Neither agency went as far as to say the disease was contracted by the cats' contact with humans.
The cats showed signs of a mild respiratory illness. Coronavirus tests carried out yielded a positive.
According to the BBC, Bronx zoo recently revealed seven lions and a tiger housed at the zoo had coronavirus.
The agencies involved in the tests did not make clear a connection between the human strain of the disease and the disease seen of the recently tested animals, although the CDC has suggested pet owners do not allow their wards to come into contact with other pets or people for the time being.
No evidence of transmission
The findings grate on some, especially in light of the scientific consensus that the current strain of coronavirus cannot be passed to animals from humans.
Animals including pets often fall victim to strains of Coronavirus, but there is currently NO evidence to support the theory that Covid-19 can be transmitted from human to animal.
Nevertheless, advice to owners not to allow their pets to ‘mingle’ is sensible, if nothing more than to uphold the social distancing measures outlined by both the British and American governments.
For the time being, the advice still is: Stay indoors!
