So, Can My Cat Carry Coronavirus or What?
Understanding the current consensus on cats and Covid-19
Pets can be a source of great comfort during self-isolation — as long you aren’t freaking out about them catching or spreading Covid-19. Over the course of the pandemic, research on animals and the coronavirus has produced conflicting results, so it’s understandable if you’re unsure about the safety of your furry friend.
Right now, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control maintains that “there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus” and that the “risk of animals spreading Covid-19 to people is considered to be low.” That means you can probably rest easy about catching the disease from your pet. Still, it’s worth considering the evidence, and doing so within two broad frameworks: human-to-animal transmission and animal-to-human transmission.
There is evidence that some animals can test positive for Covid-19 and get sick. Tigers and lions with respiratory issues at New York’s Bronx Zoo produced positive test results in April, shortly after a Belgian house cat and a Pomeranian and a German shepherd in Hong Kong also tested positive. In late April, two New York house cats tested positive as well. These infections suggested that animals can catch Covid-19 from humans, since the zookeepers and pet owners…
