Coronavirus detected in cats

Lisa Vogel studied departmental journalism with a focus on medicine and biosciences at Ansbach University and deepened her journalistic knowledge in the master's degree in multimedia information and communication. This was followed by a traineeship in the editorial team. Since September 2020 she has been writing as a freelance journalist for

More posts by Lisa Vogel All content is checked by medical journalists.

The coronavirus doesn't seem to be a huge problem for pets like Mieze and Bello. Two new records in cats in the USA do not change the assessment of German experts.

The novel coronavirus has been detected in pets for the first time in the USA. The US health authority CDC announced that two domestic cats in the state of New York had tested positive for Sars-CoV-2. Both animals, who lived in different locations in the state, had respiratory problems. "This evidence is not surprising and does not provide us with any new knowledge or recommendations," commented Achim Gruber, head of the Institute for Animal Pathology at the Free University of Berlin, on Thursday. Cat owners do not have to worry about compliance with hygiene rules - neither for their animal nor for themselves. This also applies to dog owners.

Cats can get infected

"We know from a Chinese experimental infection study from March that cats can become infected with the virus at least after a high dose of infection and develop inflammation in the upper respiratory tract," explained Gruber. Pneumonia or severe and fatal courses in cats have not yet been observed. There is also no new evidence that cats contribute to the spread of the virus in humans. For dogs there is still a complete all-clear.

In New York, according to the agency's report, the owner of an infected cat had previously tested positive for the virus. In the other case, no infection is known in the affected household. The US authorities also said there is currently no evidence that pets played a role in the spread of the corona virus. There is therefore no reason to take action against pets.

Few individual cases

With the really severe spread of the corona pandemic in New York, it is not surprising that two cats tested positive there, Gruber said. Seen worldwide, there are verifiably 2.5 million people with virus detection but still only a few known individual cases of sick pets. "Two new reports in cats are very few over the entire period of time."

For pet owners in general, but now especially for people with coronavirus infections, it is important to observe hygiene rules when handling their animals, according to the German Friedrich Loeffler Institute. This includes, for example, washing your hands frequently.

Comply with hygiene rules

Gruber also advises hygiene. "If you excrete Sars-CoV-2 yourself, you should probably not cough or sneeze on your cat," he says. Locking outdoor animals out of concern is against the nature of animals and would bring more harm than good. However, pet owners could ask neighbors and visitors to keep their distance from their cats.

Pets played a huge role in people's relaxation, especially in times of social isolation, Gruber said. Therefore, animals should not be given away under any circumstances if there are no care problems due to hospital stays, emphasized Gruber.

Coronavirus test for animals

Overall, knowledge about pet infections is still patchy. "I think we'll get more data over the summer." FU veterinary medicine already offers a Sars-CoV-2 test for animals. These tests do not take away any capacities in humans, they are additionally and specifically intended for animals. (lv / dpa)

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