American cat owners shouldn’t worry about their cats getting Covid-19

I don’t think that cat owners in the US (or anywhere else) should worry about their cats getting Covid-19 from them or from a veterinary clinic or perhaps a boarding cattery. Cat owners are asking questions about Covid-19 and their cats and dogs. The concern may be enhanced by the “second wave” of the coronavirus pandemic. It is worse than the first and it’s getting pretty depressing and more concerning it seems to me. When is it gonna end? When will we get back to normal? We may never get back to normal.

Kaitlyn and Phoenix
Kaitlyn Romoser and her 7-year-old cat, Phoenix, both tested positive for the coronavirus. Romoser tested positive in March and again in September. Photo: public domain.

Scientists in the US have been quietly doing tests on animals to see whether there is a problem i.e. a reservoir of the virus in companion animals and my reading of the situation is that people shouldn’t be concerned. Many animals have been tested but so far most of them have shown no signs of illness or disease. Science seems to be confirming that non-human creatures are able to deal with the virus far better than humans. The difference is quite noticeable.

Although, among companion animals it seems that cats might be more susceptible to Covid-19 than dogs. The experts argue that cat owners should apply social distancing rules to their cat if they have the disease. A lot of people don’t know that they can give the disease to their cat companion but the risks seem very low. One person who contracted coronavirus twice, believe it or not, Kaitlyn Romoser, 23, said that she didn’t know that her cat could get it from her. She said that she might have tried to keep a distance between her and her cat if she had known but her cat, Phoenix, will not socially distance from her! She gave the disease to Phoenix. It seems that the symptoms were mild which appears to be the norm for domestic cats.

He sleeps in my bed with me. There was absolutely no social distancing.

She is saying what almost every cat owner thinks. It’s impractical to keep to social distancing rules concerning companion animals and it won’t happen or ararely will. In any event, I don’t think there’s a real problem here based upon what I read.

Some animals appear to be far more susceptible than others. For example, in Utah and Wisconsin, more than 14,000 minks died in recent weeks after contracting Covid-19 and they caught the disease from people. A similar event occurred in Spain. Mink are an issue.

There is also scarce evidence that companion animals are transmitting the virus to people. Veterinarians appear to be saying that cat and dog owners are not in danger from their companion animals but continued testing and verification is a good idea nonetheless to keep track of the disease and to learn how it operates in the home.

Through the National Animal Health Laboratory Network or private labs, a spokesperson for USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said that nearly 1,400 animals have been tested for Covid-19 in the US. The vast majority were carried out on cats and dogs with respiratory symptoms indicating that they had contracted the disease. Routine testing is not recommended by the CDC or USDA. Despite that, as mentioned, some people enquire about it.

Months down the line of this crisis the clear indication to me is that cat owners shouldn’t worry.

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