Can cats get Ebola?

Ebola panic is gripping America. There is a need for calm especially in relation to our pets (from my perspective).

At the date of this post there is no evidence that cats can get Ebola. People should be relaxed about their cat and in respect of cats that are wandering. We shouldn’t be concerned about it, in my opinion.

We know that in Africa nonhuman primates can get Ebola and no doubt they die of it but we don’t know in what numbers. Bushmeat including primates is popular in Africa. As is the case with rabies, bats appear to be the primary suspects in carrying this disease.

You also know that the dog, Bentley, that belongs to the Ebola nurse, Nina Pham, in America has been tested for Ebola. Apparently, dogs can be infected. We are learning about Ebola. We don’t know whether dogs can transmit the disease to people. Dogs would seem be asymptomatic when carrying the disease (no symptoms).

I say there is no evidence that cats can get Ebola but it also has to be stated that we don’t know whether they are immune to the disease although it appears to be the case. These are early days and we are learning, as mentioned. Note: CDC have no reference to cats and there are no scholar articles on cats being infected.

Warning: what about the international trade in exotic pets? There should be some notices issued on that I would have thought. International trade in exotic animals is huge. And Americans tend to like exotic pets.

The reason why I am addressing this very newsworthy and hot topic is because there appears to be panic in the USA about Ebola.

Examples of Ebola Panic

Here are some examples of Ebola panic in the US.

In Maine, a teacher was sent home only because she had been to Dallas and had stayed in a hotel 10 miles from the hospital where Thomas Eric Duncan, America’s first Ebola patient, was treated before he died.

In Arizona, a missionary who had arrived home from Liberia put himself in quarantine voluntarily and complained of a “lynch mob” mentality. Apparently one person has suggested burning down his house!

In Mississippi, parents withdrew their children from school after they had heard that the principal had visited Zambia. Zambia is 2000 miles south-west of the nearest affected area in Africa.

A 45-year-old man living on Staten Island who comes from Sierra Leone, one of the countries affected by Ebola, tells us that his accent causes fellow passengers on the subway to move. “The whole role I sat on went empty”.

A college, 60 miles south of Dallas, has recently started to reject applicants from Nigeria. Nigeria has a good record in successfully containing the virus.

There are other cases I’m sure which highlight the panic that Ebola caused in America.