Cat owners who are showing coronavirus symptoms are advised to keep their pets inside the house to limit the spread of the infection.
In a statement released by the British Veterinary Association, it was explained that pets ‘can act as fomites’ or objects which are likely to carry infection. “From the small number of cases it appears that dogs do not show symptoms, but cats can show clinical signs of the disease,” it read.
“It is also the case that animals can act as fomites, as the virus could be on their fur in the same way it is on other surfaces, such as tables and doorknobs.
“That’s why our main advice for pet owners continues to be to practice good hand hygiene. And, as a precaution, for pet owners who have COVID-19 or who are self-isolating we are recommending that you keep your cat indoors if possible, during that time.
The statement continued: “We are not advising that all cats are kept indoors. Only cats from infected households or where their owners are self-isolating, and only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors. Some cats cannot stay indoors due to stress-related medical reasons.
“There have been a tiny number of cases of COVID-19 in animals and in all cases, it is likely that the transmission was human to animal. There is no evidence that pets can pass COVID-19 to their owners.”
The statement also reassured owners that there is no evidence that cats can transmit the virus to humans.
The WHO, CDC, and the American Veterinary Medical Association have also maintained that there is no evidence that pets can spread coronavirus to humans.
“At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that any animals, including pets or livestock, can spread COVID-19 infection to people,” the United States Department of Agriculture wrote in a statement.
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