"Cats spread Covid-19 and must self-isolate, warn scientists"

[dutchman]

It’s been known for a while that cats are capable of carrying and spreading the coronavirus to each other.

And scientists in the US have now publicly stated that our feline friends should stay inside and self-isolate if they live with a person who has tested positive for Covid-19.

What’s more, if the owner has to be admitted to hospital the researchers from Colorado State University in the US say whoever is left looking after the cat should observe social distancing just as if it was a person.

‘Infected pet cats should not be allowed to roam freely outdoors to prevent potential risk of spreading infection to other outdoor cats or wildlife,’ the scientists said.

‘While neither species developed clinical disease in this study, cats shed infectious virus for up to five days and infected naive cats via direct contact, while dogs do not appear to shed virus.

‘Thus if symptomatic humans follow appropriate quarantine procedures and stay home with their pets, there is minimal risk of a potentially exposed cat infecting another human.’

The UK government’s website insists there’s ‘no evidence’ of animal transmission in Britain but the team at Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China said cats are ‘highly susceptible’ and the virus can easily be transmitted between felines.

The same study also found that while dogs can catch Covid-19, they do not pose any risk of infecting others.

[rebbonk]

Good luck with keeping a cat in!

Mine isn't really an outdoor cat but if she wants to go out she'll find a way.

[Melisandre]

Has the government given these cats a mobile phone with trace and track if not why not .
Public phone videos will now be aimed at every mp owning a cat like Boris Johnsons dad going into a shop not wearing a mask and not getting fined. One law for them and one for us