More cats might be COVID-19 positive than first believed
A newly published study looking at cats in Wuhan, where the first known outbreak of COVID-19 began, shows more cats might be contracting the disease than first believed.
Researchers from Huazhong Agricultural University, in the Chinese city, took blood samples from 102 cats between January and March 2020, following the first outbreak. Nasal and anal swabs were also collected.
Their findings show COVID-19 antibodies present in 15 of the blood samples taken from the cats. Of these, 11 cats had neutralising antibodies - proteins that bind so successfully to a virus they block the infection.
None of the cats actually tested positive for COVID-19 or displayed obvious symptoms and, according to the results of return visits, none of these felines have died.
The sample of cats looked at included 46 abandoned from three animal shelters, 41 from five pet hospitals, and 15 cats were from COVID-19 patient families.
The three cats with the highest levels of antibodies were all owned by patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, while there were also signs of cats being infected with the virus by other cats from those that were abandoned (four) or based in the pet hospitals (four).
Commenting on the findings, lead author Meilin Jin states that while there is currently no evidence for cat-to-human transmission, precautions should be considered.
"Although the infection in stray cats could not be fully understood, it is reasonable to speculate that these infections are probably due to the contact with SARS-CoV-2 polluted environment, or COVID-19 patients who fed the cats.
"Therefore, measures should be considered to maintain a suitable distance between COVID-19 patients and companion animals such as cats and dogs, and hygiene and quarantine measures should also be established for those high-risk animals."
Do you own a cat? Are you worried about your cat bringing COVID-19 into your house?
No I do not own a cat
..... but it seems that humans with covid 19 are giving their cats immunity.