Can Corona affect your Pets? Two New York Cats Test Positive for COVID19!

The US health authorities announced that two cats in New York have been tested positive for COVID- 19 and have become the first pets in the United States to be affected by the novel Coronavirus. However, health authorities also mentioned that there is no evidence that pets can spread the virus to humans. 

These two cats were from separate areas in New York and possessed symptoms of mild respiratory illness. They are expected to make a quick recovery. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the pets might have contracted the virus through people in their houses or neighourhoods. 

"Animals, pets, can get infected. There's no evidence that the virus is transmitted from the pet to a human," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said at the daily coronavirus briefing.

Only few instances of Corona infections of pets have been reported globally. A pet in Hong Kong tested positive but was asymptomatic and a cat in Belgium recovered nine days after falling ill according to a report from American Veterinary Medical Association. 

As per report from Economic Times, pet owners are requested to not allow their pets to interact with people or other animals outside the household. It is advisable for pet owners to keep their cats indoors while dogs should be walked on a leash maintaining a distance of at least 1.8 meters from other animals and people.