Can cats and other animals catch Covid?

Cats catch COVID-19 from their owners

A pet cat in Belgium tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 which has now become a pandemic. This news was confirmed by the Belgian Ministry of Public Health, Food Chain and Environment (FPS), Friday (27/3).

The cat is believed to have contracted COVID-19 from its owner who first tested positive after returning from Italy.

A week after the owner returned from Italy, the cat developed symptoms of a coronavirus infection, namely diarrhea, vomiting and appeared to be having breathing problems.

The vomit and fecal samples of the cat were taken to Dr. Daniel Desmecht at the Liege School of Veterinary Medicine. The laboratory test results showed positive COVID-19, even the level of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the sample was very high.

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Steven van Gucht, a virologist and spokesman for the Belgian government for coronavirus, said the cat had recovered after 9 days of receiving treatment.

According to Gucht, cats and humans appear to share a "doorway" of viruses to respiratory cells. It is the similarity that according to Gucht makes it possible for cats to contract COVID-19.

In humans, scientists have found that the SARS-CoV-2 virus attaches to the outer side (membrane) of respiratory cells called ACE2. Once successful in getting into these cells, the virus hijacks living cells and uses the contents of these cells to produce new viruses.

“ Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 or ACE2 in the cat's body resembles the homolog (of origin) of ACE2 in the human body, which is most likely the way the virus enters the body's cells, "explained Gucht.

This case of a cat contracting COVID-19 is the first case of human-to-cat transmission. Gucht stressed that human-to-pet transmission such as cats is not a significant transmission route for COVID-19.

"We think cats are side victims of the epidemic in humans and do not play an important role in the spread of the virus," he said.

Even so, scientists will begin to conduct research on the possibility of transmission of other routes apart from human to human.

A tiger at a New York zoo has contracted COVID-19

A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for COVID-19. The 4 year old Malayan tiger named Nadia as well as 3 other tigers and 3 other African lions fell ill with symptoms of a dry cough.

"We are testing the tigers and lions with great care and will make sure any knowledge we get about COVID-19 will contribute to the world's continued understanding of this new coronavirus," said the Wildlife Authority (WCS) who runs the zoo. in a press statement.

Apart from Nadia, the other 6 big cats were not examined. However, they are believed to have tested positive for COVID-19 from zoo employees.

A zoo keeper infected with COVID-19 likely infected the big cats before showing any signs of infection.

The tigers and lions showed a significant decrease in appetite even though zoo officials said their health was still stable.

“Veterinarians at the zoo are currently monitoring and treating them (tigers and lions) who are sick. All are expected to recover soon, "wrote the press release.

"It is not known how this disease will develop in big cats because different species can react differently to new infections," he continued.