Can Your Cat Transmit COVID-19?

Cats can have a role to play in transmitting the virus responsible for COVID-19.

Highlights:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
A recent study examined how cats can transmit the virus to other cats and their environments
Researchers warn that cat owners can get infected via their infected cats

If you adopted a cat during the pandemic, you’re not alone. But can your furry baby be the reason for transmitting COVID-19?

A recent study has shown that cats can play a role in the transmission of the virus through their contaminated environment, pens in the case of this study. The study was published in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

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‘Cats can transmit the COVID-19 virus to other cats and their environment. #COVID19’

“In practice, after the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 in our household, we should see our cat as part of the family regarding virus transmission,” said study coauthor Wim van der Poel DVM, Ph.D., Professor of Emerging and Zoonotic Viruses, Wageningen University and Research, in the Netherlands ().

The Risk of Contracting COVID-19 From Cats

The researchers conducted the study to gain better insight into the risk of COVID-19 infection that could arise from cats infected with SARS-CoV-2.

In the study, 16 cats were either directly exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus taken from a naturally sick human patient, indirectly exposed from the directly exposed cat, or indirectly exposed from the infected cat's pen.

Throughout the trial, all cats were sampled on a regular basis. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in nasal, oropharyngeal, blood, and environmental samples. SARS-CoV-2 antibody development was also examined in blood samples.

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Cats were sampled for 3 weeks, starting on the day of direct exposure to the virus. Nasal samples and oropharyngeal samples were taken 3 times during this period. Oral and rectal samples were taken 15 times during this period. Transmissions of SARS-CoV-2 between cats, through both direct and indirect contact, were evaluated.

Infected Cats can Spread the Infection to Other Cats and the Environment

Cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, and infected cats can transfer the virus to other cats and into their surroundings, according to the study. They discovered that contaminated environments can be contagious, but that this infectiousness decays quickly.

“SARS-CoV-2 transmission between cats is efficient and can be sustained,” van der Poel said. “Infections of cats via exposure to a SARS-CoV-2-contaminated environment cannot be discounted if cats are exposed shortly after contamination.

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The average length of infectiousness was slightly more than a third of a day. The time that the virus was discovered in excreta (oral/nasal fluid or feces) was used to calculate the duration of infectiousness.

“We did not expose humans to the infectious cats. Our animal handlers were always fully protected,” van der Poel said. “We must assume that cat owners can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 infected cats since these cats excrete infectious virus.”

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The researchers said they will continue to study SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility in different animal species and focus on virus transmission risks.

Reference:

Efficient Direct and Limited Environmental Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.22 in Domestic Cats - (https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.02553-22)

Source-Medindia