Coronavirus world: Can cats, dogs and other pets spread Covid-19?

The coronavirus pandemic has caused chaos worldwide, resulting in multiple nationwide lock-downs.

Metro reports that the virus has also shown itself capable of spreading to pets, with a third animal, a cat belonging to a Belgian owner, being diagnosed with Covid-19.

With the outbreak showing no signs of slowing throughout much of the world, here’s what we know about whether you could potentially catch coronavirus from your pet.

Can you catch coronavirus from your pet? Gail Golab, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s chief veterinary officer, is quoted in the Washington Post as saying: ‘We’re not overly concerned about people contracting Covid-19 through contact with dogs and cats.’

While the NHS recommends that you wash your hands after touching animals, Golab also pointed out that ‘the virus survives best on smooth surfaces, such as counter tops and doorknobs,’ adding: ‘Porous materials, such as pet fur, tend to absorb and trap pathogens, making it harder to contract them through touch.’

Belgium’s National Council for Animal Protection has stressed that there is ‘no reason to abandon your animal’ over coronavirus fears. While we should ‘respect the usual rules of hygiene’ before and after stroking pets, the council stressed that this latest example of cross-species contamination saw the virus spread from person-to-cat, not from cat-to-person.

A statement from them read: ‘Let’s not go back to a dark medieval period when ignorant people hunt and kill cats for fear that they will pass on the plague. ‘We have said it from the beginning of the crisis and we will go on to the end: there is no reason to abandon your animal. It is just necessary, for sick people, to respect the usual hygiene rules so as not to take any risks to your entourage and animals.’

Medical Detection Dogs, a charity based outside Milton Keynes, have said they believe that our four-legged friends can actually help in the fight against the virus by being trained to smell the virus.

The charity said: ‘Dogs searching for Covid-19 would be trained in the same way as those dogs the charity has already trained to detect diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s and bacterial infections – by sniffing samples in the charity’s training room and indicating when they have found it. They are also able to detect subtle changes in temperature of the skin, so could potentially tell if someone has a fever.’

(Story source: Metro)