Cats can contract coronavirus from humans but not the other way around, say UAE vets and doctors Pet owners advised to distance and sanitise, for the good of the cat not themselves Cats can contract coronavirus from humans and owners should take care to avoid contact and disinfect surfaces, however there is no evidence to suggest that the virus can be passed on by pets to humans, vets and doctors have told Gulf News.
Despite dogs having a lower susceptibility to contracting the virus, he said that owners shouldn’t take a chance, and should disinfect their animals and surfaces with safe substances. “Cats can be infected even if they walk on a surface that carries COVID-19,” he said, adding that the virus stays in animals from between eight to 10 days.
Speaking in a virtual seminar organised by Dubai Police’s K9 Department recently Dr Ulrich Wernery, scientific director of Dubai’s Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) said, “Recent studies showed that cats can catch coronavirus and are able to infect each other with it.
“As cats lick themselves, people should disinfect the surfaces, clean their pets and use safe disinfectant sprays. Always keep pets away from other pets as a precaution to stop the transmission of the virus,” he added.
“If a person is infected then it’s better to stay away from their pets,” he said.
Dr. Sandhya Shenoy, Specialist of Internal Medicine at Prime Medical Centre in Dubai, said that there are reports of pet cats, dogs and even a tiger in a New York Zoo testing positive for COVID-19 after contracting it from their carer.
“Cats are highly susceptible to the virus unlike dogs, therefore pet owners shouldn’t kiss their animals or put the pets very close to them as precautionary measure.”
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“But there’s no evidence to suggest cats and other pets could spread COVID-19 to humans,” she said. “The spread is
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