ALERT - About Cats and the Virus - Page 2

noodleann · ‎06-10-2015

@beach-mom wrote:
@noodleann wrote:
@beach-mom wrote:
DH just told me he just now found out cats and ferrets can get coronavirus. They have always had their own form, which is harmless, but now veterinarians and doctors have done multiple studies on different species, and have determined that cats and ferrets can get sick.

They can get SARS COV-2, which causes Covid-19. This virus can potentially cause severe respiratory problems in cats. It can also cause FIV, which can be fatal.

DH said they have still not yet proven domestic cats can get the virus from humans, but a tiger in the Bronx Zoo got the virus from his handler.

He said to be safe if you are positive and in quarantine, it's probably a good idea to stay away from your kitties.

Above all, keep your cats INSIDE and away from other cats who don't live with them.

(Sorry for the bad news. He just told me this as I was getting soup ready for tonight. You can probably find out more if you do research online.)

Please provide a link to this data, especially the bit about it causing FIV. No, I will not look it up. Something this disturbing should be better sourced. Your story, your research.
@noodleann - DH is a veterinarian. He has to be up to date on the latest research, and although he is going in only part time, he is attending online meetings about this pandemic as it relates to animals. He told me as I was getting dinner ready before our virtual Holy Thursday service.

And yes, there has been human to animal transmission as I mentioned, the tiger in the Bronx Zoo who got sick from his handler who was shedding the Covid-19 virus.

I told you what he told me. There are constantly doing research on this, and this is the latest data.

I posted in a hurry. I probably should have waited until it was in the press. I thought it might be helpful to some who were reading, especially the many kind, kind posters who care for feral cats.

FIV is Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. FIP is Feline Infectious Peritonitis, which "is a viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of a virus called the feline coronavirus. Most strains of feline coronavirus are avirulent, which means that they do not cause disease, and are referred to as feline enteric coronavirus," according to Cornell's website. A coronavirus's role in FIP was already well established, so it's not news.

More from Cornell, in relation to a recent study that is currently under review:

"With this in mind, it’s important to point out that the paper by Shi el al., investigated infections of cats using large doses of SARS-Cov-2 that were administered unnaturally and are not likely to be representative of doses that would be encountered in the real world. In addition, the infected cats did not generally become ill and did not show evidence of the virus in the lower respiratory tract (lungs). Finally, the description of the experimental design does not allow us to definitively rule out the possibility of transmission from infected cats to susceptible ones via urine, feces, or contamination by the liquid that was used to inoculate the cats with virus.

"A very important point to strongly state is that this study does not provide evidence that cats can transmit SARS-CoV-2 to people, a fact that the authors plainly state. We understand the public’s concern about this possibility, but it is very important that cat owners do not overreact and consider relinquishing their cats based upon this study. We have heard anecdotal reports of cats being brought to shelters or abandoned based upon news of this study, and it this is very unfortunate and unnecessary."

There are garbage "studies" being done without proper protocols in all kinds of areas related to the coronavirus. I read a summary of one on Medscape today, about masks, which had scathing commentary that amounted to a vote of no confidence in the study or its results. People are in a terrible rush to get information, but scientific discourse is being degraded to the level of gossip.

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Sammycat1 - (((HUGS)))

@noodleann and others - I do stand corrected. DH did say FIP, not FIV. I was in a hurry. I'm so sorry, and I will correct it on my original post.

Shanus · ‎05-17-2010

@beach-mom wrote:
DH just told me he just now found out cats and ferrets can get coronavirus. They have always had their own form, which is harmless, but now veterinarians and doctors have done multiple studies on different species, and have determined that cats and ferrets can get sick.

They can get SARS COV-2, which causes Covid-19. This virus can potentially cause severe respiratory problems in cats. It can also cause FIP, which can be fatal.

DH said they have still not yet proven domestic cats can get the virus from humans, but a tiger in the Bronx Zoo got the virus from his handler.

He said to be safe if you are positive and in quarantine, it's probably a good idea to stay away from your kitties.

Above all, keep your cats INSIDE and away from other cats who don't live with them.

(Sorry for the bad news. He just told me this as I was getting soup ready for tonight. You can probably find out more if you do research online.)

@beach-mom Yes, I started a thread about these sad findings after the tiger at Bronx zoo became infected.

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Shanus wrote:

@beach-mom Yes, I started a thread about these sad findings after the tiger at Bronx zoo became infected.

@Shanus - I just read your thread on this - so interesting. I can't believe I missed it in the first place, except this was a really busy week for me. I went in for short periods three days and did most from home.

I know the researchers are working around the clock. My son's alma mater just got a 10 million dollar grant from the NIH to start working. The more scientists involved, the better.

DH says humans can transmit to wild cats (still not enough research about domestic cats), as in this tiger case, but he firmly believes animals cannot transmit to humans. (Hope I'm using the right terminology; I'm not a "science person" at all! LOL!)