OMG! This Virus is causing extreme fear world wide! Now, they're saying a Cat

[tantricia44]

has been diagnosed with the coronavirus in Belgium! Is this for real?!!!!!! There's enough fear already going on in this world & now they're saying our beloved pets' will be a target too? I don't think such a virus could quickly mutate & cross over from humans to animals. Does anybody know about this claim to be true? Please any more information would be welcomed. This darn virus is really putting me off to hell!

[wildpanda]

That's surprising! From what I've heard so far, they said the virus couldn't spread to pets like that!

[autumnsparklemom]

I heard if someone with the virus touches an animal it can spread to other humans. Not sure how true it is.

[dreamyxo]

There's already cases where dogs have gotten it. 

[mardukblood2009]

I just looked this up and it said it is very rare for any of that too happen. If animals start getting it, I am sure it will be all over the internet and the news.

[JaniceSW]

I just looked this up and it said it is very rare for any of that too happen. If animals start getting it, I am sure it will be all over the internet and the news.

Thanks for the research.  That was exactly what I was going to do and then post.  It is critical that misinformation does not spread and keep building on fears and anxieties.

[mrsmere]

I heard a dog died from it.

[calendria]

 

Maybe the fright is from eating these animals as I found in this article:

Reuters

 The Chinese city of Shenzhen has banned the eating of dogs and cats as part of a wider clampdown on the wildlife trade since the emergence of the new coronavirus.

https://www.agriculture.com/markets/newswire/chinas-shenzhen-bans-the-eating-of-cats-and-dogs-after-coronavirus

10 hours ago · China's Shenzhen bans the eating of cats and dogs after coronavirus 4/1/2020 Shenzan, China, April 2 (Reuters) - The Chinese city of Shenzhen has banned the eating of dogs and cats as part of a wider clampdown on the wildlife trade since the emergence of the new coronavirus. Scientists suspect the coronavirus passed to humans from animals.

[1imaginarygirl]

Please don't spread fear. People are abandoning their pets in a panic, but there's no evidence yet that animals can infect people.

The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) says:

While 2 dogs (Hong Kong) and 1 cat (Belgium) have been reported to have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets spread COVID-19 to other animals, including people.

Also, IDEXX tested thousands of pets and found no positives:

IDEXX evaluated thousands of canine and feline specimens during validation of a veterinary diagnostic test for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and have seen no positive results in pets for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus strain responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak in humans. The specimens used for test development and validation were obtained from specimens submitted to IDEXX Reference Laboratories for diagnostic PCR panels. The specimens originated from the United States and South Korea. IDEXX has now expanded monitoring to Canada and European countries, including areas with high rates of COVID-19 in the human population. All samples tested for COVID-19 have been negative.

Chinese researchers recently did a study with cats. They infected cats with high doses of the virus, and put them in a room with uninfected cats. Only one caught the virus, and none of them showed any symptoms.

Here is the article:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00984-8
or
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cats-can-get-coronavirus-study-suggests-but-pet-owners-need-not-panic/

[calendria]

Please don't spread fear. People are abandoning their pets in a panic, but there's no evidence yet that animals can infect people.

The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) says:

While 2 dogs (Hong Kong) and 1 cat (Belgium) have been reported to have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets spread COVID-19 to other animals, including people.

Also, IDEXX tested thousands of pets and found no positives:

IDEXX evaluated thousands of canine and feline specimens during validation of a veterinary diagnostic test for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and have seen no positive results in pets for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus strain responsible for the COVID-19 outbreak in humans. The specimens used for test development and validation were obtained from specimens submitted to IDEXX Reference Laboratories for diagnostic PCR panels. The specimens originated from the United States and South Korea. IDEXX has now expanded monitoring to Canada and European countries, including areas with high rates of COVID-19 in the human population. All samples tested for COVID-19 have been negative.

Chinese researchers recently did a study with cats. They infected cats with high doses of the virus, and put them in a room with uninfected cats. Only one caught the virus, and none of them showed any symptoms.

Here is the article:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00984-8
or
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cats-can-get-coronavirus-study-suggests-but-pet-owners-need-not-panic/

Read an article that the Eating of Cats and Dogs is banned now in China, this is the delivery system!  I think!

[beatsdrop]

It's bunk.

[countrygirl12]

has been diagnosed with the coronavirus in Belgium! Is this for real?!!!!!! There's enough fear already going on in this world & now they're saying our beloved pets' will be a target too? I don't think such a virus could quickly mutate & cross over from humans to animals. Does anybody know about this claim to be true? Please any more information would be welcomed. This darn virus is really putting me off to hell!

Where have you been?  This is old news.  They said weeks ago it had been passed to a pet owners dog. I was sick a few years ago with cold/chest congestion and the doctor told me that my cat could get it.  As for if we know this is true or not - NO - no one on these threads can tell you if it is true or fake. Just like we can't tell you anything else if it is true or not. We have no idea what the truth is.