Keep your cat under lock and key, virus victims told

CATS should be kept under lockdown if their owners have coronavirus, veterinary chiefs said yesterday.

The warning from the British Veterinary Association was initially thought to extend to all the nation’s 7.5million cats.

But the organisation’s president later made clear that it applied only to households stricken by the contagion. Cats cannot pass the disease to humans but can give it to fellow felines.

Daniella Dos Santos said: ‘We are not advising all cats are kept indoors. Only cats from infected households or where their owners are self-isolating, and only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors. ‘Some cats cannot stay indoors for stress-related medical reasons. There have been a tiny number of cases of Covid-19 in animals and in all cases, it is likely that the transmission was human to animal.

‘There is no evidence pets can pass Covid-19 to owners.’

She said fur might harbour the virus – meaning pet owners should practise good hand hygiene to prevent giving it to their cat.

There have been reports of a cat in Belgium showing Covid-19 symptoms and of a tiger in New York catching the disease.

Further research found that many cats in Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, have antibodies to Covid-19, suggesting they have been infected.

The RSPCA said it had been contacted by many worried pet owners and had told them ‘the risk was incredibly small’.

Spokesman Samantha Gaines said: ‘We’re advising cat owners not to worry and to take sensible precautions, as we would advise at any time, such as washing your hands before and after stroking your cat, as advised by Defra, and avoid being kissed, licked or sharing food with them.’

Downing Street said it would not be keeping its cat Larry indoors.

Latest coronavirus video news, views and expert advice at mailplus.co.uk/coronavirus