2 pet cats in different parts of NY test positive for virus, CDC says

NEW YORK — Two pet cats in New York state have tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first confirmed cases in companion animals in the country, federal officials said Wednesday.

The cats, which had mild respiratory illnesses and are expected to recover, are thought to have contracted the virus from people in their households or neighborhoods, the U.S. Department

of Agriculture and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The finding, which comes after positive tests in some tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo, adds to a small number of confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide. U.S. authorities say that while it appears some animals can get the virus from people, there’s no indication pets are transmitting it to human beings.

“We don’t want people to panic. We don’t want people to be afraid of pets” or to rush to test them en masse, said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a CDC official who works on human-animal health connections.

The CDC is recommending that people prevent their pets from interacting with people or animals outside their homes — by keeping cats indoors and dogs out of dog parks, for instance.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says pets can stay in homes where a person has

COVID-19, so long as the animal can be cared for.

Scientists studying the virus have been looking at links between human and animals. While a consensus is still evolving, the leading theory is that infection among humans began at an animal market in China, probably from an animal that got the virus from a bat.

Scientists are working to understand the potential for transmission to animals in homes, farms and elsewhere.

The two cats live in different parts of the state; the USDA and CDC wouldn’t say where specifically.

The first cat fell ill about a week after a person in its household had a short respiratory illness, though the person’s ailment wasn’t confirmed to be COVID-19, Barton Behravesh said. The animal goes outdoors at times and might have come into contact with an infected person, she said.

The second cat’s owner tested positive for COVID-19 before the cat became sick, officials said.

The agencies have recommended that any pet owners with COVID-19 avoid contact with their animals as much as possible, including wearing a face mask while caring for them.

There have been a handful of reports outside the U.S. of pet dogs or cats becoming infected after close contact with contagious people, including a Hong Kong dog that tested positive for in February and early March.