UK veterinary scientists are telling people with COVID-19 and those in self-isolation to keep their cats indoors to reduce spread of the COVID-19.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said in a statement released on Wednesday there was "no evidence" pets can pass the coronavirus to their owners.

However, BVA president Daniella Dos Santos said that "as a precaution, for pet owners who have COVID-19, or who are self-isolating, we are recommending that you keep your cat indoors if possible, during that time."

Infections among cats

Despite the BVA's advice being precautionary, scientists have shown that cats might be able to catch the novel coronavirus from other cats.

According to research published in late March by Chinese scientists in the city of Harbin, while SARS-CoV-2 replicates poorly in dogs, pigs, chickens, and ducks, it can reproduce "efficiently" in ferrets and cats, transmitting in the latter via respiratory droplets.

This could be a cause for concern among pet owners around the world, even those who look after big cats – after a tiger called Nadia at Bronx Zoo in New York tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week, along with six other big cats at the zoo. 

She is now being treated with anti-inflammatory medication after developing a dry cough.

However, the animal is not believed to have contracted the disease from another cat, but from a zoo employee.

Keeping cats indoors

According to the BVA's Dos Santos, "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."

He added: "There is no evidence that pets can pass COVID-19 to their owners."

However, when it comes to pets, "from the small number of cases, it appears that dogs do not show symptoms, but cats can show clinical signs of the disease."

According to the veterinary scientist, animals can also acts as fomites, objects that are likely to carry infection, "as the virus could be on their fur in the same way it is on other surfaces, such as tables and doorknobs."

He added: "That's why our main advice for pet owners continues to be to practise good hand hygiene.

"And as a precaution, for pet owners who have COVID-19 or who are self-isolating we are recommending that you keep your cat indoors if possible, during that time."

However, the BVA president stressed the organization did not want to alarm pet owners: "It is very important that people don't panic about their pets. There is no evidence that animals can pass the disease to humans."

Video editor: Terry Wilson