According to a latest study from the University of Guelph in Canada, pet cats and dogs are more likely to be infected with the new coronavirus from humans than stray animals, and domestic cats are more likely to be infected than domestic dogs. The p...
According to a latest study from the University of Guelph in Canada, pet cats and dogs are more likely to be infected with the new coronavirus from humans than stray animals, and domestic cats are more likely to be infected than domestic dogs.
The preliminary results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but they are planned to be published to the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in July.
The study mainly focused on virus testing of 48 dogs and 54 cats from 77 households that had been infected with the epidemic in the past nine months. It then conducted a comparative analysis with 75 cats and dogs from stray animal shelters, and another 75 stray cats from pet clinics.
The results show that nearly 70% of pet cats and more than 40% of pet dogs tested positive for new coronavirus antibodies. However, on the other hand, less than 10% of cats and dogs in shelters have tested positive for antibodies, and the number of stray cats even decreases by 3%.
Diagnosed cats and dogs only have mild symptoms, with only 20% of dogs and 30% of cats showing symptoms. Most of the symptoms in dogs are laziness, sluggishness or loss of appetite, while cats have runny noses and difficulty breathing.
The study also found that the time humans spend together with pet dogs does not affect the dog’s chance of contracting the disease, but this may not be the case for cats. The longer a cat spends time with its owner, the more likely it is to be infected with the new coronavirus. Cats who share the same bed with their owner have a higher chance of contracting the disease.
Researchers are not yet sure why cats are more likely to be infected than dogs, but some experts believe it is because feline cells have a stronger adsorption capacity for viruses than dogs or laboratory mice. Although she was not involved in the study, Sue VandeWoude, a professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Medicine at Colorado State University, said: "It may also be because dogs have longer noses, it is harder for the virus to bind to dog cells, or it may be related to the immune system. ”
Dorothee Bienzle, co-researcher and professor of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Guelph, said that the current route of infection is only from humans to pets, and there has been no case of pets spreading to humans.
