A preliminary study suggests that cats can contract the new coronavirus, yet this happened in an artificial context where scientists gave the felines high doses of SARS-CoV-2.
The research did not prove convincingly that cats were able to transmit the virus further, between themselves or to humans. One key question that scientists have not been able to answer satisfactorily during the COVID-19 pandemic is: Can domestic animals contract SARS-CoV-2, the virus that can lead to this disease?
Moreover, if the answer is “yes,” which domestic animals are at risk, and are they able to shed the virus further, transmitting it to other animals and humans?