Cats and dogs susceptible to COVID-19 infection, study findsDomestic cats and dogs are susceptible to infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a study yesterday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
While both types of animals showed an immune response to the virus, only cats demonstrated viral shedding, and neither animal model showed evidence for a significant role in human infection, the study found.In the first published study involving cat experimental infections, researchers inoculated dogs and cats with SARS-CoV-2 and monitored for symptoms, viral shedding, seroconversion (production of antibodies against the virus in the blood), pathology, and transmission.