Nuked A Tiger at the Bronx zoo tested positive for covid-19. It’s rare and there are precautions that pet owners can take if they’re worried about their furry family members.
The virus apparently jumped from an asymptomatic human to three lions and four tigers, including four-year-old Tiger Nadia. The zoo expects all of the animals to make full recoveries.
A wet market in China was thought to be where the novel coronavirus first made the jump. A January study found the first person known to get sick from the virus did n’t have contact with the market.
There has been no evidence of a pet anywhere in the world transmitting covid-19 to a person. The outbreaks happening now are the result of people passing the virus to one another.
There have been a few cases of domestic cats and dogs testing positive for the virus after their owners became sick with covid-19. A 17-year-old Pomeranian in Hong Kong tested’poorly positive’ in February and died in March, but the dog might have simply died of old age, according to reports from the South China Morning Post.
Cats might be more susceptible to covid-19 than dogs, according to a study conducted in China that has n’t yet been peer-reviewed. One of the previously healthy cats caught the virus after being near the infected felines, most likely through respiratory droplets – the same way humans can spread the virus through coughing and sneezing.
The results should be taken with a grain of salt. They do n’t’represent real-life interactions between people and their pets,’ says an Ohio State University virologist.
If you develop covid-19, the CDC recommends avoiding cuddles, kisses, sharing food, and having other close contact with your pet. The same guidelines apply if you think you might be sick but have n’t been tested or are waiting for results. Wearing a mask around your pet is also appropriate if you’re ill, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
It’s usually harder for a virus to survive and spread to another person via a porous surface, like hair or fur. If there’s a pandemic or not, it’s a good idea to wash your hands after handling any animal, its food, or waste.
