While they're not likely to spread the virus, wild cats in New York showing symptoms is a fresh concern for pet owners. Are domestic cats susceptable to the virus as well?
Humankind continues to learn more about the novel coronavirus with every passing day. Over the weekend one major discovery is that wild cats can not only carry the virus, but also develop symptoms consistent with the disease.
New York's Malayan tiger named Nadia was the first to test positive and actually get sick after being infected with SARS-CoV-2. Because the Bronx Zoo has been closed to visitors since March 16, the most likely scenario is that the animal contracted the virus from an infected, but asymptomatic, zookeeper. To Paul Calle, chief veterinarian at the Bronx Zoo, this explanation is the only one that makes sense.
“It’s the first time, to our knowledge, that a [wild] animal has gotten sick from COVID-19 from a person,” says Paul Calle. Nadia's symptoms are what led the zoo to the COVID-19 hypothesis. The 4-year-old developed dry cough in late March and that caught the staff's attention. Along with Nadia, three other tigers and three lions at the zoo have developed cough and show loss of appetite, though Nadia is the first to be tested.
We should note that testing for animals looks differently than for humans, so one should not think that the tiger received testing sooner than many New Yorkers who are still waiting for theirs. Nadia's test was carried out independently at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
