Scientists from Wageningen University in the Netherlands have confirmed the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to infect domestic cats. A study published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum proves that these animals can transmit the virus to other relatives and to the environment.

In the course of the study, the authors analyzed 16 cats that had either been directly exposed to SARS-CoV-2 from a naturally infected human, indirectly from another cat from a previous group, or from a pen that housed an infected cat. All subjects were regularly sampled for three weeks from the nose, oropharynx, blood samples and environmental samples for traces of SARS-CoV-2, as well as for the presence of antibodies.

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Experts have found that cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, and infected animals can transmit the virus to their relatives and to the environment. In turn, a polluted environment can be contagious, but not for long.

The average duration of contagiousness was just over one-third of a day. These data were obtained based on the periods during which the virus was detected in the test samples.

However, this study did not examine whether the virus could be transmitted from cats to humans, as all staff working with animals were wearing special suits. In future work, the team plans to continue to study susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 in various animal species, as well as the risks of transmission of the virus.