Officials: 2 cats contract coronavirus in New York state

The CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's national veterinary services laboratories say that two cats in the state of New York have tested positive for coronavirus.

News 12 Staff

Apr 22, 2020, 6:53 PM

Updated 1,628 days ago

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The CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's national veterinary services laboratories say that two cats in the state of New York have tested positive for coronavirus.
Officials say both of the cats live in two separate areas. The only other reported cases of coronavirus in pets have come out of Hong Kong, where two dogs and a cat were confirmed to have the virus, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
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Public health officials say there are no plans for mass testing of animals, and that both pet owners decided to test their cats after noticing mild respiratory signs.
They believe in one case, the virus may have spread to the cat by an asymptomatic household member or person outside of the home. In the other case, the cat's owner had already been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Both cats are expected to make a full recovery. Public health officials say that there is no evidence that animals could spread the virus to a person.
They do suggest to practice social distancing.
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