Coronavirus: Why cat owners are being advised to keep pets indoors Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life Why cat owners are being advised to keep their pets indoors By You Magazine - April 8, 2020 While there has been some confusion until now as to whether animals can carry the coronavirus and infect people, it has now been advised by veterinary scientists that self-isolating cat owners should strive to keep their furry friends indoors where possible to help prevent the spread of the virus. Getty Images While there isn’t any evidence of animals infecting people with the virus, Dr Angel Almendros from City University in Hong Kong told BBC News that it would be sensible to keep cats indoors – where it is safe and possible to do so – during the outbreak as animal fur could carry the virus for a period of time if it were to come into contact with a sick person. Getty Images The British Veterinary Association has said that ‘owners should not worry’ about an increased risk of becoming infected via their pets, and president of the BVA Daniella Dos Santos told the BBC that she agreed with the advice to keep cats inside where possible. However, the BVA has since clarified that these precautions need only be heeded ‘if someone in their own household showed symptoms’ and that every pet owner should ‘practice good hand hygiene’. Getty Images While a handful of cases have proven that animals can carry the virus (a pet dog in Hong Kong, a pet cat in Belgium and now a tiger at Bronx Zoo in New York all tested positive for Covid-19) they don’t get sick or suffer from any symptoms in the same way humans do. There is mounting evidence that cats can transmit the virus to other cats and that humans can pass the virus to animals, but less so the other way around. Getty Images So while there’s no concrete evidence that domestic animals can pass this disease back to people, it would be sensible to err on the side of caution as much as possible. ‘Treat pets like other people in your household. So if you’re feeling sick, it’s better not to interact with them,’ said Dr Almendros. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved