Day by day we can more hear horror stories about the fact that the human coronavirus is transmitted to animals and animals in turn become dangerous to humans. Is it true? Let’s figure it out!
Cats coronavirus has been known for a long time. Four years ago the author of the article cured a street cat of severe coronavirus peritonitis. And at the same time I gained some knowledge in Virology which gives me the right and opportunity to “dot all the i’s” in this matter.
Do cats get sick with coronavirus?
Yes, unfortunately, they do. Actually I have already answered before. Cats coronavirus in its most pathogenic form is one of the most serious diseases of domestic animals. For cats it is like AIDS for people and if your pet, Heaven forbid, was diagnosed with coronavirus peritonitis or FIP – things will be bad. This is practically untreated. Many very experienced veterinarians still refuse to believe that I really cured the cat from FIP! But it’s true! I don’t want to bombard you with theory but you need to understand the simplest things.
Viruses are divided into strains. These are varieties of the same type of virus which are countless. The same seasonal flu has dozens of strains. The coronavirus has even more of them! There are human strains, dog’s strains, cat’s strains, horse’s strains, rodents, bats strains finally! But the human strain NEVER does transmitted to a cat. Well, it can get into a cat’s body, of course, but to settle there and create something like a colony – NEVER!!! For it the virus must change by random mutation and this mutation must still be suitable for a cat! How likely is this? – One percent in a million! That is why veterinarians do not afraid to get infected from animals!
The denotation of the feline strain of coronavirus is FIP. It was first described in 1963. It’s an abbreviation and it means “Feline infectious peritoniti” or “infectious cat peritonitis”. But it is also a mutation of another feline strain of FECV – well known as “viral gastroenteritis” which occurs in cats in a mild form. Both strains belong to the feline coronavirus FCoV.
Again I want to repeat the main thesis of this article: COVID-19 can NOT be TRANSMITTED TO CATS! After all, in order to settle in the cat’s body it must become an FCoV. The probability of such a mutation tends to zero!!!
Therefore I have nothing but the deepest resentment at grief-owners who throw out their sick cats with coronavirus for fear of catching any virus! What should be in the soul of such, if I may say so, “people”? And do they have a soul? And can you call them people???
“The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters” – the Spanish proverb runs. Ignorance is disgusting. But the limitation of our knowledge or IGNORANCE raises acts of monstrous cruelty. After all, a sick cat or cat is already bad. To throw such an animal out on the street is an act beyond a line between good and evil.
In conclusion I want to note that all of the above applies to dogs. The canine strain is much fewer pathogenic.
Be healthy!