In the Belgian pet cat case, the feline WAS sick, but it is still unclear as to whether Covid-19 was the cause. According to the article, while they believe the cat might have had covid-19, the veterinarians are still awaiting lab results to see whether the cat had antibodies.Nice but the case that brought my attention to the matter was one of a cat not in China.
The samples were collected and sent to the lab by the owner, and a veterinarian has yet to examine the cat. The cat recovered after nine days, and once it’s released from quarantine, researchers will run a blood test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which would provide more concrete proof of an infection. Those results are expected in about a week.
Note the complicating the issue: the fecal sample was not obtained by the veterinarians, but was collected and sent in by the owner- there is no way to determine if that owner contaminated the samples in collecting them.
A cat appears to have caught the coronavirus, but it’s complicated
While a cat in Belgium seems to be the first feline infected with SARS-CoV-2, it’s still unclear how susceptible pets are to the disease.
www.sciencenews.org
So, no. No apology. There is currently no proof the Belgian cat got Covid-19 from its owner and got sick.
Nor will there ever be one, even if the lab reports the cat did. As I said, the best science at the time indicated low to nonexistent probability of human to feline transmission.
If the tests prove the cat DID have Covid-19, and probably got it from its owner, I can admit that the science of the time was incorrect. But I’m not apologizing for following the science.
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