Human-to-Feline Coronavirus Transmission Confirmed

The U.S. CDC published an Early Release letter for December 2020, authored by researchers tested 50 cats from coronavirus disease households or close contacts in Hong Kong, China, for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory and fecal samples. They found 6 cases of apparent human-to-feline transmission involving healthy cats. And virus genomes sequenced from 1 cat and its owner were identical.

Although feline-to-human transmission is theoretically possible, the University of Hong Kong researchers did not find any evidence of this transmission. These findings informed the current precautionary strategy in Hong Kong to quarantine mammalian pets in a holding facility.