#15,589
In addition to having to cull and dispose of millions of mink, Danish media are reporting that authorities have culled more than a dozen COVID infected cats found on at least two mink farms.
While I haven't seen any official confirmation from Denmark's DVFA or Serum Statens Institute (SSI) website, several local media outlets (see below) are claiming they have a witness and additional confirmation of infected cats from the SSI.
Authorities are killing cats on mink farms - TV 2
On a mink farm in Holstebro, coronavirus was found in 12 cats that were killed
Reportedly, 3 asymptomatic dogs have been found as well. Genetic testing on the strain of COVID-19 in these animals is reportedly underway.
All of this has caused a bit of a flap among pet owners in Denmark, as has a recently faked Facebook announcement claiming the Danish Prime Minister was warning citizens to be prepared for the fact that their pets may have to be killed to stop coronavirus.
Manipulated cat postings from the Prime Minister are circulating on the net
While I don't have official confirmation of the culling of cats, given the near panic Danish authorities expressed 4 weeks ago at the discovery of 5 mutated strains of the virus circulating in mink, and even jumping to humans, I find the report plausible.
And given they were dealing with a potentially dangerous mutated strain - not the COVID strain already prevalent in humans - I can understand their desire to operate swiftly and with an abundance of caution.
I'm not sure why a small number of infected cats couldn't have been placed in isolation until they cleared the virus, but we are working with minimal information here, and they may have had good reasons.
It's no surprise that cats and dogs on mink farms were exposed to and infected by COVID-19. We've seen evidence for months that both species are susceptible (cats, supposedly more than dogs) to the virus, and that cats may be better able to transmit the virus.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Dogs & Cats - Italy
CDC: Pets & Other Animals and COVID-19
NEJM: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Domestic Cats
The following excerpt comes from the CDC's Nov 18th Update COVID-19 and Animals:
What you need to know
- We do not know the exact source of the current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but we know that it originally came from an animal, likely a bat.
- At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people.
- Based on the limited information available to date, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is considered to be low.
- More studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by COVID-19.
- We are still learning about this virus, but it appears that it can spread from people to animals in some situations.
Research on animals and COVID-19
Many studies have been done to learn more about how this virus can affect different animals.
- Recent experimental research shows that cats, dogs, ferrets, fruit bats, hamsters, and tree shrews can become infected with the virus. Cats, ferrets, fruit bats, and hamsters can also spread the infection to other animals of the same species in laboratory settings.
- Data from studies suggest that dogs can get infected but might not spread the virus to other dogs as easily as cats and ferrets can spread the virus to other animals of the same species.
- A number of studies have investigated non-human primates as models for human infection. Rhesus macaques, cynomolgus macaques, Grivets, and common marmosets can become infected SARS-CoV-2 and become sick in a laboratory setting.
- Laboratory mice, pigs, chickens, and ducks do not seem to become infected or spread the infection based on results from studies.
These findings were based on a small number of animals, and do not show whether animals can spread infection to people. More studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by COVID-19.
CDC, USDA, state public health and animal health officials, and academic partners are working in some states to conduct active surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in pets, including cats, dogs, and other small mammals, that had contact with a person with COVID-19. These animals are being tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection and also tested to see whether the pet develops antibodies to this virus. This work is being done to help us better understand how common SARS-CoV-2 infection might be in pets as well as the possible role of pets in the spread of this virus.
While it is possible that a small number of human COVID cases have been caused by exposure to an infected dog or cat - as long as they are carrying the same strain that is circulating in millions of humans - their impact is likely negligible.
Of greater concern would be a mutated strain emerging in companion animals - such as we saw in Danish mink - but so far we've not seen any evidence of that happening.
For now, your pets are at greater risk of being infected by you, than you are by them.
