Cat coronavirus: is it dangerous for humans?

Recently, now and then there is information about cases of infection with coronavirus in animals. First, the world media reported that tigers and lions had become infected in an American zoo. Then it became known about the infection of minks on farms in Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and the USA. But most of all, millions of people are alarmed by the fact that the coronavirus has already been diagnosed several times in dogs and cats. Does this mean that for personal safety it is better to give up pets? Can pets be carriers of COVID-19, do they pose a danger to their owners?

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the pandemic, according to most scientists, originated from the animal kingdom. But this fact does not mean that all animals are dangerous to humans. Moreover, coronaviruses are a fairly large group of viruses, many of which are absolutely harmless to humans.

Feline coronavirus, also known as FcoV, is a type of infectious agent that infects cats and dogs. Penetrating into the body of an animal, under favorable circumstances, the virus mutates to a state where it becomes deadly for pets.

Today, scientists know two strains of feline coronavirus:

• FIPV – affects leukocytes, causes infectious peritonitis;
• FECV – affects the intestinal mucosa, causes gastroenteritis and enteritis.

What is feline coronavirus

Coronavirus disease in cats can be asymptomatic, mild or severe. The latter most often ends in the death of the animal. The more weakened the pet’s immunity, the higher the risk of death.

The feline coronavirus is a very common virus in animals. Almost 99% of cats are its carriers, which is why this virus is compared with the herpes pathogen, which most people also have, although it does not manifest itself in any way.

FcoV infection occurs from animal to animal. As a rule, infection of a cat occurs before the age of 2 years. In most cases, the pet will either get sick asymptomatically, or will only be a virus carrier and this will not remind of itself in any way until the animal’s immunity is strong enough. In the event of a weakened immune system, the pathogenic agent mutates and causes disease, as a result of which the animal dies.

How does FcoV differ from the causative agent of COVID-19

The genus of coronaviruses is very numerous. Today, about 40 types of these infectious agents are known. In accordance with the generally accepted classification of these viruses, several families are distinguished:

• alpha;
• beta;
• gamma;
• delta.

The virus that infects humans and caused a worldwide epidemic belongs to the beta family. Representatives of the gamma and delta families affect only birds and fish. But the cause of the disease in dogs and cats is the alpha coronavirus, which has nothing to do with COVID-19. Alpha family viruses have been known to veterinarians for a very long time. Animals were sick and dying due to coronaviruses long before the start of the 2019 epidemic.

That is, the main difference between the causative agent of COVID-19 and feline coronavirus is belonging to different families of infectious agents. Simply put, these are two different viruses and they also cause different diseases. Moreover, if SARS-CoV-2 (causes COVID-19) affects primarily the lungs, then the feline coronavirus disrupts the digestive system.

Is feline coronavirus dangerous for humans?

Against the backdrop of a pandemic, the question of the danger to humans of feline coronavirus sounds very serious. However, there is no point in worrying. According to virologists and biologists, FcoV does not pose a danger to humans.

The owner cannot become infected with the alpha family coronavirus from a sick pet. But at the same time, it is known that the epithelium of the human body can serve as an environment for the temporary residence of the coronavirus in cats. Thus, a person unwittingly becomes a carrier of the virus from animal to animal.

Now for COVID-19. Researchers agree that it is most likely that the animals contracted the disease from an infected person. At the same time, cases of reverse infection from a sick animal back to a person have not been recorded to date.

However, in the current conditions, additional vigilance and caution will not hurt anyone. Moreover, humanity has already encountered situations where a virus that was previously safe for humans mutated and became the cause of epidemics.

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