Grand Rapids Reporter

Dr. Frank McGeorge, an emergency care physician with the Henry Ford Medical Group, recently discussed some of the latest information on COVID-19 on WJR's "The Paul W. Smith Show," including a new study indicating that cats are more likely to catch COVID-19 than had previously been thought.

McGeorge said that there was an indication early in the pandemic that cats could catch the novel coronavirus, with several cats testing positive.

"Notably, there was a tiger at the Bronx Zoo, for example," McGeorge told Smith. "Other cats have tested positive over the months by nasal swab PCR test."

But there was speculation that some of the positive swabs had actually been contaminated by the virus from an infected human the feline had come into contact with, he explained.

"But there's a newly published study that looks at cats that were in Wuhan, which suggested that more cats might actually be contracting COVID than previously believed," McGeorge told Smith.

For the study, the researchers drew blood from 102 cats and tested the blood samples for antibodies that would only be produced if the cat was having an immunological response to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, McGeorge said. All of the cats tested were owned by people who had tested positive for COVID-19 as well.

"This was different; this was actually seeing whether or not the cats had reacted to a definite infection," McGeorge told Smith.

Approximately 15% of the cats tested positive for the antibodies, McGeorge said. That result greatly exceeded the previously presumed maximum infection rate for human-to-cat transmission of 3%.

However, McGeorge also cautioned that the transmission from humans to cats does not indicate that transmission can go the other direction. In fact, the study's authors were very explicit in saying that nothing in their data hints at humans contracting the illness from cats.

However, the authors said it was still wise to take precautions with cats that have had prolonged exposure to those infected with the novel coronavirus, as well as encouraging those who have the virus to take steps to avoid transmitting it to their pets.