Susceptibility of ferrets, cats, dogs, and other domesticated animals to SARS-coronavirus 2

This experimental study assessed which domesticated species could be infected by SARS-CoV-2. The authors found that cats were highly susceptible: inoculated cats replicated the virus efficiently in the respiratory tract and could transmit it to other cats via respiratory droplets, while dogs showed low susceptibility and poultry were not infected. Younger cats appeared more vulnerable. The findings, published early in the pandemic, established cats as a permissive host and raised questions about feline roles in transmission and the risk to wild and captive felids. Although evidence indicated cats rarely transmit back to humans, the work was foundational for understanding coronavirus host range, informing surveillance of pets and zoo cats, and framing later natural-infection reports in tigers, lions and other big cats.