Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in domestic cats

This study demonstrated efficient airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between domestic cats under experimental conditions. Cats inoculated with the virus passed it to co-housed naive cats without direct contact, and all infected animals shed virus while remaining largely asymptomatic. The silent, efficient cat-to-cat spread highlighted that infected cats could harbor and transmit the virus without obvious illness, a concern for both feline health and potential reservoir dynamics. The work reinforced findings that felids are permissive hosts and underscored the need for surveillance of cats in households with COVID-19 cases and in managed wild felid populations. It became a frequently cited reference in pandemic-era discussions of animal hosts, zoonotic spillover and spillback, and risk management for captive big cats.