
Tiger at Bronx Zoo tests positive for Covid-19 - cinbun8
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52177586
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KMag
In case you're wondering how in the world someone wasn't practicing social
distancing with a tiger, it's a 4 year-old tiger and it's suspected the
contact was an asymptomatic veterinarian.

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freepor
What's the relevance of the tiger's age? Is that young or old for a tiger?

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TheGallopedHigh
Possibly the size. If it’s young vets will be in close contact.

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casefields
Just like with SARS:
[https://www.nature.com/articles/425915a](https://www.nature.com/articles/425915a)

We really did get the name wrong:
[https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245791851342229504.html](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245791851342229504.html)

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szemet
Italy has hordes of feral cats so does Spain.

I would be interested to see now a feral cat/capita - Covid-19 growth rate
chart.

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udosan
A small German study has found[1] cats are not likely a transmission vector
(no transmissible viruses found on cats in households with multiple COVID-19
infected people.)

[1] [https://www.zuercher-presse.com/virologe-hendrick-streeck-
gi...](https://www.zuercher-presse.com/virologe-hendrick-streeck-gibt-keine-
gefahr-beim-einkaufen-jemand-anderen-zu-infizieren/)

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hazeii
Related to this, Nature magazine reported a few days ago that 'Coronavirus can
infect cats - dogs, not so much' [0]

[0]
[https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00984-8](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00984-8)

~~~
Fjolsvith
That will touch off the hoarding of kitty litter!

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dang
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22789523](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22789523)

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astannard
Does this mean we better keep our cats inside now?

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smt88
Cars, dogs, coyotes, raptors, other cats, and disease are already threats that
should keep your cat inside.

Add onto that the threat an outdoor cat poses to the environment and to its
owners (e.g. toxoplasmosis), and there are overwhelmingly more reasons to keep
a cat inside. Covid-19 can't tip scales that are already flattened in one
direction.

~~~
amalter
Just be aware this is a cultural judgement. In the U.K., many shelters will
not adopt out cats to people planning on keeping them inside, as it is deemed
cruel.

I live in the US with 2 indoor cats, and don’t let them out for the reasons
you mention.

However, I understand the other side of the debate also. We do a lot of work
to ensure our cats get enough stimulus.

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smt88
I'm aware different cultures have different attitudes toward the problem of
outdoor cats. As a species, they're in a weird semi-domesticated state, so
perhaps more intentional domestication is the solution.

However, that doesn't change the objective reality that they are in more
danger (and cause more harm) than indoor cats. People who adopt cats should
accept the extra responsibility and work of keeping them indoors, as you have.
Thank you for being a good cat owner.

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beaker52
Oddly (I've never seen this before), a fox was struggling in our garden in a
London borough yesterday, today it lies dead outside our neighbors house.

It's unlikely, but I do wonder.

