On September 28, Ms. Liu, a confirmed case in Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, announced for the first time that she had been quarantined in the hospital for many days and was cooperating with treatment. On September 27, community staff informed her that the three cats she had left at home had tested positive for two nucleic acid tests. Her cats were to be euthanized and she was asked to write a consent form. On the 28th, community staff told a reporter from the Beijing News that the cat had been given two anal swab tests before, and the test results were both positive. It is now waiting for the relevant departments to euthanize the cat.
On the afternoon of the 28th, the reporter contacted Feng Zijian, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, who said that cats can be continuously tested to see if they continue to be positive. If they continue to be positive, they must be euthanized.
Around 6:30 pm on the 28th, the reporter learned that three of Ms. Liu’s cats had been euthanized.
Ms. Liu’s cat. Photo provided by interviewee
Three cats in the home of a confirmed case tested positive twice for nucleic acid tests
On the morning of the 28th, Ms. Liu, a confirmed case in Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, sent a request for help on social platforms, saying that she was a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 and was actively cooperating with treatment in the hospital. Her symptoms were relieved and she hoped to "turn negative" as soon as possible because she was worried about the three cats raised at home. On the 27th, she learned from community staff that three of her cats had tested positive and would be euthanized.
Ms. Liu told reporters that her three cats, a Siamese cat and two Garfield cats, have been with her for four to six years respectively. On September 21, she was quarantined after being diagnosed with COVID-19. While she was cooperating with the treatment in the hospital, she provided the cat with enough water and food, and community workers regularly went to her home to help take care of it. Community staff entered her home three times to test her living environment and took anal swab samples from three cats.
Ms. Liu said that on the 27th, she received a notification from community staff that the anal swab sampling results of her three cats were all positive. "Because there is no precedent for treating pets, they said that my cat would be euthanized and I needed to write a consent form myself. I did not agree." Ms. Liu hopes to give the cats a chance for treatment.
Ms. Liu’s cat. Photo provided by interviewee
Expert: If a pet continues to test positive, it will need to be euthanized
On the afternoon of the 28th, a staff member of Ms. Liu’s community told reporters that the local animal epidemic prevention department had previously conducted two anal swab tests on cats, and the test results were both positive. “There is currently no professional treatment method for animals. Based on the results of these two tests, we notified the cat owner, The disease control department will euthanize the cat. "
The above-mentioned staff said that if the cat is not treated, the cat owner's living environment will always be positive. "If the cat's living environment is positive, she will definitely not be able to come back to live in her unit, or even the entire community, so the epidemic will never end."
Ms. Liu's cat. Photo provided by the interviewee
On the afternoon of the 28th, the reporter contacted Feng Zijian, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. He introduced that there is little experience in dealing with animals infected with the new coronavirus. For cats, the time and method of detoxification are not yet clear. After cats detoxify, it is difficult to completely eliminate them in the home. If the cat continues to carry the virus, there will be a risk of transmission, so the treatment process needs to be cautious.
Feng Zijian said that cats can be continuously tested to see if they continue to be positive. If they continue to be positive, they need to be euthanized.
Reporters inquired and found that according to Article 42 of the "Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases", when an infectious disease breaks out, prevention and control should be carried out in accordance with the prevention and control plan. If necessary, infected wild animals, livestock and poultry can be controlled or culled.
Around 6:30 pm on the 28th, the reporter learned that three of Ms. Liu’s cats had been euthanized.