Cats and Dogs Top List of COVID-19 Infected Animals in U.S.

>>> CAN YOUR PETS GIVE YOU COVID?RESEARCHERS ARE SENDING A LOT OFTIME RESEARCHING THE ROLES ANIMALS PLAY IN SPREADING VIRUSES. >> Reporter: LAST YEAR, WE TOLD YOU MANY SCIENTISTS BELIEVED COVID-19 COULD HAVE STARTED ON ABAT, JUMPED ON TO ANOTHER WILD ANIMAL AND THEN SPREAD TO HUMANS. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ANIMALS IN YOUR HOME?CAN THEY SPREAD IT THE SAME WAY?WE INVESTIGATE. THEY’RE CUTE. THEY’RE SNUGLY. AND THEY HAVE GIVEN US MUCH NEEDED COMPANY DURING THE PANDEMIC. BUT CAN YOUR PET GET INFECTED AND SPREAD COVID-19?TO FIND OUT, WE VISITED UC DAVISVETERINARY MEDICINE TEACHING HOSPITAL. HERE 125 VETS TREAT MORE THAN 60,000 ANIMALS EACH YEAR. EVERYTHING FROM DOGS TO HORSES. EVEN FISH. >> WE DO KNOW NOW THAT DOGS AND CATS CAN BE INFECTED WITH SARS-CORONAVIRUS-II. >> SHE TRACKS. DATA THROUGH MID-JULY SHOW 217 CASES IN THE U. S. SO FAR. MORE THAN 40% OF THOSE WERE CATS. THAT’S BECAUSE CATS HAVE CLOSER CONTACT WITH HUMANS COMPARED TO OTHER PETS. >> THEY OFTEN ARE VERY CLOSE TO PEOPLE’S FACES WHEN THEY’RE SLEEPING IN BEDS WITH PEOPLE. >> Reporter: SO YOU’RE SAYING BECAUSE CATS ARE MORE SNUGLY. WHILE ONE CAT WAS EUTHANIZED BECAUSE IT GOT SO SICK FROM COVID, RESEARCH SHOWS THE VAST MAJORITY OF CATS OR DOGS SHOW MILD SYMPTOMS OR NONE AT ALL. >> THE IMPORTANT THING IS THE INFECTION IS SPREADING FROM THE PEOPLE BACK TO ANIMALS AND NOT ANIMALS TO PEOPLE. >> Reporter: UNLESS THEY ARE WILD ANIMALS. WE TOLD YOU ABOUT CHINESE RESEARCHERS IDENTIFYING EARLY STRAINS OF COVID-19 IN WILD BATSTHAT THEY BELIEVE MUTATED AND SPREAD TO HUMANS. WHEN THE VIRUS GETS INTO WILD POPULATIONS, RESEARCHERS SAY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL. AS THE INFECTION SPREADS, THE VIRUS MUTATES, FORMING NEW VARIANTS, WHICH CAN SPILL BACK TO HUMANS. BUT WHEN HOUSE PETS CATCH THE VIRUS, THE INFECTIONS WERE ISOLATED, AND THE VIRUS HAS VERYLIMITED CHANCES TO CREATE MUTATIONS THAT POSE A THREAT TO PEOPLE. >> THERE IS NOT A LOT OF REASON TO BE VACCINATING DOGS AND CATS BECAUSE IT IS CLEAR THEY’RE NOT IMPORTANT IN SPREADING THE INFECTION BACK TO PEOPLE. >> Reporter: BUT A NEW VARIANT, WHETHER IT COMES FROM ANIMALS ORPEOPLE, CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING. THE DELTA VARIANT, HOW IS THAT CHANGING THE RESEARCH RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK?>> I THINK THE CONCERN WOULD BE IS WHAT IF A VARIANT ARISES THATIS A LOT MORE INFECTIOUS FOR PEOPLE’S COMPANION ANIMALS AND THEN COULD BE TRANSMITTED BACK TO PEOPLE?>> Reporter: RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THE DELTA VARIANT CAN SPREAD BACK TO HUMANS. BUT IT IS CRUCIAL SCIENTISTS CONTINUE TO KEEP