Vets say only cats from households infected with coronavirus or where their owners are self-isolating should be kept indoors, after the British Veterinary Association's website crashed on Wednesday.

The BVA has clarified its advice after responding to questions from the BBC about what owners should do during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The move comes following reports the animals should be "kept indoors" during the pandemic, causing the website to crash.

Cats (including Larry) allowed outdoors

A spokesperson said: "We are not advising that all cats are kept indoors.

"Only cats from infected households or where their owners are self-isolating, and only if the cat is happy to be kept indoors. Some cats cannot stay indoors due to stress-related medical reasons."


The association's president, Daniella Dos Santos, said it was "incredibly important that information and advice for the public is clear".

"We regret that this story will have caused worry and upset amongst cat owners", she said.

She added: "There have been a tiny number of cases of COVID-19 in animals and in all cases, it is likely that the transmission was human to animal. There is no evidence that pets can pass COVID-19 to their owners.

"From the small number of cases, it appears that dogs do not show symptoms, but cats can show clinical signs of the disease."

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The BVA says pet owners should "practice good hygiene", as the virus could be carried on animals' fur, but say there is no need to panic.

A recent report claimed a study from China - where the outbreak started - revealed that coronavirus can be transmitted between cats.

Image: Pet owners are being advised not to let their animals lick their face. File pic

However, the World Health Organisation has said that, while there has been one instance of a dog being infected in Hong Kong, there is no evidence a cat, dog or any pet can pass the virus on to humans - and there is nothing to suggest pets can get ill from COVID-19.

The disease is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or speaks.

A tiger was recently diagnosed with it at the Bronx Zoo in New York, which has been closed to the public since 16 March due to the outbreak in the state, the epicentre of the disease in the US.

The four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia, and six other tigers and lions that also fell ill, are believed to have been infected by an employee, who was not yet showing symptoms, the zoo has said.

The first animal started showing signs of the virus on 27 March, and all are doing well and expected to recover.

Professor Ken Smith, from the Royal Veterinary College, says contact between infected people and other animals should be minimised.

Image: A tiger at Bronx Zoo tested positive for the virus. File pic

He agreed that "basic hygiene measures should always be implemented".

"This includes hand washing before and after being around or handling animals, their food, or supplies, as well as avoiding kissing, licking or sharing food.

"In the context of pet cats, if cats are present within a COVID-19 positive household, they should be kept indoors."