Can animals catch Covid-19?
Yes, some animals can catch Covid-19 through close contact with infected humans, but fortunately, this is extremely rare. In addition, the virus doesn’t seem to affect animals as severely as humans, and the chances of them spreading it are very low. The main driver of Covid-19 spread is human-to-human contact.
Dogs
Although it's extremely unlikely, dogs have been shown to be able to catch Covid-19 from infected humans. Most don't show symptoms, and those that do tend to be mild. There is no evidence to show that dogs can pass Covid-19 back to humans or other animals.
Cats
In rare cases, cats have been seen to catch Covid-19 from infected humans and develop symptoms (in most cases these symptoms are mild). It's possible that cats can pass it to other cats, but there is currently no evidence that they can pass it back to humans.
Rabbits
It's been shown that rabbits can catch Covid-19 from infected humans, but don't develop symptoms and aren't contagious to other rabbits or any other species.
Ferrets
Ferrets can catch Covid-19 from infected humans and in some cases develop symptoms and spread it to other ferrets. Based on mink infections, there is thought to be a possibility that ferrets could pass Covid-19 back to uninfected humans (but this hasn't been proven). Read more about ferrets below.