The Food and Drug Administration just recently issued recommendations for pet owners to encourage social distancing practices for cats and dogs.

Based on the fact sheet that was released by FDA last April 30, pets should not be allowed to socialize with people or other animals outside the household.

Therefore, if possible, pet owners should keep their cats and dogs indoors or on a leash and avoid bringing them to public places such as parks where many people and pets gather.

The reason behind these recommendations is because there have already been reported cases of animals that tested positive of COVID-19.

The first recorded case was a tiger at the Bronx Zoo. Now, there are four more tigers and other 3 lions at the same zoo that tested positive along with a cat from Belgium, Hong Kong, and two housecats in New York. One of these cases was in a household where no individual tested positive of the virus.

Moreover, three dogs have tested positive of COVID-19 as well. However, FDA cited in small research conducted that canines are not as likely to become infected as the cats. Still, it doesn’t mean that pet owners should be complacent for their canine pets.

Fortunately, at least for now, there are no recorded cases of an animal to human contamination that is an animal infecting a human with the coronavirus. According to the FDA, there is no evidence yet to prove that animals play a notable role in spreading the virus.