After we held our successful Board meeting in Nice in December, we have continued to work on our guidelines: the new “Adverse reactions to vaccination” is now available on our website, our previous guidelines Blood Transfusion in Cats, Pasteurella multocida, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Dirofilarioses, Streptococcal infections and Dermatophytosis have all been updated and we are writing new guidelines: Feline Morbillivirus (which will soon be available on the website), Vaccination and Antibody Titre Testing, Feline Respiratory Mycoplasmosis and Good Vaccination Practices. In addition, our factsheets for Chlamydia felis and Lungworm Disease and the ABCD tool “Managing FCV infections in multi-cat communities” have been updated. Our new tool “Vaccine recommendations for cats according to their lifestyle” is now available and we are now finalising new tools for the diagnosis of FeLV and FIV. However, now that Europe is the centre of the COVID-19 epidemic, our focus has been diverted and we are currently preparing a new guideline that will help vets to advise owners who are concerned about the zoonotic potential of the new coronavirus.

At the time of writing, only one cat has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus associated with COVID-19 in humans. It has been postulated that the cat was infected from its owner who had COVID-19. To date, there is no evidence that companion animals can spread COVID-19 to humans. Therefore, there is no justification in taking measures against cats or dogs that might compromise their welfare.

Given the potential for infected individuals to infect their pets, in households where people are sick with COVID-19, close contact with pet cats and dogs should be avoided. It is preferable that another member of the household without symptoms should care for the animal. If any owner with COVID-19 must continue to care for their pet while ill, they should maintain basic hygiene measures, for example washing their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after being near or handling their animals, their food, or their supplies, as well as avoiding kissing or licking their pets or sharing their food.

ABCD supports the earlier statements of WHO, WSAVA and Cornell Feline Health Centre, which emphasise that there is no evidence that cats or dogs could be a source of COVID-19 for humans. Pet owners should always maintain good hygiene practices and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets.

Upon a joint initiative of veterinary clinicians, scientists and an industry sponsor, the Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD) has been constituted. In 2005, ABCD held its first meeting in Lyon, France. Its objectives are to communicate scientific developments in feline infectious diseases, to establish a rational base for vaccine use and for disease prevention and control in the cat and to publish its conclusions for the companion animal practitioners’ scene. It is achieving this goal by organizing conventions, at which specific issues are scheduled, discussed and agreed upon. The objective is to define a code of practice that reflects the present state of knowledge on infectious diseases of the cat.