Human coronavirus transmissible between domestic cats: study

TOKYO - The novel coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic can be transmitted between domestic cats even though infected cats may not show any symptoms, according to a research team working in the Japanese capital and Wisconsin.

Researchers from the University of Tokyo and University of Wisconsin-Madison published the findings online Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a veterinarian and professor in the research team, recommends cat owners keep their pets indoors as they may contract the virus without the owner ever being aware.

The study said that while there is no evidence of the virus being transmitted from cats to humans, it is necessary to get a better understanding of the potential role of pets in the pandemic.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed in April that two pet cats were infected with the virus causing respiratory disease, and infections among cats have been reported in Belgium and Hong Kong as well.

The CDC said at that time there was no evidence that pets play a role in spreading the virus in the United States.

The research team took the virus from a human and infected three cats with it by putting large doses into the eyes, nostrils, mouth and trachea of the test subjects in a laboratory in the United States.

The infected cats were then each housed with an uninfected cat and within five days, the uninfected cats tested positive for the virus via nasal swabs.

Following the positive tests, all six cats continued testing positive for about five days, according to the team.

Blood tests showed that they produced antibodies for 24 days after the first positive test.

All six cats maintained normal body temperature, weight and behavior throughout the experiment and none showed any symptoms of the virus, according to the research team.

Pointing to evidence that humans can transmit the virus to cats and that cats can spread it to other cats, pet owners "should keep a distance from their cats" if they are found to have been infected, Kawaoka said.

The team also noted the importance of employing simple hygiene precautions, such as washing hands, and avoiding obviously ill animals, in protecting the health of both humans and animals.

Lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo in New York exhibited symptoms of respiratory illness and tested positive for the coronavirus in April after a zookeeper was infected with the virus, according to U.S. media reports.

It is more likely that humans are giving the virus to their pets, rather than pets causing humans to become ill, according to the researchers.

==Kyodo

Taylor Swift in all-star film version of 'Cats': reports

Pop superstar Taylor Swift will take to the silver screen alongside Jennifer Hudson in a film adaptation of the popular hit musical "Cats," reports said Friday.

The movie is the latest project for British filmmaker Tom Hooper, who brought novel-turned-musical "Les Miserables" to the big screen and won an Oscar for directing "The King's Speech."

"Cats," composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and featuring the classic musical ballad "Memory," opened in London in 1981 and originally was staged on Broadway from 1982 to 2000, the fourth-longest run in history.

Based on poems by T.S. Eliot, "Cats" tells of a feline tribe -- in human form on stage -- called the Jellicles who decide who among them will make a fateful ascent into a new life.

Cinema industry news site Variety said that Hudson, who won an Oscar for the 2006 film musical "Dreamgirls," would play Grizabella, a formerly glamorous cat who longs for acceptance.

Variety and several other film sites said that "Cats" would also star, in roles to be determined, Swift, actor turned late-night comedian James Corden and veteran British actor Ian McKellen.

Film studio Universal did not respond to a request for comment. No release date has been announced for the film.

The 28-year-old Swift, who is touring through the end of November, is one of her generation's highest-grossing singers, but she has also branched out into supporting roles on film. 

She played a chaste girlfriend in the 2010 romantic comedy "Valentine's Day" and, in a darker turn, appeared in the 2014 science-fiction film "The Giver."

Swift is also known for her love of real-life cats. She frequently posts pictures on social media of her cats, Olivia and Meredith, who recently made a Hollywood debut in a scene in superhero film "Deadpool 2."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Cats rule this Japanese island

AOSHIMA, JAPAN - An army of feral cats rules a remote island in southern Japan, curling up in abandoned houses or strutting about in a fishing village that is overrun with felines outnumbering humans six to one.

Originally introduced to the mile-long island of Aoshima to deal with mice that plagued fishermen's boats, the cats stayed on - and multiplied.

More than 120 cats swarm the island with only a handful of humans for company, mostly pensioners who didn't join the waves of migrants seeking work in the cities after World War Two.

Aoshima, a 30-minute ferry ride off the coast of Ehime prefecture, had been home to 900 people in 1945. The only sign of human activity now is the boatload of day-trippers from the mainland, visiting what is locally known as Cat Island.

With no restaurants, cars, shops or kiosks selling snacks, Aoshima is no tourist haven. But cat lovers are not complaining.

"There is a ton of cats here, then there was this sort of cat witch who came out to feed the cats which was quite fun," said 27-year-old Makiko Yamasaki. "So I'd want to come again."

The allure of cats is not surprising in a country that gave the world Hello Kitty, a cartoon character considered the epitome of cuteness. Cat cafes have long been popular in Tokyo, catering to fans who can't keep the animals at home because of strict housing regulations that often forbid pets.

The cats of Aoshima are not too picky, surviving on the rice balls, energy bars or potatoes they cadge off tourists. In the absence of natural predators, they roam the island without fear.

Not all the residents are admirers, though. One elderly woman shooed the animals away with a stick when they dug up her back garden. Locals are trying to keep the feline population in check - at least 10 cats have been neutered.

Residents haven't taken too kindly to the tourists either. They don't mind them coming, but want to be left in peace.

"If people coming to the island find the cats healing, then I think it's a good thing," said 65-year-old Hidenori Kamimoto, who ekes out a living as a fisherman.

"I just hope that it's done in a way that doesn't become a burden on the people who live here."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Is your cat making you crazy? Feline feces linked to suicide among women

WASHINGTON - Women infected with a parasite spread by cat feces run a higher risk of attempting suicide, suggests a study of more than 45,000 women in Denmark published in a scientific journal this week.

"We can't say with certainty that T. gondii caused the women to try to kill themselves," said Teodor Postolache of the University of Maryland medical school, senior author of the study in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

"But we did find a predictive association between the infection and suicide attempts later in life that warrants additional studies. We plan to continue our research into this possible connection."

About one in three people in the world are believed to be infected with T. gondii, which has been linked to schizophrenia and behavior changes, but often produces no symptoms as it lurks in brain and muscle cells.

Human run the risk of infection when they clean out their cats' litter boxes, as well as by consuming unwashed vegetables, undercooked or raw meat, or water from a contaminated source.

"The study found that women infected with T. gondii were one-and-a-half times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those who were not infected, and the risk seemed to rise with increasing levels of the T. gondii antibodies," a summary of the findings said.

"Previous mental illness did not appear to significantly alter these findings. The relative risk was even higher for violent suicide attempts."

The suspected perils of T. gondii featured in The Atlantic magazine in March this year when it ran a widely-read profile of Czech biologist Jaroslav Flegr, who suspects the parasite of literally changing people's minds.

It headlined the article: "How Your Cat is Making You Crazy."

source: interaksyon.com