A treatment deemed unkind

Deceased: Liu’s three cats which tested positive for Covid-19. The decision to euthanise them drew mixed reaction from netizens in China.

A WOMAN from Harbin city had to leave her cats at home recently after contracting Covid-19.

Before being admitted to hospital on Sept 21, she left food and water for her three cats – a Siamese and two exotic Shorthairs commonly known as Garfield cats.

The owner, known only as Liu, was looking forward to a reunion with them after being discharged.

During her hospitalisation, residential community workers entered her home three times for inspection and conducted the nucleic acid test on her pets, twice.

On Sept 27, they informed Liu that the felines tested positive for Covid-19.

She was heartbroken, but the worse was yet to come. Her three cats had to be put down.

“I know under such circumstances people couldn’t care less for cats, but to me, they are important.

“They kept me company in the last five years, these little cuties are my life,” she wrote on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like social media platform.

Harbin city in China’s north-eastern Heilongjiang province, was recently hit by Covid-19 cases.

Liu shared in her account that the workers told her they had never treated any pets for Covid-19 and asked for her consent to euthanise them.

She refused and appealed to animal protection societies and the city’s disease control and prevention centre to spare her pets.

“I don’t understand why human beings can get treatment, but not my cats.

“Although treating pets has never been done in the country, why can’t you give it a try?” she asked.

Some netizens gave various suggestions, including allowing the owner to pay for the medical bills of the cats in the hope they would be spared.

“The experts should try to treat the cats, who knows we may get a breakthrough,” said Dubi.

“I’m breathless reading the story. The world shouldn’t be like this,” wrote a Weibo user.

Some have put the blame on the residential community workers, accusing them of doing things “the easy way”.

“There are many other ways to deal with the cats, but they chose the easiest method.

“What we saw today was just three cats. What if more animals are infected in future?” asked Jiage.

There were also those who criticised Liu for a lack of consideration for those fighting the coronavirus, calling her selfish.

“Can you shoulder the responsibility of further contagion? Plus, there’s no plan of treating the animals,” said a Weibo user.

“How many frontliners have sacrificed in the fight against the pandemic last year and you want the country to get into trouble again? For three cats?” asked another netizen.

Some viewed the cats as a potential risk and that they could pass the virus to humans if they got out by accident.

All appeals from Liu and animal lovers fell on deaf ears.

Her pets were put to sleep the following day.

“They are gone. Thank you all for voicing out for me.

“I am not blaming anyone, I know the safety of the country and the people are of utmost priority, and that I would have to deal with cyberbullying for uploading the appeal.

“To every patient, the worst thing is to see people around us get infected. Wish everyone in good health,” she wrote on Sept 28.

According to the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, wild animals and poultry can be controlled or killed during an epidemic outbreak if necessary.

Some people have argued that pets, especially cats and dogs, do not fall into any of these two categories.

The residential community workers explained that unlike human beings, there was no facility or treatment for coronavirus-positive animals.

Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention researcher Feng Zijian told Beijing News that there was little experience in treating animals infected with the novel coronavirus.

“It is not clear about the period and method for a cat to eliminate the virus.

“There will be transmission risk in the family if the cats keep carrying the virus, so the treatment process needs great caution,” he said.

“If test results for the cats show continuous positives, they should be euthanised.”

Meanwhile, two pet cats in Mongolia also tested positive for Covid-19 recently, reported Xinhua News Agency.

Mongolia National Center for Zoonotic Diseases said the cats might have contracted the virus from their owners.

It was not reported how the pets were being dealt with.

Previously, the country had confirmed that seven beavers at the beaver breeding centre under the Environmental Department in Ulan Bator tested positive for the coronavirus.