>>>> The cat was showing symptoms and had a known exposure. Hence, it was tested.
The cat’s symptom was due to other illness, not consistent with Covid-19 in human. The only thing in this story is because the owner tested positive for coronavirus.
The positive fecal test showing virus showed that cats most likely asymptomatic but did not prove corona virus particles in the cat would/could reinfect other human (i.e. jumping from species to different species).
All it does is to create massive panic amongst the human populace that cats are virus carriers. Like the couple self-ingesting fish tank cleaner to prevent contracting the disease.
There, you happy now?
Many animals manifest symptoms in other parts of the body than humans. Coronaviruses primarily cause respiratory illness in humans, but that doesn’t automatically mean it will be a respiratory illness in other animals.
FIP, the well-known coronavirus that infects cats is primarily an intestinal disease that can get into the lungs. I wouldn’t be surprised if Covid-19 affects cats similarly.
Similarly, influenza in birds is primarily an intestinal disease passed through feces. Yet influenza is almost always a respiratory disease in humans.