[FreepForever]

The vets' logic is: if those coronavirus existed in cats are that deadly and contagious as the strain that we are witnessing now, the virus would have wiped out all cats years ago. So, don't worry, my friend. I'm animal lover too.

However, you do have a point. The Hong Kong Health Dept found out that mouses and cockroaches in Amoy Garden (HK's SARS epic center) did contain that virus. May be they just got contaminated from human waste/discharge but they themselves are not the host.

[aristeides]

With a really deadly disease, only members of the victim species that are immune to it survive. That may have happened to cats long ago. It may be in the process of happening to humans now.

[FITZ]

The vets' logic is: if those coronavirus existed in cats are that deadly and contagious as the strain that we are witnessing now, the virus would have wiped out all cats years ago.

But that doesn't make sense because viruses mutate all the time ---what could have been a fairly benign virus years ago may have converted into something more pathologic ---that's why there are constantly new colds and flus. I guess no one knows where this SARS came from yet ---if it's in some animal host, a wild resorvior ---maybe it's one of those viruses that doesn't make it's natural host very ill but is more dangerous to humans.