There is a lot of conflicting information out there right now about COVID-19’s ability to infect animals — particularly house pets, which could then, in theory, spread the virus to their human owners. 

So far, the confirmed data is scarce. According to the American Veterinarian Medical Association (AVMA), there is no confirmed case of COVID-19 in any house pets in the U.S. 

There are a few reported cases abroad.

In Hong Kong, out of 17 dogs and eight cats tested, a Pomeranian and German Shepherd tested positive after their owners had contracted coronavirus. The Pomeranian tested a weak positive, while a subsequent test on the German Shepherd yielded a negative for COVID-19.

Both dogs were put in quarantine.

Hong Kong was also home to the second house cat in the world diagnosed with COVID-19. It is also under quarantine and has no symptoms.

The first place in the world to report COVID-19 in a house cat was Belgium. Its owner did have COVID-19 and symptoms reportedly cleared up in the cat after nine days.

In the U.S., the only reported case of an animal with coronavirus is a tiger that caught it from a zookeeper who had the virus. 

Because of the small sample size, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and AVMA have very limited guides on how to handle pets during COVID-19.

Both advise owners to stay away from pets if they themselves are infected with coronavirus by having a plan in place for someone else to care for the animal as the virus runs its course.

Beyond that, common good hygiene practices are a must: washing hands, covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, avoid touching your face, etc.

The CDC also recommended contacting your state public health veterinarian if there are any concerns.

Here are some other tips you can follow:

Graphic by: Maybeth Peralta and Juan Alba