2) Activity: As you spend more time at home, make sure that each pet gets the exercise it needs.Call your veterinarian if you have any concerns for the health of your pets.

The team, at Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China, found that cats are highly susceptible to Covid-19 and appear to be able to transmit the virus through respiratory droplets to other cats.Experts said the findings were credible, but that they did not indicate cats were an important vector in spreading the disease between humans.

The virus has also shown itself capable of spreading to pets, with a third animal, a cat belonging to a Belgian owner, being diagnosed with Covid-19 on Friday night.(Picture: Getty Images)Belgium’s National Council for Animal Protection has stressed that there is ‘no reason to abandon your animal’ over coronavirus fears.

If it’s an emergency, you can still go to the vet with your pet (Picture: Getty Images/Cultura RF)With the world in upheaval due to COVID-19, previously-important things like MOTs and dental checkups have gone out the window.

As shelters brace for fewer volunteers and more surrendered animals, Australians are being urged to consider adopting or fostering.As the Covid-19 crisis progresses, RSPCA shelters around Australia have had to change their hours and take a number of other steps to protect their employees, volunteers and animals.

In mid-February, Idexx Laboratories, an American multinational corporation and global leader in veterinary diagnostics, started testing samples from dogs, cats and horses for the coronavirus strain responsible for COVID-19.

‘Currently there is limited evidence that your pets can be infected with COVID-19 and no evidence that pet dogs or cats can be a source of infection to other animals or to humans,’ said Samantha Webster, a veterinary surgeon with eight years of experience.

The Pomeranian, 17, was quarantined at a government facility in Hong Kong last month after being believed to have caught coronavirus from its owner, Yvonne Chow Hau Yee, 60.

People have been kitting their pets out in masks (which is not necessary) (Picture: REUTERS/Aly Song)‘That said, there are numerous strains of coronavirus that affect animals: canine coronavirus (CCV), which is highly contagious amongst dogs , and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which is an illness that can manifest from coronavirus infection in cats.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation states: “At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus.​".

A spokesman for Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said that a pet dog had been tested "weak positive" for the COVID-19 virus, but also noted that AFCD "does not have evidence that pet animals can be infected with coronavirus or be a source of infection to people.".