COVID and Cats - new info

dturm wrote:
I'm more concerned about possible mutation, changes where animal to human transmission and the potential that could mean.

I think that you have it backwards regarding mutation. The last time I had a taxonomy course, humans were still considered to be in the animal kingdom and were mammals. The information available indicates that a virus naturally occurring in bats got into humans. The virus did not change to a species specific form in humans. Humans can transmit the virus to other humans and apparently domestic cats and large cats as evidenced by the Bronx Zoo cases. A study of the virus indicated that cats and ferrets can get Covid-19. Cats apparently shed the virus as a cat in another cage got infected. Dogs got infected. Virus was found in their feces but not in their nasal passages.

There are a number of viruses and other diseases that are capable of infecting multiple species. Dead end hosts are often species that die so rapidly that there is little chance of spread or do not shed the disease agent in a manner that it is easily acquired by another individual/species.