Zoonotic Risk: One More Good Reason Why Cats Should Be Kept Away from Bats

Bats are often unfairly depicted as the direct culprit in the current COVID-19 pandemic,yet the real causes of this and other zoonotic spillover events should be sought in the human impacton the environment, including the spread of domestic animals. Here, we discuss bat predation bycats as a phenomenon bringing about zoonotic risks and illustrate cases of observed, suspected orhypothesized pathogen transmission from bats to cats, certainly or likely following predationepisodes. In addition to well-known cases of bat rabies, we review other diseases that affect humansand might eventually reach them through cats that prey on bats. We also examine the potentialtransmission of SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of COVID-19, from domestic cats to bats, which,although unlikely, might generate a novel wildlife reservoir in these mammals, and identifyresearch and management directions to achieve more effective risk assessment, mitigation orprevention. Overall, not only does bat killing by cats represent a potentially serious threat tobiodiversity conservation, but it also bears zoonotic implications that can no longer be neglected