Two New York cats are the first known house pets to test positive for coronavirus in the United States.

Also, four more tigers and three African lions at the Bronx Zoo are also positive, bringing the total of infected large cats there up to eight.

That may make you wonder what you should be doing to protect your pets.

Dr. Devin Smith says there is something important to keep in mind here, in particular, there are still a lot of unknowns when it comes to coronavirus.

"So the conversation that we have today may be very different than the information that we have a week from now," Dr. Smith says, "And that's, I think, frustrating for a lot of people, but that's the reality when you're dealing with a novel disease."

The Bronx Zoo outbreak began with a tiger, named Nadia. She and several other tigers there began showing signs of a respiratory virus.

Researchers believe a zookeeper infected the Nadia, an indicator that humans can indeed spread coronavirus to animals.

Still, Dr. Smith says, pet owners should not panic, "Right now, it is of very little concern that, if you have covid, you're going to make your pet very, very ill."

That said, if you're infected, you should take precautions, Smith says, "If you are experiencing symptoms that might be indicative or suggestive of covid, when you self quarantine from your loved ones that should include- even though you might want to snuggle with your pet when you're feeling crummy- your animal friends."

This is not just to protect your pet from infection, Smith says, it's for everyone else in your home, too, "If I have covid, as an example, and I'm snuggling on Bruce Wayne, and I sneeze on him or whatever the case may be, and then he goes and snuggles with my brother, that his fur transmits the disease- possibly."

And, Dr. Smith says, that may be the only way animals could actually spread covid to humans, "Right now there is absolutely no concrete, consistent research or evidence that shows that Bruce Wayne here, this cute little kitty, could get covid-19 and then give it to me."

It's a point Dr. Smith wants to stress, because she worries some pet owners may let their fears take over, with their pets paying the price.

"That may make people abandon their animals, or take them to a shelter because they're so afraid of potentially getting it," Smith says.