[CobaltBlue]

I was wondering about the pet factor. Do Chinese keep cats and dogs as pets? I know that cats are eaten by older Chinese men who think cat meat will restore youthful sexual vigor, and that some consider dog meat a delicacy, but have no idea about the custom or practice of keeping cats and dogs as pets in China.

[FITZ]

Now that's interesting ---I wonder if any of the victims recently ate dogs. That's one habit Chinese have that's different than people from India and the US.

[FITZ]

I don't know if they have them as pets because they eat them --- so that might make them less likely to have cross-immunity from the animal viruses ---I recently read that kids raised around pets are healthier and I think it could be due to similar viruses on animals that aren't pathogenic to humans ---like natural vaccines because they'll build up your antibodies without making you sick.