The virus that causes the common cold in humans is species-specific, which means you can’t spread it to your dog or cat, nor can you get it from them, said Dr. Shelley Rankin, assistant professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
But influenza viruses can “jump” from one species to another, said Dr. Ed Dubovi, a virologist at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. “The regular flu virus does not pass back and forth” between cats, dogs and their owners, he said, at least as far as anybody knows.