Can animals, besides humans, be infected with or transmit the mumps virus?

Hello! Regarding this question, I'd be happy to share my understanding with you.

In general, the mumps virus is primarily a "human exclusive"; other animals are generally not naturally infected and certainly do not serve as primary sources of transmission.

You can imagine the relationship between the virus and our body's cells as that of a key and a lock.

High Specificity: The mumps virus, this "key," has evolved over a long period to become very "picky." It can precisely unlock the "lock" (i.e., the receptors on the cell surface) on our human respiratory tract and salivary gland cells. Only then can it enter, replicate itself, and cause disease.
Different "Locks" in Animals: The "locks" on most animal cells are different from ours, so the virus's "key" cannot fit, and thus it cannot infect them. This is why we never have to worry about pets like cats, dogs, or birds getting mumps or transmitting it to us.

Are there any exceptions?

There are indeed some special circumstances, but none are relevant to our daily lives:

Laboratory Research: In laboratories, scientists, for the purpose of vaccine or drug research, will artificially infect certain animals with high concentrations of the virus. The most common are monkeys (especially rhesus monkeys), because they are closely related to humans, and the structure of their "locks" is quite similar. However, this is completely different from what happens in nature. It's like forcing a door open; it doesn't mean your key can normally unlock it.
Extremely Rare Cases: In past literature, there have been extremely rare reports of dogs being infected with the mumps virus, but these cases had insufficient evidence and were not widely confirmed. For the average person, this possibility is almost negligible.

Conclusion

So, you can completely rest assured:

You will not contract mumps from any animal (including your pets).
If you unfortunately get mumps, you also don't need to worry about transmitting it to your cats or dogs.

The transmission route for mumps is very clear: it's human-to-human, primarily through droplets produced when speaking, sneezing, or coughing, or by contact with virus-contaminated objects. Therefore, the most effective way to prevent mumps is to get the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, and during epidemic seasons, pay attention to personal hygiene, wash hands frequently, and maintain distance from infected individuals.