Pet cat catches coronavirus from UK owners
A pet cat has contracted coronavirus from his owners in the UK’s first example of an animal catching the virus.
It is understood that the cat, which has not been named, caught the virus from his owners, but the government said there was “no evidence to suggest that the animal was involved in transmission of the disease to its owners or that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people”.
The cat and the owners made a full recovery and there was not believed to be any other transmission to anyone else.
The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural affairs.
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Chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for COVID-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England.
“This is a very rare event with infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days.
“There is no evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change.”
Medical director Yvonne Doyle added: “This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for COVID-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm.
“The investigation into this case suggest that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.”