Pet Cat Test Positive with COVID-19, The First Infected Animal in UK

Pet Cat Becomes the First Animal in UK to Test Positive with COVID-19

PET CAT- A cat has become the first animal in the UK to test positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

According to the report of CNN, UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss confirmed that the feline was infected with the virus. This found out after the following tests conducted at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge, England, July 22.

Pet Cat Test Positive
Image Source: SciTechDaily

The cat was “the first confirmed case of an animal infection with the coronavirus strain in the UK. However, it said there was no evidence the cat had transmitted the virus to its owners.

“All available evidence suggests that the cat contracted the coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive for Covid-19,” the press release added.

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Based on the report, the cat was initially diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes virus – a common respiratory infection among cats. The cat was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research program.

APHA laboratory confirmed that the cat had SARS-CoV-2 which manifests as COVID-19 in humans. Middlemiss called it a “very rare event” with “infected animals detected to date only showing mild clinical signs and recovering within in a few days.”

The medical doctor for Public Health England, Yvonne Doyle, said it was “not a cause for alarm,” assuring people that there was “no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.

“It has been clear for a while that cats are susceptible to infection, but there is no evidence that they can go on to infect humans,” said James Wood, head of the department of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge.

Wood added that only a handful of pets “have been found to be infected around the world.” The animal and its owners have now made a full recovery.

Meanwhile, this was not the first case of animals infected by COVID-19. Pet dogs in the US and Hong Kong also test positive with COVID-19. There were also two pet cats reportedly infected with the virus in the US.

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