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Pet cat tests positive for coronavirus in the UK

Jonathan Duane
Jonathan Duane

02:07 27 Jul 2020


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It's believed the cat caught the disease from it's owner. 

A pet cat has tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, the first animal anywhere in Britain that's known to have caught Covid-19.

The news has been confirmed by the UK's Chief Veterinary Officer - who says it's thought the moggie caught the disease from its owner.

Government advice is to wash your hands before and after contact with animals.

In a press release the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 

''The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge on Wednesday 22 July.

''Although this is the first confirmed case of an animal infection with the coronavirus strain in the UK, there is 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.

''All available evidence suggests that the cat contracted the coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive for Covid-19. The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission to other animals or people in the household.

''The pet cat was initially diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research programme. Follow-up samples tested at the APHA laboratory in Weybridge confirmed the cat was also co-infected with SARS-CoV2 which is the virus known to cause Covid-19 in humans.''


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