Cat becomes first animal to be diagnosed with coronavirus in UK

Public Health England said the case "should not be a cause for alarm" Cat is believed to have caught virus from owners

A pet cat has become the first animal to test positive for coronavirus in the UK, the Government has revealed.

The animal is thought to have caught coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive for the disease.

Downing Street said the cat had symptoms including shortness of breath.

The cat and its owners have since made a "full recovery", according to the scientists who tested the animal.

It is the first confirmed case of an animal with the coronavirus strain in the UK.

The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 was detected in the domestic cat.

A very small number of confirmed cases in pets have been confirmed in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia.

The cat's infection was detected during tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge on Wednesday, July 22.

The Government stressed there is no evidence that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people.

Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: "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."

Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England, said: "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. In line with the general advice on fighting coronavirus, you should wash your hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the animal was initially diagnosed by a private vet with "feline herpes virus", a common cat respiratory infection.

However, the cat's sample was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research programme. The tests then confirmed that the cat was also infected with SARS-CoV2 which is the virus known to cause COVID-19 in humans.

The incident has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health.

A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research are behind the programme to screen hundreds of samples for Covid-19 infections in the UK cat population.

They have completed a full genome sequencing of the virus found in the infected cat.

Professor Margaret Hosie said: "All available evidence suggests that the cat was infected from its owners, who had previously tested positive.

"The cat and its owners have since made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household."

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