Cat tests positive for COVID-19 in England, first case of an animal being infected with the corona in Britain

England:"COVID-19 confirmed in pet cat in the UK. The virus responsible for coronavirus has been detected in a pet cat in the UK. The UK's Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed that the virus responsible for coronavirus has been detected in a pet cat in the UK. The government said on Monday, July 27 in the first confirmed case of an animal being infected with the virus in Britain.

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. The advice from Public Health England is for people to wash their hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.

The British environment ministry said, 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. 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. 

Both the cat and the humans made a full recovery and there was no transmission to any other animals or people in the household, the ministry said without identifying the individuals involved. The government said the infection was confirmed in lab tests on Wednesday, July 22, adding there was no evidence that cats could transmit the virus to humans.

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 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. 

Pet owners can access the latest government guidance on how to continue to care for their animals during the coronavirus pandemic. The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health in line with international commitments. There have been a very small number of confirmed cases in pets in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia."

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said cats are the most susceptible animal species to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and are able to transmit it to other cats. The WHO has said it will investigate the possibility of cat-to-human infection, but its chief scientist has said there is "very little risk" from domestic animals.