Cat falls ill after ‘catching coronavirus from owners’ in England

A pet cat has fallen ill with coronavirus in the UK after apparently catching Covid-19 from its owners.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (Apha) laboratory in Weybridge, Surrey, on July 22.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), 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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The investigation into this case suggests that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round.

A cat has tested positive for Covid-19. Picture by PixabayA cat has tested positive for Covid-19. Picture by Pixabay
A cat has tested positive for Covid-19. Picture by Pixabay

“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.”

A private vet initially diagnosed the pet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for Covid-19 part of a research programme.

Read More
This is the latest on the travel situation with Spain
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health in line with international agreements.

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

The UK’s 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 a few days.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“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.”

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.

Researchers at the CVR have now completed a full genome sequencing of the virus found in the infected cat.

A message from the editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.You can subscribe to this website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. SImply click ‘Subscribe’ in the menu. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.