Pet cat diagnosed with Covid-19 in first UK case of animal infection
The animal, which is said to have only experienced mild symptoms, is not believed to been involved in transmitting the disease to its owners or other humans and animals
Representational Picture: A cat sits behind a tree in Istanbul, Turkey, January 15, 2018. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
A pet cat has been diagnosed with Covid-19, the first case of animal infection with coronavirus in the UK, the government has confirmed.
The feline is believed to have caught the virus from its owners, all of whom have made a full recovery, reports the Guardian.
The animal, which is said to have only experienced mild symptoms, is not believed to been involved in transmitting the disease to its owners or other humans and animals.
The UK's chief veterinary officer, Prof Christine Middlemiss, said that there was still no evidence that pets could transmit the disease to humans. The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge last Wednesday.
