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.
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.
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.
Notes to editors:
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has also
produced a factsheet outlining the latest science on
infection in animals which can be accessed here.
