A cat has been put to sleep after contracting coronavirus from its owner who passed away from the virus.

It is believed the 4-year-old feline, who became the first in Spain to catch the disease, caught the virus from his owner who was killed by the deadly bug, the news outlet La Vanguardia reported.

The cat had been taken to a veterinary hospital after his Catalonian family noticed he was experiencing breathing difficulties. Vets discovered that the feline had low platelet levels, had a temperature of 38.2C, and heart failure.

Sadly, the cat, who suffered from a genetic heart condition, was euthanized after it was decided that he won’t recover.

The cat’s body was sent to a research center where experts discovered traces of coronavirus in samples taken from his digestive tract and nose.

The four-year-old cat is the first in Spain to have contracted coronavirus, and the sixth in the world.

Professor Joaquin Segales, a researcher at the Center for Research in Animal Health, said: “He is a collateral victim of the disease in human.”

Even though Natalia Majo, the center’s director, said that the probabilities of cat-to-cat transmission are still unknown, a study in China ran blood tests on 102 cats and experts at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute found that ferrets and cats were susceptible to contracting the virus.

The experts also said that it was rarer in dogs, and said ducks, pigs, and chickens were not susceptible at all. They concluded that ‘the virus transmits in cats via respiratory droplets.’

Director Majo said the most reasonable hypothesis for felines being able to contract the infection is due to ‘the present receptors in cells for viruses’ in the same way as humans.

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