A cat in Hong Kong becomes the second to test positive for coronavirus.
The Agricultural and Fisheries department confirmed that the feline was tested after its owner was diagnosed with the virus.
This is the second feline to test positive after another pet cat in Belgium tested positive in coronavirus.
The feline in Hong Kong hasn’t shown any symptoms of the disease, and the department has urged all owners not to leave or abandon their animal companions.
The cat’s owner, a 25-year-old woman, is believed to have visited a bar before developing a fever, according to the South China Morning Post.
The case in Belgium had also spread from human to animal.
The country’s top virologist said: “The cat had diarrhoea, kept vomiting and had breathing difficulties. The researchers found the virus in the cat’s faeces.”
Two dogs in Hong Kong also tested positive even though experts say there is no evidence that animals/pets can spread the infection to humans.
The first dog that got infected was a Pomeranian. Its owner is a 60-year-old woman who was diagnosed with coronavirus.
According to the agriculture department, the case was ‘likely to be a case of human-to-animal transmission.’
The pooch later passed away after being released from quarantine, according to officials.
The second dog was a German Shepherd and was sent into quarantine along with another dog from the same Pok Fu Lam area on Hong Kong Island. But the other dog, who didn’t show any symptoms, tested positive for the virus.
“We do not have evidence that companion animals, including pets, can spread Covid-19,” the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Council for Animal Protection, an animal rights group from Belgium, said: “Let’s not go back to a dark medieval period when ignorant people hunt and kill cats for fear that they will pass on the plague.
“We have said it from the beginning of the crisis and we will go on to the end: there is no reason to abandon your animal.
“It is just necessary, for sick people, to respect the usual hygiene rules so as not to take any risks to your entourage and animals.”
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this story with your friends and family!
Replaced!