Spanish cat tests positive for coronavirus

MADRID (REUTERS):  A cat belonging to a family in the Spanish region of Catalonia tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Professor Joaquim Segales of Catalonia’s Animal Health Research Centre said, “It did not die from the virus, however, but from a pre-existing respiratory condition fairly common among cats.”

According to an international news agency, the cat named Negrito was the sixth feline to be detected with the disease globally.

The professor said, “The conducted test on the cat informed that the animal presented a very grave respiratory pathology and feared it might suffer from COVID-19.”

“Human-to-cat transmission risks are low enough as to be non-existent, while the cat-to-cat transmission is also relatively inefficient,” the professor informed.

Joaquim Segales said, “The role of the pet in the epidemiology of COVID-19 could be considered negligible, with no evidence that anyone has caught it from a pet.”

A team at Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in China conducted research into domestic animals’ vulnerability to coronavirus.

The study found that ferrets were most susceptible to catching and passing the virus along to other ferrets. Cats were slightly less so, and dogs barely. Pigs, ducks, and chickens were not susceptible at all.