Kitten Dies After Catching Covid As Study Uncovers More Evidence Of Human-To-Cat Transmission forbes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from forbes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Cats have been found to be susceptible to Covid-19. Photo: Sarah Caldecott SCIENTISTS working at a Scots university have identified two cases of Covid-19 being transmitted from humans to cats. One of the infected cats, a young kitten, became so ill that it had to be put down. Researchers from the University of Glasgow found the cases of SARS-CoV-2 transmission as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the UK. The cats, of different breeds, were living in separate households and displayed mild to severe respiratory signs. Researchers believe both pets were infected by their owners, who had Covid-19 symptoms before the cats became unwell.
A kitten has died after contracting Covid-19 from its owner in one of two cases of human-to-animal transmission identified by scientists. A study led by the University of Glasgow discovered the cases as part of a Covid-19 screening programme of cats throughout the UK. Scientists from the university’s Centre for Virus Research (CVR) and School of Veterinary Medicine joined forces for the research, which suggests that both animals were infected by their owners who had been displaying signs of the virus. The young cat which died, a four month old ragdoll kitten, was taken to the vet in April last year with breathing difficulties and sadly had to be put down.
A cat sits inside the window of a carpet shop in south London during lockdown. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA
A cat sits inside the window of a carpet shop in south London during lockdown. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA
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Fri 23 Apr 2021 05.45 EDT
First published on Fri 23 Apr 2021 05.44 EDT
Two cases of human-to-cat transmission of Covid-19 have been identified by researchers. Scientists from the University of Glasgow found the cases of Sars-CoV-2 transmission as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the UK.
The cats, of different breeds, were living in separate households and displayed mild to severe respiratory signs. Researchers believe both pets were infected by their owners, who had Covid-19 symptoms before the cats became unwell.
A new study finds that humans aren t the only ones susceptible to COVID-19 infections. Ferrets and cats can also catch the deadly virus.
Scientists in the United Kingdom have found evidence that humans infected with SARS-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus, can transmit it to cats. Researchers from the University of Glasgow when screening the country’s feline population identified two such cases of cats contracting the virus from their infected owners.
The cats in the study did not live in the same household and were not of the same breed. Both developed mild to severe respiratory symptoms not long after their owners developed symptoms as well.