2 Pet cats test positive for Coronavirus in New York

New from the US say that two pet cats have tested positive for coronavirus in New York state. They become the first pets in the US to contract the infection, say officials.

The cats, which had mild respiratory illnesses and are expected to recover, are thought to have contracted the virus from people in their households or neighborhoods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The finding, which comes after positive tests in seven tigers and lions at the Bronx Zoo, adds to a small number of confirmed cases of the virus in animals worldwide. U.S. authorities say that while it appears some animals can get the virus from people, there’s no indication the animals are transmitting it to human beings.

“We don’t want people to panic. We don’t want people to be afraid of pets” or to rush to test them en masse, said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a CDC official who works on human-animal health connections. “There’s no evidence that pets are playing a role in spreading this disease to people.”

Scientists think it unlikely that a pet could transmit coronavirus to a person. Previously, seven lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for the virus. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made the announcement about the two household cats on Wednesday.

One of the pets was tested when it showed signs of respiratory illness after its owner tested positive. The other cat’s owners had not been tested for coronavirus.

There have been limited, isolated cases of pets catching coronavirus, but the two New York cats are the first to test positive in the US.

None of the pets that have caught the virus have become seriously ill. Scientists are investigating why.

The CDC has recommended that pet owners should not let pets interact with other people or animals outside their household.