While there is no evidence to prove that animals can spread or potentially risk the spread of coronavirus. Reportedly, a cat in Belgium tested positive for coronavirus after potentially contracting it from its human friend.
According to reports, the cat had mild symptoms of Covid-19, including difficulty in breathing. This comes a week after its human friend fell sick. The cat also had diarrhea after which, the researchers subsequently found the novel coronavirus in her feces.
During a Federal Public Service Health press conference held on Friday, virologist Steven Van Gucht said:
Recently, the veterinary medicine faculty in Liège reported that a coronavirus infection has been determined in a cat. The cat lived with her owner, who started showing symptoms of the virus a week before the cat did.
However, Gucht also clearly stated that this case is about human-to-animal transmission and not the other way around. He also stresses on the fact that this isn’t common and the risk of animal-to-human transmission is very small.
Something similar had happened in Hong Kong when two dogs tested positive for coronavirus out of which, a 17-year-old Pomeranian died after going home from quarantine.
While doctors and researchers are still looking for a cure, the total number of confirmed cases has crossed the 6 lakh mark, globally.