A sad incident has occurred where a pet cat passed away after contracting Coronavirus from its owner in Catalonia, Spain.
The four-year-old cat was taken to a veterinary hospital in Catalonia due to breathing difficulties, a high temperature of 38.2°C, low blood platelet levels, and heart failure.
After suffering severe heart disease, the cat had to be euthanised, as reported by La Vanguardia.
Joaquim Segales, a researcher at the Centre for Research in Animal Health (CReSA), expressed, “He is a collateral victim of the disease in humans.”
Following the cat’s euthanization, its body was sent to CReSA for analysis, revealing the presence of COVID-19 RNA in samples taken from the cat’s nose and digestive tract.
Segales also noted, “The viral load was low and none of the lesions he presented were compatible with the virus. The cat was already suffering from cardiomyopathy and later became infected with COVID-19.”
Regrettably, this incident marks the sixth reported case of a cat contracting COVID-19 worldwide.
Furthermore, at the Bronx Zoo in New York, eight lions and tigers also tested positive for COVID-19, but most of the animals showed mild symptoms of respiratory disease and have since recovered.
Natalia Majo, director of the CReSA, emphasized, “The possibility that a person infects a cat is extremely low.”