A pet cat has become the first animal to test positive for coronavirus in the UK.

The cat is believed to have contracted the virus via its owner.

The positive Covid-19 result in an animal was recorded at a laboratory in Surrey, but it is not believed to have spread the virus to any humans.

According to the chief veterinary officer for the UK, the feline is the first confirmed animal infected with the virus in the country.

There have been other instances of the virus infecting the household pet across the world.

In a statement, the government said that the infection was confirmed at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge following tests on Wednesday (July 22).

The statement continued: "Although this is the first confirmed case of an animal infection with the coronavirus strain in the UK, there is no evidence to suggest that the animal was involved in transmission of the disease to its owners or that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people."

Public Health England has advised people to wash their hands regularly, before and after contact with animals.

At the moment, "all available evidence" suggests that the cat contracted coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive.

The cat and its owners have all made a full recovery and there was no transmission to other animals or people in the household.

Downing Street said the cat had symptoms including shortness of breath.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "The test was carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency laboratory having been referred by a private vet who the owners had taken the cat to see.

"Its symptoms were a respiratory infection with a nasal discharge and some shortness of breath."

Chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: "Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet cat in England.



Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, added: "This is the first case of a domestic cat testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK but should not be a cause for alarm.

"The investigation into this case suggest that the infection was spread from humans to animal, and not the other way round. At this time, there is no evidence that pets can transmit the disease to humans.


The pet cat was initially diagnosed by a private vet with feline herpes virus, a common cat respiratory infection, but the sample was also tested for SARS-CoV-2 as part of a research programme.

Follow-up samples tested at the APHA laboratory in Weybridge confirmed the cat was also co-infected with SARS-CoV2, which is the virus known to cause Covid-19 in humans.