A pet cat, living in its owner’s home in the town of Novara west of Milan, is the first pet to be infected with the British corona virus mutation. About ten days after the cat’s owner, Ilani, was diagnosed as a carrier of the mutation strain, the eight-year-old pet also began to show symptoms such as difficulty breathing and was tested as a carrier of Corona.
After the test showed that the cat and its owners were carriers of the two mutations were sent for testing, the owner at the hospital while the cat at the animal institute. It was later discovered that it was the owner who infected the cat and not the other way around, however, the Italian Ministry of Health warned residents against close contact with their pets, as they too could be carriers of the virus or mutations.
In Tulumio Grigilio, head of the Piedmont area’s infection control department, he said: “While pets can be infected, and their virality is high, there is no evidence that they are involved in spreading the disease, as human infection remains the main route for the virus to spread.” In contrast, earlier this year a group of scientists warned that animals should also be vaccinated to prevent the spread of the virus and argued that they could “pose a significant long-term risk”.