This is because the virus that causes Covid-19 belongs to the family of coronaviruses that cause disease in a variety of mammals. Circumstances indicate the cat contracted the virus from its owners, who had previously tested positive for Covid-19. Our research coincided with the UK Covid-19 outbreak, focusing on cats experiencing respiratory symptoms. This is reinforced by the fact that the other cat in the household never became infected, either by the owners or the infected cat. Our results and those from other studies, such as work in the US showing experimentally infected cats were only transiently infected, can provide reassurance to the pet-owning public.

Source: The Guardian August 08, 2020 09:00 UTC