A pet cat has tested positive for COVID-19 in Hong Kong, authorities said on Tuesday.
The American shorthair was quarantined by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) on July 21 after her owner, who lives in Sheung Wan, tested positive for the virus.
“The AFCD will continue to closely monitor the cat and conduct repeated testing,” the department said in the statement. It added that the cat is not experiencing any symptoms.
When a pet owner in Hong Kong is confirmed as infected with COVID-19, or is classified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, the AFCD arranges for the pet to be quarantined at a facility at the Hong Kong port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
In the earlier months of the outbreak, two dogs and a cat in the city tested positive for the virus. None of them showed any symptoms.
One of the dogs, a Pomeranian, died two days after it was released from quarantine upon testing negative twice. But medical sources say the dog, which was 17 years old and suffering from underlying illnesses, likely did not die of COVID-19 complications.
Last week, the AFCD said the fecal sample of a Domestic shorthair cat living in Choi Hung also tested positive, but oral cavity, nasal and rectal subsequent samples returned negative.
Experts globally agree that there is no evidence suggesting that pets can spread the coronavirus to humans, and that the reverse is more likely.
During the SARS outbreak in 2003, eight cats and a dog tested positive for the virus in Hong Kong, sparking brief panic that SARS-infected animals could be carriers of the disease. But research showed that no animal was found to have spread the virus to other animals or humans.
Pet owners are advised to maintain a hygienic household environment and keep a distance from their pets if they feel ill.
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