Pet cat catches coronavirus in Hong Kong

A pet cat has tested positive for the new coronavirus in Hong Kong after its owner came down with the virus, the World Organization for Animal Health said, Sputnik reports.

The agency was alerted to the human-to-animal transmission by the Chinese autonomy's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

The feline companion was quarantined on March 30 after its owner was hospitalized with COVID-19. It was tested twice for the virus at the holding facility.

"All samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The cat has not exhibited any specific clinical signs," the report read.

The World Health Organization said that at least one other pet of a confirmed coronavirus patient in Hong Kong had caught the virus. But it noted there was no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit the disease to a human.