The domestic short-haired feline was sent for quarantine at an animal keeping facility at the Hong Kong checkpoint of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Monday after its owner was confirmed with COVID-19.
The Hong Kong government’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) collected samples from the cat for tests. Its oral cavity, nasal and rectal samples tested positive for COVID-19.
The cat has not shown any signs of the disease, a spokesman for the AFCD said yesterday, adding that the department would continue to closely monitor the cat and carry out more tests.
This is the third animal to test positive in Hong Kong, following earlier cases in which two dogs tested “weak positive” or positive during repeated tests for the virus.
The AFCD will continue to work together with the Department of Health in handling such cases, the spokesman said.
To ensure public and animal health, the AFCD strongly advises that mammalian pet animals including dogs and cats from households with confirmed COVID-19 patients should be put under quarantine in AFCD facilities, he added.
The spokesman stressed that there is no evidence that pet animals can be a source of COVID-19. Pet owners should always maintain good hygiene practices and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets.
– Xinhua, MPD
